OBETZ, Ohio — Off back-to-back wins, Crew SC returned to the EAS Training Center at Obetz on Tuesday after Saturday's come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Portland Timbers at MAPFRE Stadium on March 25. In a week that saw only six of 22 MLS teams in action, having early points in the bank is an obvious positive for Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter.

“Obviously it wasn’t a full fixture week, so we had a chance to catch up on some teams in the table and we took advantage of it," Berhalter said after training on Tuesday. "The important thing is to be strong at home and feeling the home crowd while having positive results at home. That goes a long way, so it was an important victory for us.”

In the Eastern Conference table, Crew SC leapt from seventh to the top spot with 7 points (2-1-1). Despite it being early in the 34-week season, Crew SC's attack has found its form with seven goals scored — tied for third-best through Week 4. Reading between the lines, six of those goals illustrate the 2017 Black & Gold mentality and resiliency having come from trailing or tied positions.

The majority of those goals have come from returning offensive dynamos like Ethan Finlay (vs. Chicago), Federico Higuain (vs. D.C.), Justin Meram (vs. Portland) and Ola Kamara (vs. Houston, Portland). Having the front four backing their bark with a substantial bite has been a part of Berhalter's plan all along. 

"Our top guys, we need goals out of them," Berhalter said. "I’ve said that all along. The attacking players are doing their part and that’s good to see. Federico Higuain had an excellent game (against Portland) with his passing and his work rate. Others — like Justin Meram and Ola Kamara — did too. The majority of our top guys did well."

The potency of Crew SC's attack translates directly to duties in the defensive half as well. Scoring goals is the end result of the much more nuanced work Berhalter and Co. have focused on. For Columbus, the goals will come as a result of everyone fulfilling their individual roles

“A lot of other teams didn’t play, but for us — we got another game under our belt and points on the board," Crew SC captain and midfielder Wil Trapp said. "We used it to prove our quality a little bit more. To play Portland — a team that was undefeated — and to win showed off a great performance.”

With another unbeaten opponent — Orlando City SC — entering the fray at MAPFRE Stadium in Saturday's Week 5 showdown against Crew SC, those performances will be tested again.

Shaped to succeed

Through its last 180 minutes of play, Columbus has played two distinctly different formations en route to two victories with eerily similar statistics coming out of the midfield. Against D.C. United, Berhalter deployed a 3-4-2-1 with Artur, Trapp, Meram and Higuain in the middle of the park before returning to the familiar 4-2-3-1 with an Artur-Trapp-Meram-Higuain-Ethan Finlay midfield.

In total, Crew SC connected for 1,071 successful passes against D.C. United and the Portland Timbers. With a midfield made up of Artur, Higuain, Trapp and Meram, Crew SC has averaged 59 percent possession and dominated inside the opposition's half with a combined total of 298 successful passes across the two matches.

“It’s about taking our work in training into each game," Higuain said. "We’ve done well in believing in each other and supporting each other. I think that’s shown in the last two games and we’ve done these things well. We want to keep things good like they are presently, because the present will become our future.”

Even more impressive, Higuain was the crux of the attacking crescendo with six key passes — defined as "leading to the recipient of the ball shooting (regardless of the outcome of the shot)" — in the two wins.

“The past two wins have been excellent in terms of our versatility," Trapp, Crew SC's captain and defensive midfielder, said. "From attack to defense, tactically and you are seeing players scoring goals that we need to score goals. Ola with three goals now, Justin with two assists and a goal. It’s really good to see the contribution from everyone in the attacking half of our team.”

They said it...

When asked about the connection and communication in the midfield, Crew SC Homegrown Player Wil Trapp explained how he (a native English speaker) communicates with Artur (a native Portuguese speaker):

“We’ll have to come up with some buzz words between the two of us, to keep things as short and clear as possible. He’s been great; his attitude is excellent and you’re seeing his quality come out in his play. He’s been a great partner in the midfield, and we hope to keep building on that through the season.”

►Crew SC Captain Wil Trapp

Warming up

Saturday's showdown against Orlando City SC will be just the fifth regular season meeting between the clubs all-time. Crew SC has lost to the Lions just once, outscoring the Florida outfit 13-10. 

The Black & Gold next host Orlando City on April 1 for a 4 p.m. ET kickoff at MAPFRE Stadium.