Crew ‘D’ faces test vs. Orlando City SC
A win against Philadelphia Union on Sunday kept the Crew in a third-place tie in the MLS Eastern Conference with Orlando City heading into Wednesday night’s game between the two clubs at Exploria Stadium.
With the winner of the match locking up a home game for the first round of the MLS playoffs beginning Nov. 20, the defense that was the backbone of the Crew earlier in the season must tighten up after allowing 22 shots and being bailed out by goalkeeper Eloy Room to preserve Sunday’s crucial win.
With only three days between games, the Crew (11-5-5, 38 points) will face another dynamic offense led by two players in the running for Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player award in Orlando City forward Chris Mueller and midfielder Nani.
Crew coach Caleb Porter said his team still needs some time to regain its chemistry in the attack and defensively with the lineup back at full strength, but it’s no secret what’s at stake against Orlando City (10-3-8, 38 points).
"We got to take care of business against a very good team who is in the exact same position as us,” Porter said. “They want to get the top three, they want to be able to fight in the last day for (first) or (second), and again, this is another great opportunity for us to get ready for the playoffs."
The Crew is one of two teams in MLS yet to win on the road this season (04-5). Orlando, by contrast, has not lost at home (5-0-3) and has lost just two of its past 16 games.
The defense for the Crew, specifically center back Jonathan Mensah, gave away the ball in bad positions against Philadelphia. Mensah, once a frontrunner for MLS Defender of the Year, nearly gave away a goal by kicking the ball off a Philadelphia defender in the first 10 minutes that forced Room to make a save.
Room said moments like that come down to having the right mentality to start the game.
"We cannot give balls away like that because we give the opponent confidence,” Room said. “Especially in the beginning of the game, we have to be smart with our decisions and choices."
Orlando has scored the second-most goals in the East with 36, three ahead of the Crew. Nani, who has five goals and five assists this season, attracts the most attention from opposing defenses as the primary playmaker while Mueller leads the team with nine goals and six assists. Add forward Daryl Dike and
midfielder Mauricio Pereyra, and Orlando has one of the most complete attacks in the league.
“We cannot focus too much on only one guy because if we focus too much on Nani they can play on the other side and the middle,” Crew midfielder Artur said. “We just got to be aware of everything."
The Crew's top two players, midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Lucas Zelarayan, played a full 90 minutes Sunday for the first time since returning from injuries. Zelarayan missed three games with a hamstring injury and Nagbe missed eight games with a meniscus injury.
Balancing playoff seeding and the health of his team with three games in eight days, Porter said that if Zelarayan and Nagbe play 90 minutes against Orlando, they likely won't play in the finale against Atlanta on Sunday. He has yet to decide how much they will play Wednesday. As the offense finds its way, the Crew wants to find its defensive backbone again that led the club through the early stages of the season and could do the same in the playoffs.
“I was obviously not happy with some things (against Philadelphia),” Porter said, “but also the biggest thing is just the mentality and the confidence right away.”
jmyers@dispatch.com; @_jcmyers