Columbus.- Out of the four rivals that Crew SC could face in the Eastern Conference semifinals, The Montreal Impact was the most dangerous one. Not only because the Canadian dark horse is riding a four-game winning streak. Not because they demolished Toronto FC in forty-five minutes. No, this is a team that knows exactly how to play against Columbus (they won their two regular season games) and they have Drogba.
In their two regular season losses CrewSC conceded five goals, three of those came out of unforced errors. Now with the back to back POTM on the field the margin is very, very thin. Drogba can beat defenses by air, on the ground, on the run, and with positioning. It will be a busy night for central defenders Michael Parkhurst and Gastón Sauro. The Argentine contributed to the last two consecutive shutouts earned by Columbus.
“It’s going to be hard; there’s no question. It’s similar to when we played against [Sebastián] Giovinco, even though they’re different players. You want to limit the damage. You know they going to do something that is going to be dangerous and you know they’re going to get some opportunities, but you want to limit them” Gregg Berhalter said on the CrewSC website.
And if having to face Drogba wasn’t enough, Columbus will have to deal with Ignacio Piatti playing in his natural left mid position. The last time he was playing center mid, and now he has a different perspective where he can go deeper and open the field with long passes too. It will be a great matchup with Columbus right back Harrison Afful, who is fast and skillful with the ball.
But wait a second here, Crew SC is coming to Stade Saputo in full force. Kamara and Higuaín are back after they served their one-game suspension, they are healthy and hungry. In the past two games, they outscored their rivals 7-0. Columbus does not lack offensive weapons, their entire front court can do damage with the speed of Ethan Finlay (12 goals, 13 assists) or with some magic from Justin Meram, who is in a mature stage that made him consistent.
As we can see, the offense of both teams have significant firepower, the trip to the Conference Finals and possibly to the MLS Cup depends on the solidity of the defensive structure, not only the back line but the way the entire squad contributes to the cause.
