Within Columbus Crew's lineup, Sean Zawadzki continues to become a trusted center back
It was less than a season ago when Crew coach Wilfried Nancy started slotting usual center midfielder Sean Zawadzki into the lineup as a center back. What started as a means to fill a position hit with injury has carried over to the 2024 season and has made the 23-year-old a key, versatile asset for Columbus.
Having officially seen time at all three center back positions after starting on the right side in the season opener against Atlanta United on Feb. 24, Zawadzki is no longer a player Nancy uses on the back line only when a spot needs to be filled.
Starting as a defender in four of his five appearances in 2024, Zawadzki has now become a regular part of the back line's rotation.
In the Crew's second-leg matchup against the Houston Dynamo in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 on Tuesday, it was Zawadzki, who got the start at middle center back and helped the back line take control of the pace of the match.
"I think the staff has really challenged me in that aspect of it this year," Zawadzki said. "To continue to look far to see close and I think with the way we played (on Tuesday), it kind of made things a little bit easier. Having Steven (Moriera) and Cheba (Yevhen Cheberko) next to me, allowed us to slow it down in some instances, but then, when there's moments to go, we went."
Zawadzki said the defense's ability to read the field throughout the game created some "dangerous opportunities" against Houston, though it did not equate to as many goals as they'd like. Ending the match in a 1-1 draw, Columbus advanced to the quarterfinals on aggregate score, bettering the Dynamo 2-1 in goals across the two legs.
The back line's performance helped goalkeeper Patrick Schulte's record a clean sheet for nearly the entire match, until Houston was awarded and scored on a penalty kick off a Moreira hand ball in the box during the final minute of regulation.
In the first half, the Crew put together multiple blocked shots and stops, keeping Schulte from needing to make a save until 50 minutes into the match had passed.
"With the ball, but also without the ball, we have to make plays like this," Nancy said. "Defensively, we were in control of the game and we made plays."
Zawadzki was not credited with any blocked shots but had some stops as the last line of defense in front of Schulte.
Evolving into a multi-position threat, Zawadzki has become a staple as a midfielder and defender. Splitting his time between both groups, Zawadzki has worked to soak in knowledge from his teammates while improving on the newer, defensive side of his game.
"In training, the reps that we take, working on box defending with the coaches and with the back line," Zawadzki said. "Getting more comfortable in the system back there and kind of leaning on guys who have more experience back there to help me as well."
Zawadzki feels it is still a day-to-day process, working to reach his full potential. In his coach's eyes, the understanding that he already has in terms of the overall vision and the style of play is invaluable.
"I don’t like to mention an individual player, because this is a collective sport, but Sean ... this is a player that I don’t need to talk a lot with him," Nancy said. "I just have to do eye contact sometimes, maybe I have 10 words to talk, to discuss with him and he’s going to be able to understand everything that we want.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sean Zawadzki has grown into key Columbus Crew center back
