Crew’s Santos displays his playmaking skills
Crew SC midfielder Pedro Santos walked off the field after a training session Tuesday in Obetz and heard his name called before he could reach the doors of the team facility. It was coach Caleb Porter, lauding Santos for his play.
Santos recorded his second assist in as many games Saturday in a win against FC Dallas, after which Porter said, “I mean, he’s playing well right now,” with an exhale to express his admiration.
As long as he’s wearing black and gold, Santos’ every move will be criticized because his flashes of brilliance can be drowned out by a lack of production. But Porter has been adamant that there are a lot of qualities Santos is displaying this season that show why the winger is a skilled playmaker.
“People need to start looking for him in his playmaking ability and his ability to pop in and out of our shape and create problems for the opponents to solve in his positioning,” Porter said, “his ability to help us keep the ball, his ability to be clever and unpredictable in his movement.”
Santos had just one goal and nine assists in 39 games with the Crew entering the 2019 season — all as a designated player and the club’s thirdhighest-paid player at a base salary of $747,000 in 2018, according to the players’ union. The occasional dive on a foul only added to that frustration.
Then he will make an exquisite cross, as he did against New England on March 9 for the winning goal.
With Portland, Porter sensed a similar reaction from fans toward midfielder Darlington Nagbe, who now plays for Atlanta United.
“When you see a flash like that ball Pedro played (against New England) and the goal he scored (in a preseason exhibition) against Cincinnati — similar to when you saw a flash with Nagbe juggling the ball three times and smashing a goal — you want that now every time,” Porter said.
Porter said he tries to take the burden of production off players in what can be characterized as a freer approach to coaching, hoping not to overload a player with information during a game.
“One of the things I try to do always, with my attackers especially, is let them go,” Porter said. “Give them ideas, program them a bit, give them decisions they could do based on the opponent, but they need that freedom.”
Santos said after his brilliant goal against FC Cincinnati that he was as confident as he had felt in a while.
With two assists three games into the season, he said his confidence and the freedom given to him is allowing him to be more creative in the attacking third.
“If the things go right, I can do more things and the things come natural,” Santos said. “If you don’t have confidence, it’s impossible to do these little things.”
Of course, Porter wants goals and assists from Santos. But he wants to get that production without depleting his creativity.
“Pedro, I think, will flourish,” Porter said. “I really do.”