Fundamentals, patience and precision. Those are the things Columbus Crew SC is looking to use in its favor as it takes on the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night. After earning just one point in its last two matches, the Black & Gold are aiming to get back to their winning ways.
Midfielder Ethan Finlay is not sugarcoating the fact that the most recent performances against Toronto FC (3-3 draw) and Orlando City SC (5-2 loss) were a disappointment, and is looking forward to the opportunity to rebound.
“I think we may have lost our identity a little bit in the last two games and I think the results wore on us,” Finlay says. “We had a little bit of a team meeting, we sat down and kind of washed everything away. […] We have a great opportunity to go back on the road – somewhere where we’ve struggled – and try to get a result.”
Getting that result will be particularly important since the playoff race in the Eastern Conference has intensified. Crew SC ranks fourth in the East, tied in points (31) with third-place Toronto FC and fifth-place New England Revolution. The Black & Gold are four points clear of seventh place and just two behind the New York Red Bulls in second. So anything seems possible as Crew SC is heading into the final third of the regular season.
In order to get that result both Finlay and Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter are stressing the importance of getting back to the fundamentals that have made the Black & Gold successful this season.
“Getting back to some of the basic elements of defending and our attack,” Berhalter says. “I think we were disorganized in both aspects of the game against Orlando. So it’s regrouping and focusing on what makes us good.”
It’s safe to say consistency on the offensive side is what makes Crew SC good, as Columbus is tied for second in goals scored (36), while leading the League in shots (317), shots on goal (120) and passing accuracy in the final third of the pitch (67.99 percent).
Finlay hopes the Black & Gold can show their offensive creativity in Colorado on Saturday.
“We have to stick to what has been working for us, and when we do that then the creativity comes out and guys are able to express themselves,” he says.
“But I think first and foremost, getting back to our fundamentals with the movement behind, movement in front and whipping balls into the box. From there, when we pick up second balls, when guys like Justin [Meram] and Federico [Higuain] get the ball at the top of the box, they need to be able to express themselves.”
With Colorado being one of the League’s top defensive teams, Finlay says it’s going to take a great deal of movement and patience to unravel the Rapids’ defense.
“They’re going to have blocks of four, two of them, and we’re going to have to be patient and break them down throughout the game and not force things,” Finlay says.
“I think in the past we’ve maybe tried to force things down the middle at times and not move the ball out wide, and use the space out wide, and use a big guy in the box like Kei [Kamara]. That’s something we need to focus on.”
Patience only goes as far as you’re willing to let it take you, so when the time is right, players need to know when to strike. In looking at what it’ll take to get a win this weekend, it comes down to one thing for Berhalter.
“It’s precision and that’s something we need to work on,” Berhalter said. “We haven’t been good on that recently, the last game. We need to get sharper, we need to be more precise.”
Tune in on Saturday at 9 p.m. to find out if the Black & Gold are patient and precise enough to be successful in Colorado. Catch the action live on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, CD 102.5 or La Mega 103.1.
