Crew aiming to show that tournament success no fluke

The Crew didn’t expect to leave the “bubble” at the MLS is Back tournament so early after emerging from the group stage as the only team to win all three games. But it lost to Minnesota United in the first game of the knockout stage and had to pack its bags.

Since the club returned from Florida on July 29, players and staff had been in a semi-purgatory state, knowing that a regular season would take place, but still awaiting the official announcement about when its next games would be.

Now with the next six games finalized, starting Aug. 20 at Mapfre Stadium against the Chicago Fire, the Crew has shifted from being on standby to actively preparing for the next opportunity to prove that its success in the tournament was no fluke.

“Those first three games were really important, and we got all nine points out of those games,” midfielder Darlington Nagbe said. “After each game, whether we win or lose, we try to build on it.”

The Crew departed the tournament with a loss in penalty kicks after drawing 1-1 in regulation. Minnesota’s defense negated good looks at goal around the penalty area, and the Crew’s offense wasn’t as sharp as it had been in previous games.

Yet coach Caleb Porter said that in terms of getting the ball into wide areas and setting up scoring chances, it was one of the team’s most dominant games.

Connecting on the final pass that could lead to a shot on goal was an area the Crew struggled with last season, which was also a product of injuries. By Aug. 20, the Crew will have had three weeks to shore up its attack and allow injured goalkeeper Eloy Room and winger Youness Mokhtar time to get healthy.

“There’s not a ton to correct, just little details,” Porter said.

Porter said everyone has tested negative three or four times since returning from Orlando, and it’s understood they all have to limit social interaction outside of games and training sessions to have a chance at proving the Crew is a contender in the

Eastern Conference.

“We want to win MLS Cup, so that means when we’re outside of training, we’re going to be smart,” he said.

As major league baseball has dealt with significant outbreaks on two teams and the fall college sports season draws nearer, some high-profile players have decided to opt out of the season over safety concerns. So far, no Crew player has decided to opt out, and Nagbe said he doesn’t see a reason to do so as long as people are testing negative.

“I think once things get out of control … if they do, then I think we’d all, not just myself, but we’d all have to take a seat back and look at everything,” Nagbe said.

Of the Crew’s four opponents in phase one of the regular-season restart — Chicago, FC Cincinnati, New York City FC and the Philadelphia Union — the Fire was the only team not to advance to the tournament group stage.

The Crew has nearly completed what can be viewed as a third preseason. Part two of this interrupted season put this revamped roster in the national conversation. Part three will prove if that was warranted.

“Hopefully the guys are up for it. I know we all are,” Nagbe said. “Just looking forward to getting some games going again.” jmyers@dispatch.com

@_jcmyers