The 2017 MLS preseason is winding down, which means opening day for all 22 teams is right around the corner. For Columbus Crew SC, the upcoming campaign is as important as any in recent years. After nearly winning a title in 2015, the club took a step back last year in missing the playoffs altogether.
Manager and sporting director Gregg Berhalter made plenty of acquisitions in the off-season aimed at improving the roster. In total, Columbus completed 11 transactions for incoming players. Only three other non-expansion clubs in the league had more.
The moves come ahead of a make or break season for the Black and Gold. Fan expectations skyrocketed after Columbus hosted MLS Cup, but last year’s hard landing from those lofty heights dented those sentiments. What needs to happen in 2017 for Crew SC to become playoff participants and trophy contenders once more?
Three Questions for the 2017 Columbus Crew SC Season
Are the Holes in the Back Four Finally Plugged?
Columbus dealt with myriad issues en route to a disappointing 18th place finish in the overall MLS table. But perhaps the most glaring concerned the perpetually leaky back line. Crew SC conceded 58 goals in 2016 which tied Chicago for the second worst total in the league.
So the overarching theme in the off-season involved getting better defensively. The marquee player brought in to address this need was center back Jonathan Mensah. A veteran of two World Cups for Ghana, the 26-year-old is a physical presence expected to start alongside Nicolai Naess in the middle of the back four. Considering his designated player salary, he’ll be expected to deliver the goods.
Mensah’s teammate on Ghana’s national team, Harrison Afful, is the club’s unquestioned starter at right back. But a dilemma presented itself on the left with Waylon Francis out of favor and nobody else a surefire fit. Enter Jukka Raitala. The Finnish international is sound on the overlap, exceptional crossing the ball and able to effectively track back. All those attributes make him an ideal addition to Berhalter’s system.
Alex Crognale, Lalas Abubakar and Josh Williams round out the new arrivals on defense. Crognale signed a Homegrown contract after the Crew SC Academy product excelled collegiately at Maryland. Columbus drafted Abubakar fifth overall in this year’s MLS SuperDraft. Williams is an MLS veteran and spent his first five seasons with Crew SC.
It’s always important to have depth at all positions to foster competition for starting spots. Crew SC appears set in that regard after all the activity to shore up the back line.
Will Goals Remain Aplenty for Ola Kamara?
Fans of the Black and Gold have plenty of reasons for excitement surrounding the play of Ola Kamara in 2017. The Norwegian number nine proved to be a nightmare for opposing defenses last year. He finished with 16 goals, with his .76 goals per 90 tied for the best in MLS with Bradley Wright-Phillips among players who appeared in at least 1500 minutes.
What made Kamara’s haul all the more impressive was that he didn’t make a start until late May. The fact his goal total on a per 90 basis equaled Wright-Phillips evokes the possibility of him exceeding the 20 goal plateau if given a full season. He’ll have his chance beginning March 4th when the Chicago Fire come to town.
There are no indications whatsoever that Kamara can’t replicate his 2016 form. In fact, Crew SC’s revamped squad gives him even more of an opportunity to do so. His movement, combined with the service he receives from wide areas, make him an effective goal poacher. Having Raitala as an additional crossing threat on the left will certainly help.
The one concern coming out of preseason is a minor concussion he suffered during the club’s mini-camp in Powell, OH. It’s resulted in Kamara’s absence in both of Crew SC’s games to date in the ongoing Carolina Challenge Cup. But assuming it’s not serious, there should be no issues surrounding his availability for the season opener.
Can Crew SC Firmly Put 2016 in the Rear View Mirror?
There’s no sugar-coating it. Last season left a sour taste in the mouths of pretty much everyone associated with the club. Nobody wants to miss the playoffs. And doing so after an MLS Cup appearance with essentially the same personnel makes it all the more maddening.
Having said that, 2017 provides an opportunity at redemption for Crew SC. On paper, the Black and Gold are much stronger at key positions. Defensively, Afful and Raitala show promise as potentially the most potent high-energy fullback tandem in the league. Mensah and Naess look to shore up the back line centrally.
Central midfield is interesting for the club in 2017. Wil Trapp is a known quantity for his work in front of the back four and ability to distribute downfield. The question is: will Tony Tchani or new signing Mohammed Abu form that second starting lever in the Crew SC double pivot? Further up the pitch in the center of the park is Federico Higuaín who, when healthy, remains among the top playmakers in MLS.
Out wide, Justin Meram hopes to remain in form while Ethan Finlay is looking to rebound. The latter is the real wild card. If Finlay can pull an Eden Hazard and experience a revival after a year of ineffectiveness, Crew SC is well on their way back to contention.
All of this, combined with Kamara being Kamara in the final third, will result in Columbus Crew SC returning to the postseason promised land at the end of the 2017 regular season.
Photo credit: Columbus Crew SC Communications
