Crew out to keep locker room united
HARRISON, N.J. — When the final whistle sounded and the scoreboard read Red Bulls – 1, Crew – 0, Lucas Zelarayan briskly walked off the field at Red Bull Arena cursing to himself while gesticulating frantically to express his frustration that the Crew had just lost its fifth in a row.
Coach Caleb Porter too longer to address his team in the locker room than usual, beginning his postgame press conference more than 45 minutes after the end of the match.
Everyone with the Crew is now feeling a lot of pressure. and in long stretches of disappointing results, there's always a risk of players becoming disinterested or turning on each other.
Porter said that's not about to happen because it simply can't.
"You'll have no problem with the locker room staying together. We've worked too hard the last three years to build a club with strong locker room, a strong culture and with a group of guys that are going to look in the mirror and be responsible and accountable and step up,” Porter said.
Four of the five losses in this losing streak have come against teams the Crew was above in the league standings. The Crew (6-8-6, 24 pts.) is now three points out of a playoff spot, and could be even more after Saturday's 2020 MLS Cup rematch against the Seattle Sounders, which has lost three games all season.
"Guys need to take responsibility for these moments. Can we respond? Can we get better performances? Can we show more intensity? Can we execute better?” Porter said. “That's all on me. Don't blame the players, blame me. I'll take the brunt of the blame, and yet the players need to perform this next game.”
Having the locker room come apart would almost surely destroy the season. Missing the playoffs seemed improbable at the start of the year, but's very much a possibility now.
“I'm sure that we have the group to do this, and like I said, just onto the next game now,” winger Derrick Etienne Jr. said. “Can't cried over spilled milk. Just onto the next one."
One win to end this nightmare won't cure the Crew. There has to be a consistent, collective effort from the coaching staff and the players to resurrect the season.
“The next 14 games, now that we've dug this hole, it's going to be tight,” Porter said. "If the players don't fight, if they don't perform, if we don't stay pulling in the same direction, then we know what's going to happen. We're not going to let it happen, and I know the players aren't going to let it happen."
Perry Kitchen has back surgery The Crew announced midfielder Perry Kitchen will miss 8-12 weeks after having surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. It could hold him out for the rest of the season.