Columbus Crew find their footing against the best in the West: Three things from the match | OneFootball

April 5, 2025. That was the date of the last outright win the Crew and fans experienced, a solid 4-2 win over Charlotte FC. Since then it was a slew of bad draws and a couple losses, posting a gross 0-4-2 record as Columbus limped into the short international break. Turns out that break could not have come at a better time seeing as how before Saturday the last we saw of the Crew they were handing out goals to Messi and company in a 5-1 drubbing. I don't believe it was hyperbole to say Saturday was a must win for a team looking like they were on the cusp of sliding into irrelevancy. Both teams going into the matchup were forced into lineups that didn't look how they usually do given the amount of players out on international duty. Still the show must go on and from what I saw it looked like the team made very good use of their time off.

I could go on and on about Wiflried Nancy's brilliance in using the talent to his disposal and finding creative ways to get players involved and create issues for opposing teams. To keep it concise I'll just call out the fact he slid Ibrahim Aliyu to the wingback position (typically occupied by Max Arfsten) and was immediately rewarded for that move with a stunning goal shortly after the first minute of the game to go up 1-0. However, that position also requires defensive effort and willingness as Aliyu found out when his man got behind him on a line breaking pass that led to a Vancouver answer just a few minutes later. Just like that it's 1-1 before people got to their seats. To their credit the team battled back however and it was clear this was a balanced matchup, but again it was Columbus who found themselves with the better opportunites of the game. Three different times the Crew scored just to have all three of those called back due to offside calls. They were able to hang onto the three points after scoring what turned out to be the eventual game winner in the 23rd minute when a bad turnover by Vancouver in their defesive third led to a Gazdag pass to Rossi who tucked it away. It wasn't the most convincing of wins, but it's three points when it was needed and that's what's important. Below are my three things from the match.

What started as an exciting move on paper bringing in a proven goal scorer (Philadelphia's all-time leader in goals) to help bolster a struggling attack, ended up becoming a lot of emotive gestures mostly of the brand where you find your face buried in your hands. Up until Saturday that was the Gazdag experience so far in his time with Columbus. Eight games started netted zero goals or assists leading into Saturday's game, needless to say that is not what Crew fans were expecting. There were times watching him where it seemed he was pressing, especially as each game passed without a goal or assist. His body language was one that appeared as if he felt the weight of his performances. Well, Saturday he finally got the monkey off his back picking up the assist on the game winning goal. While it wasn't the most creative of plays and one that was almost given to him, to his credit he made the right read and played a good enough ball into the path of a charging Rossi who was the benefactor. Now that he's finally opened his account for the team he can play more free. He's had nine starts with this team so he should be feeling much more comfortable in this system. He played more comfortable in the system, on the first goal his key pass to the wing sent Lassi Lappalainen down the line to feed Aliyu in the box. It was a decision that signals to me he's getting it now, in these last eight games he'd typically either try to dribble and eat up that space or try to force a ball through the middle. This time he took what the defense gave him, understanding what Nancy ball is trying to do and sure enough led to a goal. I've always been high on his talent, watching him you can tell the way he moves and receives the ball he's a good player, he just needed to get the mental part right. Hopefully now with the pressure off a little he can play more open and let his instincts take over and become a regular contributor.

Role Players leave their mark

Although Vancouver was without their prolific goal-scorer in Brian White it was still a tall ask of the role players who have had little time together to gel and create chemistry. While a little bit of step-down in play was to be expected the players who have not seen regular minutes stepped up in a big way. I'll start with Andres Herrera. It feels like everytime I see Herrera get extended minutes it leaves me wanting to see him in the lineup more often. Saturday was no exception, he's the closest thing we can find to a Stephen Moreira. He's a threat going forward and works hard defensively. He shows a penchance for attacking the ball and plays with a level of aggression that you want to see out of a back line player. Another player I want to mention is Amar Sejdic who has received little opportunity since joining the team in March. He was able to step in and play alongside Darlington Nagbe in a very admirable way. He finished the game with 75 passes (fourth highest on the team) and completed 98.7% of those passes which was tied for first on the team (Nagbe being the other) of the players with more than 10 passes. Anytime you're playing in that role in the center of the field and you can match pass accuracy with Nagbe you know you're doing something right. For Saturday being his first start for the Crew I thought Sejdic deserved praise for his level of connecting play. Lastly I'll mention Lassi Lappalainen. Even though he registered only one half of play I came away impressed with his control on the position. In his only real chance to go forward he took full advantage and showed a willingness to be aggressive offensively that I'd love to see more of. In his setup of the first goal he took a brilliant first touch knowing he had the angle and speed to beat his defender than had the patience and mind to pick out his pass and make it count finding Aliyu screaming in from the wing. Lassi flashed good speed, offensive prowess and vision. It was an impressive performance from, and just like Herrera, leaves me wanting to see more of his game. With Mo Farsi back in the fold however his opportunities could be limited.

Columbus felt the urgency and played like a team that wanted it

I'll give Nancy the credit having the guys ready to go from the opening whistle. Players played as if they knew the importance of getting all three points was of the highest priority. They looked the better team and seemed to be in firm control. Even though the final score line read 2-1 it never really felt like Vancouver was a threat to steal a point. Columbus was relentless in pursuit, attacked the press without the ball and forced Vancouver to be a bit out of sorts. They had over 60% possession, which is pretty typical, but the statistic that opened my eyes was aerial duels. Columbus actually won the aerial duel battle 5-4, I can't remember the last time I've seen the Crew win that statistical category. It shows to me the guys were aggressive and looking to attack the ball, imposing their will on the opponent. It was a great effort to see and much better than the last time we watched them play. A good effort all around, Nancy gets the recognition for having the team ready and locked in.

A great win to get this second half of the season underway against a good opponent is exactly what we needed. There's an opportunity for this team to re-establish itself as a top contender as the next two games are also at home. Their next matchup being June 25 (a Wednesday evening game against Atlanta) followed by a huge game against Philadelphia on June 29. If they can find a way to collect all six of those points it would certainly put this team right back into the conversation of top teams in the East.