Plenty of unknowns for Crew
Small sample size, but some truths apparent
With 27 teams in Major League Soccer, at least one will have a bye each week. The Crew has the honors of being that team in the first week after opening weekend, which gives team needed time to get a few players up to speed and ample time to prepare for the next game on April 28 against CF Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.
To judge the Crew through the first three games of the season, the two Champions League games and the MLS opener against Philadelphia must be treated separately. However, there are a few truths learned through the first week and a half of the season.
With the caveat of three games being a very small sample size, here are some things we’ve learned so far about
the Crew in 2021:
Crew’s depth will be tested
A compacted scheduled complicated by Champions League was already going to challenge how much depth the Crew had. A season-ending injury to midfielder Aidan Morris and a hamstring injury that will hold out starting winger Kevin Molino for almost two months has made this start to the year more difficult.
Coach Caleb Porter gave important minutes to homegrown Isaiah Parente in the first and second leg of the Champions League. The 20-year-old midfielder will be the next option behind Perry Kitchen to replace Darlington Nagbe and Artur when they’re out of the lineup, but Morris’ injury certainly gives Parente a path to substantial playing time this season.
At winger, the Crew is an injury to Pedro Santos, Luis Diaz or Derrick Etienne Jr. away from being thin at the position. But with 20-year-old Romanian Alexandru Matan now in the mix, a full week of training adds another option at that position.
Beginning with first leg against Monterrey at Crew Stadium, the Crew will play six games in 19 days, including two trips to Florida and a trip to Mexico. Staying healthy and getting contributions up and down the lineup will be vital in the coming weeks.
Luis Diaz will be key to success
Costa Rican winger Luis Diaz showed his potential in 2019 after he signed with the Crew in midseason, but he struggled in 2020 as he focused on his overall game. So far in 2021, it’s obvious Diaz will have an important role in the Crew’s success.
Diaz has one assist, four shots and two shots on goal in two Champions League games, and had two shots on goal against Philadelphia. Also, Diaz’s decision-making and ability to track back on defense has improved significantly.
Porter joked last year that he didn’t think Diaz had taken many physics classes based on how many tight-angle shots he would take. So far this season, Diaz appears to have found the right balance between being unafraid to shoot and looking to pass to the middle of the box.
With Molino out, the 22-year-old should receive the bulk of the starts at right winger. Whenever he’s in there, Diaz is a focal point in the attack for the Crew because of his world-class speed.
Right back still Crew’s greatest unknown
The biggest question mark on the Crew’s roster received some additional depth before the MLS season opener, but there’s no clear answer yet who will back up starting right back Harrison
Afful.
The Crew added Saad Abdul-salaam for a third option at right and left back. Either he or Marlon Hairston, who will return after the bye week from a knee contusion, will be the back-up to Afful.
Porter said Hairston is still a project, having been a winger primarily for the past seven seasons. Abdul-salaam at least gives the Crew some time to integrate Hairston, but will he perform when the Crew has to rotate?
Crew can measure itself against Liga MX powerhouse
When the bracket for Champions League was unveiled, a matchup of the reigning MLS Cup champions and fourtime Champions League winner Monterrey was almost too enticing. Beginning April 28, a spot in the semifinals will be on the line between the Crew and Liga MX giants.
The Crew will have another opportunity Sept. 29 in the Campeones Cup to measure itself against another Mexican top-division champion, but this is the first chance for Porter to knock off a perennial Liga MX contender and raise the image of the Crew and MLS. jmyers@dispatch.com @_jcmyers