Crew targets better play vs. elite foes

Glancing at Crew SC’s schedule before the 2018 season, one might have been able to predict a frustrating June and July.

A challenging group of recent opponents has been effective in preventing the Crew from scoring and, as a result, accumulating points. After racing to 24 points in 13 games, Crew SC has crawled to 30 points through 21 games, the product of a 1-4-3 record in its last eight.

The Crew played its six most recent games against teams currently in playoff position and won just one, a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on June 30. Crew SC has been outscored 12-2 in that six-game stretch and lost by shutout four times.

Columbus remains in playoff position — fourth in the Eastern Conference with an 8-7-6 record and fifth in points per game with 1.43 — but enters its final 13 games with a better sense of how it measures against the league’s best.

“I think we’re not an elite team yet. I think that’s what we’ve shown,” coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We weren’t able to go to some of these environments and beat strong teams, but we showed enough to show that we could get there.”

Each of Crew SC’s last four losses have been by multiple goals, but it came closest to a tie on Saturday in a 2-0 defeat at New York City FC. Columbus was even through 79 minutes against a NYCFC team that entered the game with a 9-0-1 home record. But the Crew gave up two goals in the final 10 minutes, the gamewinner coming on a giveaway out of the back from goalkeeper Zack Steffen.

“I think you’re seeing that over spells we’re right there,” captain Wil Trapp said. “In a lot of ways in the New York City game, in the first half, for a majority of the second half, we’re playing the way we want to play, we’re getting chances and it’s just the small details of, ‘Can we score goals? Can we keep goals out?’

“I think in both penalty boxes we just need to be sharper and that will tip the scale for us. I surely believe that. Because we’re not going to be giving up goals, and we’re going to be scoring goals.”

As Berhalter and the players know, being competitive against the league’s best doesn’t guarantee points. Taking the next step — scoring against elite teams and demonstrating preparedness for a playoff level of soccer — is an unchecked box through 21 games.

“That’s kind of what we’re trying to figure out right now,” Steffen said.

Crew SC’s progress report at this juncture isn’t much different from what it was last season, when it had a 10-10-1 record. The team believes it is capable of a higher level but has hasn’t yet shown it against top competition.

“Overall we’ve come out of this stretch saying, ‘OK, we know exactly where we stand right now,’ ” Berhalter said. “We have the potential to be top, but we’re not top yet.”