2019 record: 10-16-8, 10th in the Eastern Conference
Coach: Caleb Porter
Key Acquisitions: Lucas Zelarayan (Tigres UANL), Darlington Nagbe (Atlanta United), Aidan Morris (Indiana Hoosiers), Matt Lampson (LA Galaxy), Derrick Etienne Jr. (NY Red Bulls), Fanendo Adi (FC Cincinnati), Sebastian Berhalter (UNC Tar Heels), Eloy Room (PSV Eindhoven), Miguel Berry (MLS Superdraft), Luis Diaz (Herediano), Jordan Hamilton (Toronto FC), Vito Wormgoor (SK Brann) and Youness Mokhtar (free agency)
Key Departures: Zack Steffen (Manchester City), David Accam (Nashville SC), Lalas Abubakar (Colorado Rapids), Wil Trapp (Inter Miami CF), David Guzman (Saprissa), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Federico Higuain (Unsigned), Edward Opoku (Unsigned), Luis Argudo (Inter Miami CF), Robinho (Orlando City SC), Patrick Mullins (Toronto FC), Joe Bendik (Philadelphia Union), Niko Hansen (Houston Dynamo), Gaston Sauro (Toluca)
The Big Question: How quickly can Columbus’ talented, new look midfield gel?
Gyasi Zardes is one of the few returning play-makers on a roster that has seen a lot of recent turnover
After having #SavedTheCrew at the end of the 2018 season and with an experienced new manager (Caleb Porter) and an owner (Jim Haslem) committed to keeping the team in Columbus, you would have expected the Crew to have a season to remember last year. Instead, it could best be described as a nightmare.
What started with promise (five wins in their opening seven fixtures), the season fell off a clip during an epic summer lull due mostly to injuries. While they seemed to have brought the season around towards the end, they were too far gone for playoff contention in the end.
Maybe in response to what happened in 2019, the Crew seemed to commit to a complete roster overhaul. Gone are franchise stalwarts like Federico Higuain and Wil Trapp and in come former Atlanta United man Darlington Nagbe and Liga MX import Lucas Zelarayan.
In Nagbe, whom Columbus acquired in a trade with Atlanta in November, the team gets an effortlessly smooth midfielder that should pair well with Porter’s stylistic vision (he was after all, Nagbe’s former college coach and the two won MLS Cup 2015 together in Portland). His technical skill on the ball, control and ability to make the kind of pin-point passes to move play forward are the exact kind of talent needed to enact Porter’s vision. While Trapp is an excellent midfielder, he was never the right “box to box” midfield fit that would excel under the new management in Columbus.
If Nagbe seems like the rightful replacement for Trapp, then Zelarayan, the club record signing (in the neighborhood of seven million dollars) from Liga MX side, Tigres, seems like the heir apparent to Higuain’s position as chief play maker. In his four years with Tigres, he was a very productive cog in one of the best side in Liga MX, contributing 23 goals and 14 assists in all competition. Following a leader and club legend like Higuain will be a tall task, but the Argentinian midfielder will be asked to be the chance creator and distributor to forwards Gyasi Zardes and new signing Fanendo Adi, in the way Higuain did so effectively. It will take a bit of time for Zelarayan to get accustomed to play in the MLS, but with his competitive fire and experience in a league such as Liga MX, he should be every bit the contributor that the Crew hope he will be.
The midfield will be dramatically different this upcoming season and Columbus’ playoff chances will directly hinge on two factors: how well the new midfielders will take to the Columbus style of play and more importantly, health. While Columbus just added a good bit of top end midfield, they are not very deep. The Crew will hope for good health, especially in central midfield because if either Nagbe or the other projected midfielder, Artur, pick up a knock, the team will be relying on two first year homegrown talents in Aiden Morris and Sebastian Berhalter.
Areas to keep an eye on: Defense
The Crew will roll into the 2020 season with a talented and deep pool of defenders. While they will go into the season without the exceptionally talented keeper Zack Steffen, now on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf from Manchester City, they have an able replacement in Eloy Room. He should provide an excellent, safe set of hands in goal.
Columbus will likely pair new signing Vito Wormgoor with the returning Jonathan Mensah, to form one of the stronger center back pairings in the league. Both players are strong on the ball and should provide a difficult road block for opposing attackers to get past. With the likes of serviceable players like Josh Williams and Aboubacar Keita, central defending should be a strong point of the team.
Out wide, the Crew will again have the services of Milton Valenzuela at left back, as he missed all of last season with a knee injury. Paired with right back Harrison Afful, they should provide the Crew with one of the league’s best pairs of starting full backs.
Outlook: Fourth in the Eastern Conference
Last year felt like the Murphy’s law of terrible years for Columbus: everything that could go wrong seemed to have went wrong. A lot of change has come to this squad over the past few years and this past off-season was no different. While this team might not have the marquee names or talent as some of the better teams in MLS (Seattle, LAFC, Atlanta), what they do have is depth and a solid back line.
It will all depend on how well the influx of new talent acquaints itself in Columbus. The good news for the Crew is that they have a soft opening early in the season. With six of their first nine games at home, they can ease their way into the season, as players gel in the new system. If they can do well early in the season, and as the team gets more comfortable, Columbus can contend in the East.
Columbus Crew
MLS Easter Conference
