Three things from the tense match between Columbus and Philadelphia | OneFootball

Are you not entertained? Columbus Crew snatched a point from the jaws of defeat in Saturday evening's hotly contested match in Philadelphia. With the Union up by one goal in the 92nd minute needing to get through just one more minute to secure the purse at home against the team that was at the top of the East. It came down to one final chance for Columbus, a corner kick, which is typically not a threat for a team that ranks in the bottom two of the league in aerial duels won (Montreal being last). What transpired was arguably the most expertly run corner kick play ran all season by Columbus. As the clock approached the 93rd minute Dylan Chambost played an in-swinging ball into the near post where Diego Rossi waited to flick the ball to the back post where Sean Zawadzki was able to attack the ball and guide it in on a soft volley to tie the game at two. This was an absolute heist of a point in Philadelphia as the Crew were outplayed and at times seemed overwhelmed by Philadelphia's press and activity. Here are three observations from the intense match on Saturday evening.

One could contest that Sean Zawadzki has been the most impactful player for the Columbus Crew to this point in the season. While Diego Rossi continues to get the MVP recognition for his goal contributions, I'd argue that Zawadzki has had a more consistent impact on the team. He ranks third in passing percentage on the team, wins the most aerial duels per game and averages the most tackles per game. He's now scored in two of the last three games and has put together a four game stretch of a 7.0+ player rating (for comparison Rossi's best is two straight games of 7.0+). He's quickly becoming my favorite player on the team for his determination and willingness to go into the trenches and attack the ball as he did for both of his goals. His ascension this year has been impressive as he's installed himself as a keystone player. His last minute goal on Saturday came to fruition because he simply wanted the ball more than the defender and he attacked it with more energy. That's what is most admirable about Zawadzki, a midfielder playing center back at a high level who still possesses the energy and determination to seek out a ball in the six yard box and have the ability to finish it in the 93rd minute of a game.

Finishing concerns still loom large

Goodness the finishing on Saturday again left a lot to be desired. How many times do we have to watch a player get through the back line and with nobody but the opposing keeper in front of him we watch the ball go wide, or over the target? Max Arfsten from 12 yards away uncontested tries to curl a shot in with his weak foot that goes wide (he later made up for this with a solid technical finish), AZ Jackson for all his brilliance and playmaking has struggled mightily finding the net in good spots and Diego Rossi inexplicably missing the entire frame on a header attempt wide open from 12 yards away is just not ok. Here's the beauty in this issue however, the finishing can only improve as the season goes. Surely Issa Tall and coach Nancy know this is a problem and are locked in on obtaining a high level striker in the Summer transfer window. So with all the struggles in finishing this team is still tied at the top of the Eastern Conference table. I don't want to overreact too much, but sometimes the frustration of so many chances going by the wayside hurts the soul. This is temporary, and so long as the results continue to stack up it's hard to be too critical of the team. Thing is they are putting themselves in very good spots, creating a ton of good chances. All that is needed now is someone who can come in and start burying these chances at a higher rate.

Darlington Nagbe looks a bit shaky

Darlington Nagbe is already a Columbus Crew legend and nothing he could do would take that away from him. This season has been a little more up and down for him than we're used to seeing. He has committed some very uncharecteristic turnovers, especially in our defensive third. His decision making seems more safe right now than attacking or aggressive. Something seems a little off about the way he is playing right now and I'm unsure of what to make of it. In the game against Philadelphia he turned the ball over which led to a good scoring chance. It was just a play I'm not used to seeing out of him. There's a level of discomfort on the ball this season it seems. On the attacking end the ball found his foot at the top of the eighteen box and instead of an incisive pass or perhaps even a shot he decided to drop the ball in possession allowing additional defenders to recover. Now far be it from me to be critical at any level of Nagbe, he just seems a little more uncomfortable than usual. He remains one of my favorite players and I have little level of concern as the season progresses he'll find his footing. Watching him on Saturday, and over the last few games I've noticed an uptick in lapses we aren't used to seeing. He could also just be trying to play more conservative simply because we lack an aggressive attacker so he may be feeling like he has to do more to try to protect the ball thus making decisions he wouldn't normally make. Either way, I'm not concerned long term at all for Nagbe, it's just been a bit of a shaky start to the season for him.

One thing I've noticed is in these games the other teams are using the Columbus Crew as their "litmus" test. They've installed themselves as the class of the East, which is a far cry from when a number of the pundits had the Crew listed as missing the playoffs or barely qualifiying for the playoffs before the season started. Philadelphia fans were beside themselves dropping those two points at home as you could tell the team was extra motivated to prove to the Crew and everyone else they belong in the conversation. Alas it was Columbus who proved once again the reason why they sit tied for first in the East as they found a way to remain unbeaten on the road this season. This team is setup to only get better and that should remain a scary proposition for the rest of the league.