Justin Meram has been “doing the dishes” for Columbus Crew SC in 2016—assisting, that is. He has served a team-high 12 helpers so far this year, a career-high for the midfielder.
His next best season: five assists in 2015.
In fact, he combined for 13 assists in his first five regular seasons with Crew SC. So what’s changed?
“Every year I feel like I’m getting better — more mature, understanding the game and really understanding what it’s all about to be a professional — on the field, off the field,” Meram says.
As the longest-tenured player on Columbus’ current roster, his maturity is improving, and his production is as well. He has started a career-high 30 games (32 appearances) this season, scoring five goals to compliment his assists.
But Meram’s name on the score sheet extends beyond statistical accomplishments. It translates to his team’s success.
When “J9” has scored this year, the Black & Gold are undefeated at 3-0-2. The previous year was a similar story, posting a 5-1-0 record in the 2015 regular season. Columbus was also undefeated with Meram in the assist column up until last week—an impressive feat as it lasted 32 weeks. In matches where Meram has assisted, Columbus is now 6-1-3 in 2016.
With his contributions rising, the Michigan native in Buckeye Country says his confidence is behind it.
“My confidence has helped,” Meram says. “Going into games, I’m not worried so much about my opponent. I’m worried about what I’m going to do to help this team. Every game I feel like I’m putting our team in a good position to score — either myself or my partners on the field.”
His intuition is spot-on as is evidenced in Crew SC’s last three matches, serving an assist in each and adding to his team-leading total. Meram is third in Major League Soccer this season in big chances created with 11 (“creating a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score usually in a 1-on-1 scenario or from very close range,” per MLSsoccer.com). He only trails Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco and Mauro Diaz of FC Dallas.
The left winger sets-up these close-range situations by his expert ability to penetrate on the dribble. Just behind Montreal’s Ignacio Piatti (83), Justin Meram is second in MLS with 73 dribbles completed this season (“an attempt by a player to beat an opponent in possession of the ball. A successful dribble means the player beats the defender while retaining possession”).
“Justin has the ability to dribble at high speed and when you have that, you can really cover a lot of space in a short amount of time, and he's able to pick his head up and find teammates,” Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter says.
Berhalter says he’s “happy with how the season has evolved for Justin” as he started the year recovering surgery on his groin.
“He's hung in there and proven that he's a difference maker,” Berhalter says.
Crew SC concludes the 2016 season on Sunday at Yankee Stadium against New York City FC. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. (The CW Columbus, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, BCSN2, CD102.5 FM, La Mega 103.1 FM, English radio stream available on ColumbusCrewSC.com).
MLSsoccer.com will again provide expert analysis during the “MLS Matchday Live – Decision Day Pregame” show, preparing fans for the most exciting day of the season. Digital coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on the MLS Facebook page, MLS YouTube channel, and broadcast partner platforms ESPN3, FoxSportsGo, TSNGO, skysports.com, Sky Sports Facebook page, the Sky Sports App for Smartphones, and the FOX Sports Africa Facebook page. Following the final whistle, the “MLS Matchday Live – Decision Day Postgame” show will return to the same digital platforms (with the exception of Sky Sports properties) to analyze the action, debate the playoffs contenders, and look ahead to the 2016 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
