Stalled Crew offense to face poor defense
Sunday’s game at Orlando City might provide the remedy that Crew SC has been seeking to cure its goalscoring woes.
The Crew’s scoring struggles returned just as the team was hoping to turn the corner and build momentum toward what could be its fourth playoff appearance in five seasons. A 3-0 loss to the Montreal Impact on Oct. 6 was the team’s 12th shutout of the season, most in franchise history.
The Crew has scored just nine goals in 16 road games and, barring an offensive explosion on Sunday, will set a club record for fewest road goals in a season (currently 14).
After a scoreless home tie against the Philadelphia Union and the loss at Montreal, the Crew will enter the Orlando game scoreless in its past 213 minutes.
Crew SC’s offense Crew SC at Orlando City When: 3 p.m. Sunday TV: Ch. 53, Spectrum Sports Radio: WWCD-FM (102.5)
has been mostly anemic in 2018 — it has the league’s second-lowest goal total at 39 through 32 games — but it hasn’t been historically bad. The same is not true for Orlando City’s defense, which in the third minute of its game against Seattle on Wednesday night allowed its 71st goal, setting the record for most goals allowed in a season in MLS history.
Orlando’s track record should give Crew SC reason to be optimistic. The Crew knows, however, that the league’s relative parity creates odd outcomes. An Orlando team that hasn’t won since July 14 is bound to win sometime.
“I would never just categorically say that they have bad defense,” coach Gregg Berhalter said. “I think over the season they haven’t performed well at all times, but there have been some games where they did a good job.
“We’re certainly going to have to be wary of some of their threats and how they can shut us down. We have to take a look at that.”
Said midfielder Federico Higuain, in his seventh MLS season: “You never know with this league.”
“This league is very unpredictable,” he added. “You play against maybe the first team in your conference and you beat them and then you play the last position team and you lose, so you never know. We take this game as a very important game for us.”
The possibility of three points late in any season is enticing, but it’s especially the case for a Crew team that has been on the verge of clinching a playoff spot for a month.
With a win at Orlando or a Montreal loss or tie against Toronto, the Crew would clinch a playoff spot. Without either, the Crew sets up a nervy regularseason finale on Oct. 28 against another weak defensive team, Minnesota United.
“We are close to clinching the playoffs, and we can’t wait for the last game,” winger Pedro Santos said. “We need to close this early.”
To win, Crew SC needs to score. On paper, that should not be a problem. On grass, there’s more to overcome, even against a historically bad defense.
“I would never insinuate that we’re going in thinking this is a light opponent,” Berhalter said. “That’s not the case. It’s going to be a difficult game and we’re going to have to be prepared.”