Columbus, OH- There are two teams in Major League Soccer that won’t park the bus against the Crew SC. The first one is the New York Red Bulls. The other one? FC Dallas. High-octane offenses that go forward no matter who they play or where they play. This game ( 9 pm ET MLS LIVE, TWCSC-OH, CW Columbus, TXA-21) is the perfect chance for Columbus to erupt finally and get those elusive three points for the first time this season.
Dallas and their young guns are coming off an outstanding 3-0 win over D.C. United, they are loaded and haven’t conceded a goal at Toyota Park; they have nine points and are sharing the top of the Western Conference with Sporting Kansas City. So why do the Black & Gold have a shot to get their first W against Dallas? Because the Hoops leave spaces open on defense.
Out of all the tapes Gregg Berhalter watched from Oscar Pareja’s squad he should have paid special attention to what Houston did in their 5-0 victory over Dallas. The way they exploded the flanks caused a lot of damage, they killed them with crosses and plays on transition. The Dynamo was out-shot 11-8, but they capitalized on their options better.
Both teams use a 4-2-3-1 system, but it doesn’t mean they play similarly. Dallas is more vertical, and they reach the box with fewer passes, usually long diagonals to Fabián Castillo and Michael Barrios to create the chances for Maxi Urruti, who is their leading scorer with three tallies. Columbus hasn’t found its offensive rhythm yet, they been trying to overcome solid defensive walls without much success. In their last game with Chicago Kei Kamara was held to one single shot on goal.
The bye week not only helped Columbus to regroup and have time to plan their second of three consecutive road games. It also helped to watch Ethan Finlay perform with the United States Men’s National Team and Rodrigo Saravia with Guatemala in a World Cup qualifier game at Mapfre Stadium. In Finlay’s case, the winger is back. He was very active, scoring a goal that was inevitably disallowed due to him being offside. Expect Finlay to be in full force, ready to punish with his speed tonight.
In their last meeting at Mapfre Stadium, Dallas came up on top with a solid 3-0 win. Crew SC is looking forward to returning the favor. While Columbus is second in shots per game with 16.7, Dallas is second on dribbles per game with 9.8; their front court carries the ball way deep into the penalty area where they scored most of its goals (58%). Something is certain about this game: there will be no prisoners, no shootouts.
Prediction: 3-2 Columbus.
Columbus Crew
