Crew hoping to repeat history
No one needs to look further than the Crew’s position in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference standings to see how different this season is from last season.
It was this time in 2018 when the Crew pulled off a stunning road win over the New York Red Bulls to begin a stretch of 14 points in seven games that secured a playoff spot.
This season, the Crew can only focus on getting points in each game. It has just 21, good for 11th place in the East. The Crew is nine points behind New England, which holds the seventh and final playoff spot. The next chance to narrow the gap comes tonight against the Red Bulls in Harrison, New Jersey.
“We got to keep taking steps,” Crew coach Caleb Porter said. “We got 11 more steps we got to make to dig out of a hole, and we’re going to have to win on the road.”
The level of play hasn’t been the same as last season, but the biggest detriment has been injuries. Tonight, the Crew will be without its top three center backs — Jonathan Mensah, Josh Williams and Gaston Sauro — as well as starting left back Waylon Francis.
With those absences, and with Federico Higuain and Milton Valenzuela already out for the season, the Crew will have had 80 games missed due to injuries.
Young, homegrown players Alex Crognale and Aboubacar Keita having to play at center back will affect the game, but a healthy attacking midfield has made a significant difference the past two games. The Crew scored two goals in each game — a tie and a win
— with inspired play off the bench and from the wingers. That allowed the Crew to collect as many points (three) as it had in the previous 16 games.
Points after a difficult stretch like the Crew had will buoy any club, midfielder Wil Trapp said. Visiting a top-four team in the East in the Red Bulls (34 points) is another challenge.
“Our preparation has to be good. Our focus and our ideas and details need to be down pat because it’s a team that’s always organized,” Trapp said of New York. “They’re intense, they press and they’re ruthless at home.”
The Red Bulls don’t present many surprises for opponents. They will boot the ball long to the opponent’s back line and attempt to win the ball high up the field to create scoring opportunities, often with more offensive players than defenders.
The first goal in soccer changes the game more than in any
other sport. Having a quick start tonight, like the Red Bulls had in the season opener March 2 at Mapfre Stadium in a 1-1 tie, will be imperative for the Crew.
“We play in the attacking half of the field and I think we’ll be better off,” striker Gyasi Zardes said. “If we get the first goal, that’ll be even better.”
Two other times this season the Crew thought there was an opportunity for a turning point. The first was followed by a game on three days’ rest against the top team in the league, and the second came on the eve of the Gold Cup break. But just because the Crew had a full week of rest and training before this game doesn’t mean the season will flip on its head.
“I think you have to think about it as why are we successful, how do we build upon those things, those little details and those preparation moments and then those execution moments,” Trapp said. “It’s one game at a time. That’s how we have to think about it.”