Columbus Crew storms into the playoffs led by youth movement

Photo via Clare Grant of The Columbus Dispatch.

The Columbus Crew defeated CF Montréal 2-1 Saturday night in the season finale to cap off the 2023 regular season in strong fashion. The Crew have a ten-day break between the season finale on October 21^st and game 1 of the Audi MLS Playoffs on November 1^st when Columbus hosts Atlanta United. The Crew ended the regular season on a much higher note this year than the previous two seasons. 

Past Decision Day Failures 

The Crew were eliminated from the playoffs with a loss on Decision Day each of the past two seasons. In 2021, the Crew were expected to make the playoffs and have a chance to defend their title. But when the smoke cleared, the Crew missed the playoffs by one point. They needed just one more point somewhere along the way.  

Even though the Crew missed the playoffs in 2021, it was an exciting year for the organization. The team played its early 2021 matches at Historic Crew Stadium while their new home was being completed, and the Crew moved into their new digs in July. Lower.com Field is a globally recognized state-of-the-art downtown stadium – the venue the Columbus Crew and the City of Columbus deserve – and Lower.com Field instantly elevated the organization’s status around the soccer world. 

The loss to end the 2022 regular season felt different. 2022 was a frustrating year that left fans feeling a coaching change was needed. The Crew couldn’t protect a lead to close out a match, even at home, resulting in too many draws and a few losses that looked like wins for the Black and Gold. Columbus lost 25 points from a winning position during 2022, 25% of the 102 available points for the season. Yet they still could make the playoffs with a win on Decision Day, and if they make the playoffs, who knows?  

Former Coach Caleb Porter 

The team’s repeated failure to protect a lead resulted in Head Coach Caleb Porter’s dismissal after the 2022 season. Would Porter have been retained if the Crew made the playoffs in 2022? The loss to Orlando City on the final day was the catalyst for change that was needed.  

It was hard to say goodbye for many loyal Crew fans. Porter was masterful in guiding the team during a period of turmoil for the organization, and unexpectedly led the team to a 2020 MLS Cup title, the second in franchise history. He led the team through a tumultuous time and brought a championship to Columbus through all the noise: Uninterested ownership; the threat of relocation to Austin; outdated practice facilities; an unappealing stadium and embarrassing press box; waning corporate sponsorship which handicapped the team’s ability to sign overseas players. 

The Crew made the unexpected title run in 2020 behind a nucleus of Lucas Zelarayán, Darlington Nagbe, Jonathan Mensah, Gyasi Zardes, and Pedro Santos. Porter couldn’t find the magic in 2021 or 2022, even after upgrading from Zardes to Cucho Hernández, a forward acquired from of Watford of the Premier League in July 2022. Porter’s style of play was slow, and he wasn’t getting productive minutes from Columbus’ talented young players such as Alexandru Matan. 

Current Coach Wilfried Nancy 

The Crew hired Wilfried Nancy to replace Caleb Porter after the 2022 season. Nancy was previously head coach for CF Montréal, but he jumped at the opportunity to take the helm of the Columbus Crew. Nancy is a development-minded coach and was attracted to Columbus’ well-established youth development system to identify and develop local talent. It’s one of the selling points that ultimately landed Nancy in the position, and Nancy has taken full advantage to make the team younger, quicker, and more versatile. 

Columbus Crew’s Youth Movement 

Nagbe is the Team Captain and the only player remaining from the 2020 championship team. Nagbe is a 33-year-old field general surrounded by youth. Nagbe shares the midfield with Homegrown talent Aidan Morris, who’s just 21 years old and completing his first full season at the Major League Soccer level. Aidan Morris was recently selected for international play with the USMNT B team.  

Matan is only 24 years old. This year, Alex is being properly utilized by Coach Nancy and his game has blossomed. Matan had 30 shots (8 shots on goal, 1 goal) and 11 assists during the regular season. Matan obviously has room for improvement in his shooting accuracy, but Nancy is utilizing his speed to push the ball forward and create opportunities. Matan is a big reason the Crew scored more goals than any other team in MLS. The Crew has a formidable attack with Matan, 24-year-old Cucho, and 25-year-old Diego Rossi. 

The Crew’s starting goalkeeper is just 22 years old. Patrick Schulte was the MLS NEXT Pro goalkeeper of the year in 2022 and was instrumental in helping Columbus Crew 2 take home a championship trophy. Schulte is not a great goalkeeper, but he shows enough promise that he was recently selected for the USMNT’s U-23 team and earned a clean sheet (shutout) in international competition. In all reality, the Crew need to keep up the goal-scoring pace for a realistic chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. Schulte only stops 2-out-of-3 shots on goal and hasn’t had a clean sheet in MLS play since August 20^th. 

First-Year Success for Nancy 

Coach Nancy’s first season in Columbus has been a success, and the roster is much stronger than it was to begin the season. Nancy made a lot of changes, reshaping the team to fit his style of play, and the players had to learn his style. The back line struggled mightily to find its footing early in the season with the departure of Mensah and Santos. Steven Moriera was moved to center back, and the Crew acquired Malte Amundsen to shore up the defense. Nancy eventually worked it out.  

The team played aggressive on offense and fought through the early defensive struggles, climbing all the way to 3^rd place in the Eastern Conference by season’s end and making the playoffs. The Crew earned home field in the first round, a huge advantage considering the Crew’s regular season home record was 12-1-4, which included a 6-1 thrashing of their first-round opponent Atlanta United. 

To be fair, Atlanta did not have star forward Thiago Almada and several other starters when the teams faced each other earlier this year in Columbus. Players on both teams had been called up by their respective countries for international play. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in Atlanta earlier this month, but Atlanta United will be without Thiago once again for the playoff game in Columbus. Almada received a red card ejection in the season finale, automatically disqualifying him from the next match. 

Playoff Game 1 – Lower.com Field 

The first playoff game ever at Lower.com Field for the Columbus Crew is already sold out, the tickets were claimed in less than two hours. Big-time soccer has officially arrived in Columbus. Columbus has a great venue, a great coach, the most loyal fanbase in all Major League Soccer, and a great young team poised to make a playoff fun. Ticket demand is through the roof, and the fun starts November 1^st!