3 things to watch as Columbus Crew resume MLS play against Orlando City SC
The last time the Crew played Orlando City SC, it was the final nail in the coffin of their 2022 season. With a 2-1 win, Orlando City eliminated the Crew from playoff contention, which led to the firing of coach Caleb Porter and the eventual hire of Wilfried Nancy.
Through the first 10 games of the 2023 season, the two teams have the same record at 4-4-2, but their perception differs significantly. There have been ups and downs for the Crew in the early part of Nancy's tenure, but the general view of the Crew across the MLS landscape is optimistic as Nancy instills his style of play and gets his players to commit to his ideas.
Columbus Crew: Wilfried Nancy's coaching evolution from France to Columbus
Orlando City, on the other hand, brought in several new, high-priced signings in the offseason, but those signings haven't found cohesion on the field. Their inconsistent results have begun to raise questions about the club's outlook.
Both teams enter Saturday's game with a loss in their last MLS game — two losses in a row, in the Crew's case — and Orlando City also lost in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday.
Here are three things to watch for in Saturday's game, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Lower.com Field:
Can the Columbus Crew maintain the momentum from Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup win against Orlando City?
Darlington Nagbe didn't travel to Virginia for Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup matchup with Loudoun United, but as he sat at home and watched the Crew's 5-1 win the midfielder was still affected by the energy of the performance.
"Not being a part of the game, I just want to keep the level that the guys were able to reach," Nagbe said. "For me personally, thinking about what they did, focusing on what they did, watch the game again and just try to maintain that level. ... Energy carries over, mentality carries over, performance will carry over."
Nancy often says that each game is a new story, so from a coaching perspective, he's not a big believer in the idea that the momentum will carry over between disparate games with disparate lineups. But his players do believe it, and after two losses in a row in MLS play they welcome the added energy.
"It’s always good to get a win, and a convincing one like that, scoring five goals," said goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, who was the backup to Evan Bush on Wednesday. "It’s really good for the momentum and for the spirit of the team. It’s a cup match, anything can happen, but going out there and taking care of business like that just really feels good, especially after the game."
Is scoring the first goal the only route to a win for the Columbus Crew?
The Crew have scored the first goal in six of their 10 games this year. They're 4-2-0 in those games, and they're 0-2-2 when they concede the first goal. Across their three-game winless skid, the opposing team has scored first each time.
It's not a groundbreaking concept that scoring the first goal allows a team to control the game and dictate the terms as their opponent claws for a comeback, but it's been particularly important for the Crew this year. In recent weeks, their opponents have all found success with a similar pattern: taking a first-half lead and then sitting back behind the ball the rest of the way, while the Crew struggle to break down the defense.
"I think (the key is) just patience, rotating the ball, finding the right moments and obviously, not giving up that goal on the opposite end," Nagbe said. "I think the majority of the games this year, if I’m correct, we’ve scored the first goal, so I think if we can do that again, we’ll be in good shape."
All four of Orlando City's losses have come when their opponent scores the first goal, though they also have one win after conceding first. The Crew have spent much of the time since the loss to Inter Miami working on ways to break down the low block they've faced on several occasions so far this year, but they'd prefer take early control on Saturday and not have to draw on that work.
"We’ve been working a lot the past week about what we can do unbalance a low block," Nancy said. "This is something that we’ve done already during the year, the beginning of the year, but this is something that we need to be more specific (about) now. It’s all about details, movements and the connection between two or three players.
"Recognizing when you have to play quicker, recognize when this is the moment to play the weak side or to play the middle. This is all the kinds of things that we work on. I’m confident because this is the way I am, but also, I know that this is a good challenge, and I like it."
How are Yaw Yeboah and Malte Amundsen used by Wilfried Nancy against Orlando City?
When defender Will Sands tore an ACL on April 22, the Crew worked quickly to find a replacement. They acquired Malte Amundsen from New York City FC within 48 hours, and it appeared that Amundsen would be a like-for-like replacement for Sands in the lineup.
But Amundsen was available in large part because he'd been unused at NYCFC, and at the time of the trade he hadn't seen game action since September 2022. Against Inter Miami, Amundsen's first game with the Crew after arriving just two days earlier, he was on the bench, while Yaw Yeboah started in the left wingback spot.
That wasn't unexpected, given the timing of Amundsen's arrival and his recent lack of playing time. But on Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup, Nancy again turned to Yeboah at left wingback and inserted Amundsen at left center back — akin to how Nancy has used Steven Moreira, a converted fullback, on the right side of the back line.
Yeboah had a standout game, scoring the first goal in the sixth minute and playing with a level of confidence and flair that he hasn't always shown. Amundsen, too, looked comfortable, even while playing somewhat out of position.
"Yaw has been pretty good, and good the last two or three games, because he has a free mind," Nancy said. "He plays like we want him to play and the way he likes it also. For the moment, we play with a back three, and Yaw, this is not a wingback. This is more of a winger. He likes to attack, and this is what I want. That’s why he plays in this position. I like to have offensive players in this position."
Yeboah played 45 minutes on Wednesday and Amundsen played 64, so both should be fully available on Saturday. Nancy has been impressed with Yeboah's recent play, so it's no longer a foregone conclusion that Amundsen will replace him in the lineup.
And as the Crew deal with a rash of injuries along the back line — Moreira and Miloš Degenek both picked up knocks against Inter Miami, and Philip Quinton hobbled off at the end of Wednesday's game — it's possible that Wednesday's lineup, while against a lower-division opponent, was a test of a potential solution for Saturday as well.
Columbus Crew lineup
Record (W-L-T): 4-4-2, 6th in East
Projected Starting XI (3-4-2-1):
Patrick Schulte (goalkeeper); Gustavo Vallecilla (left center back), Philip Quinton (center back), Steven Moreira (right center back); Yaw Yeboah (left wingback), Aidan Morris (midfielder), Darlington Nagbe (midfielder), Mo Farsi (right wingback); Alex Mățan (attacking midfielder), Lucas Zelarayán (attacking midfielder); Cucho Hernandez (forward).
Injured: Miloš Degenek (out, ankle), Luis Diaz (out, back), Kevin Molino (out, knee), Eloy Room (out, knee), Will Sands (out, torn ACL), Josh Williams (out, ankle); Steven Moreira (questionable, thigh)
Orlando City SC lineup
Record (W-L-T): 4-4-2, 9th in East
Previous Starting XI (4-2-3-1):
Pedro Gallese (goalkeeper); Kyle Smith (left back), Robin Jansson (center back), Antonio Carlos (center back), Michael Halliday (right back); Wilder Cartagena (central midfielder), Cesar Araujo (central midfielder); Ivan Angulo (left winger), Facundo Torres (attacking midfielder), Martin Ojeda (right winger); Ercan Kara (striker).
Columbus Crew vs. Orlando City SC prediction
Columbus 2, Orlando City 1: Orlando City has struggled to score throughout this season, with just 10 goals in 10 matches. The Crew have struggled as well over the last few weeks, but if they're able to strike first and control the game, the path to a win looks straightforward against a weak attack and middling defense.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew host Orlando City: Match analysis, preview, prediction
