Columbus Crew (16-11-9 overall) – 57 points @ New York Red Bulls (22-8-5) – 71 points
The Columbus Crew in a week won two playoff games and had two players win significant Major League Soccer awards.
Zack Steffen won Goalkeeper of the Year and Gyasi Zardes won Comeback Player of the Year.
Other players have stepped up as well.
Federico Higuain (two goals and an assist this postseason) has been a designated player and then some for Columbus having a part to play in all three of the Crew’s postseason goals.
All of Higuain's highlights from Sunday pic.twitter.com/Bv21dl1uuV
— CREWTURE.NET (@crewture) November 8, 2018
While Jonathan Mensah has turned into the defender that Gregg Berhalter has always hoped for.
Mensah's highlights from Sunday. Doing a great job lately and during these playoffs. Negated Etienne, who looked to be one of the only NYRB players interested in attacking on Sunday @Jomens25 pic.twitter.com/qxGiLt491y
— CREWTURE.NET (@crewture) November 8, 2018
The plays above that really jump out (to me) for their tenacity and doing anything to win are at 1:15 for Federico and 1:29 for Mensah.
In Federico’s play he gets knocked down and somehow gets a hold of the ball on the ground and pushes it to another Crew attacker.
In Mensah’s he kicks a ball straight up, perhaps his only mishap, but then corrects that by out jumping the defender and heads the ball 20 yards forward.
Then of course Zack Steffen. Steffen not only denied Rooney’s and Acosta’s penalty kicks the week before but also did his best Neuer impression (that somehow worked out) at home against NYRB.
Just saying pic.twitter.com/FevDY7sbmk
— CREWTURE.NET (@crewture) November 6, 2018
Good luck having Guzan pull that off.
Steffen then followed that up with this to end the game.
Columbus needs a few other players to get to the Higuain, Steffen, and Mensah lights out level.
If that happens then 2018 could end up a lot better then expected in several ways for Columbus.
For one 2018 Justin Meram hasn’t been 2017 Justin Meram.
The confidence isn’t there. But the ability we know is.
What Justin Meram needs is a play of good fate in the next 90 minutes where he finds himself in the right spot for a tap in. You could argue that was Federico’s first goal in DC last Thursday.
Regardless, Federico could use another Federico in that attacking midfield right now.
I figure New York’s lineup will be relatively the same.
A 1-0 away loss in a home and away is recoverable.
PREDICTION: 0-0 tie. Defense is better in 2018 then it ever has been under Gregg Berhalter. Time to prove it to advance.
