Impressive start continues: Columbus ties club record with latest road victory | OneFootball

All they do is win, win win. Well, sometimes they draw but one thing they haven't done is lose. With Sunday evening's latest chapter in the books the Crew have now tied a club record for consecutive games unbeaten to start a season at eight. This team is built different, perhaps than any other Columbus team I've witnessed. There's a level of bond/cohesiveness that can be felt watching this group work together on the pitch. On paper they don't have the superstar one or two players that we've grown accustomed to seeing at the top of the roster. Things they do have: Familiarity, trust, confidence and understanding. It's the intangibles being brought to the forefront that has the Crew showing aces right now. They've just tied a club record that's stood for 15 seasons which is a pretty big deal in my opinion given the amount of talent we've seen come and go since 2010. This is coach Wilfried Nancy's third season with this team and it appears his system has been fully indoctrinated and what we're witnessing are the fruits of that labor. A trio of consecutive 2-1 wins has the Crew sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings eight games into the season which many could not have predicted. In honor of this current streak of three straight wins I'll list three things I love from Sunday's win:

Nagbe's brilliance

One of my favorite Columbus Crew players of all time, Darlington Nagbe returned to the lineup after a one game rest and it sure looked like that little respite worked like a charm. Sunday evening was a classic Nagbe performance. It's rare you'll see someone look so smooth in times he's under heavy duress. His impact to the team can't be understated, it's a completely different feel when the Crew are working the ball out of the back in their tight triangles when Nagbe is involved. He commands the game, and is often the release point in the transition from defense to offense. A stalwart on the ball with movement that makes the game look so easy for him. There may be a lot of benefit if Nancy can pick and choose his spots to give him rest. One thing is certain, when he turns in a performance like Sunday evening it makes Columbus that much more difficult to deal with.

From the beginning of the game it seemed like most games have gone for the Crew this season, they were ball dominant and in control of the pace. Then it happened, they got punched in the mouth by a striker that's been struggling to find the net in João Klauss. It was as if the defense was caught off-guard as they were settling in. Célio Pompeu attacked Moreira with speed and was able to evade the tackle before slotting a dangerous ball into Klauss who initially pinged it off the crossbar before slotting in the rebounding header to the side net, 1-0 St Louis. There was a look of shock on some of the Crew players wondering how they've found themselves down in a game they were in complete control of early. Instead of dwelling on that feeling and letting it upset the rhythm of the game all Columbus did is put their heads down and go right back to work. In soccer the first five minutes after a goal is scored by either team is a pivotal moment, it shows how a team will respond to conceding or it'll show how a team builds on the momentum. In this specific case the Crew made it clear they were interested in keeping control, they expertly managed the emotions of giving up a goal while having the run of play. This level of resilience displayed by the team can be directly tied to coach Nancy and how he looks for the team to respond. Columbus created a number of chances as the first half drew to a close, but weren't able to find the net until Moreira buried an elite technical volley off a Max Arfsten searching cross in stoppage time of the half. This play leading up to the goal embodies why Nancy says this is the best team he's coached since being in Columbus. A ball goes wide down the wing to Arfsten, who played in a cross that looked overcooked going over the heads of Jacen Russell-Rowe and Farsi before Moreira sprinted past his mark (Pompeu) to get on the end of it and finished on the volley. Tireless, relentless effort. That's become the identity of this team early in 2025 and is the reason why they find themselves on the precipice of setting a new club record.

Diego Rossi and Dylan Chambost

I've been tough on these two players, but only because I wanted to see more out of them. I can see the talent, it just doesn't always come through and when it doesn't they both have a tendency to disappear into the game. I'll start with Dylan Chambost who I've been more critical of as a player who grew to become too comfortable looking sideways or backward as his first option. Sunday night was his best performance of the season and it's not particularly close. He looked much more aggressive going forward, including a chipped lob pass over the back line that Max Arfsten just barely couldn't get on the end of with any meaning, but it was something different out of Chambost than I've seen, creative offensive vision. It's like something in him clicked for this game where he wasn't afraid of making a mistake or turning the ball over, he was looking to create and that's exactly what I've been waiting for out of him. I'm hopeful this is the start of something different for Chambost, if he can build on this performance and keep that frame it'll add an extra element to the attack, especially with the introduction of Daniel Gazdag.

Diego Rossi looked hungry in this game. His attacking play looked more aggressive, he seemed to be a more willing dribbler to try to find space to get off a shot. Something about his play seemed different, like he wanted it more. He can at times seem content just playing and not really desiring to leave an impact, but Sunday night he looked ready to leave his mark. Sure enough, in the 55th minute Chambost attacked his space in the midfield after a simple wall pass broke the St Louis press and found Rossi who was looking to shoot the entire way. He received the pass just a little over 20 yards out from goal, took two set-up touches then found the back of the net on a nice placement shot from distance. His readiness to take that shot indicated he wanted it, and that level of aggression is when he's at his best. I've been wanting to see more consistency out of Rossi so again I'm hopeful we can see the same type of desire for goal as we saw Sunday night.

Sunday night's win means this Crew team is now 3-0-1 on the road, which is very impressive. They're attacking these games with a business mindset and as a consequence the results are pouring in. It just feels right this coming Saturday with the game against Inter Miami will give Columbus a chance at setting a new club record at nine straight unbeaten games to start a season. Two last remaining undefeated teams in the MLS going head to head in what could be a record breaking match. Add to that the fact it'll be the first "home" game the Crew have ever played in Cleveland. means surely there'll be a lot of pomp and circumstance, but one thing I do know is that coach Nancy will have his team confident and ready to compete.