Columbus.- Once upon a time it was so complicated for any team in the league to get full points out of Mapfre Stadium. Not anymore. It’s not that rivals had lost respect for Crew SC when they come to play at Columbus, the issue here is that the hosts lost their ability to dictate the rhythm of the game. It doesn’t matter the 450+ passes they average every 90 minutes, they are harmless. After battling for the last 25 minutes of the match Ola Kamara scored in the last second to save the night and tie a game that was lost.
The New York Red Bulls came to town with their fast tempo and high pressure and put Columbus in an uneasy position. Bradley Wright-Phillips scored his sixth goal in his last four appearances and the visitors managed the lead until the end of regulation. How come they didn’t get hurt, not even a serious scratch?
It is inevitable not to mention the injuries, Higuaín out for six weeks with a hernia repair, and now Mabwati with malaria, which is factor that can’t be controlled by the technical staff or the players. There are flaws on the field with the players that are healthy and not producing like they used to.
It seems like Ethan Finlay can’t spread his wings anymore. He can’t go deep anymore, his runs are not causing damage. A big part of his decline is his first touch, a weakness covered by his goals and assists last year, but when you don’t have the ball and you look for it, an offensive player has to be able to build up the play, hopefully, he evolves as fast as he runs. This team needs him.
In his second game as a lead playmaker, Mohammed Saeid fell short again. He was replaced by Christian Martínez. Héctor Jiménez replaced an innocuous Justin Meram and they started a surge. It wasn’t the most orchestrated come back but they pushed the team forward and rescued a game from the dark.
There is a dangerous pattern, a type of performance pre-Berhalter era where the team had slow starts that cost them a significant amount of points, enough to let them out of the playoff race. With two games away from mid-season, they can’t find the answers, while the rivals found the antidote to neutralize the Crew SC offense.
The arrival of Dilly Duka could bring a spark in the midfield, however, depends on how well the technical staff manages his personality. He can be an especial weapon but he can also be betrayed by his temper. Is he the answer to the struggle? Not quite, but at this point, anything helps.
Back to back games without a win, but without a loss either. The times of rescuing points should be over, is time to seed points if they want to be above the red line in November.
