Columbus Crew SC (5-8-1, 16 pts.) is once again on the road when they take on the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, May 25 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
Crew SC is coming off of a 1-0 loss against Minnesota United FC. In the match, the Black & Gold only had four shots, but they felt that they created chances to score.
“You can’t evaluate chance creation on the shots or expected goals,” said head coach Caleb Porter. “It doesn’t tell a story. At the end of the day, we were in good positions. But also, bottom-line is that we are not scoring goals so we have to look at how we can create more chances.”
As for Colorado (1-9-2, 5 pts.), the Rapids are coming off of their first win in the 2019 regular season against the LA Galaxy. They scored the game-winner in the 82nd minute when Andre Shinyashiki followed up on a saved shot by Kei Kamara.
Colorado’s goal production is led by Kamara's seven, three of which have been from the penalty spot. He is followed by Shinyashiki and Benny Feilhaber, who each have two goals.
“They are kind of unpredictable right now. They have had some struggles so I think that they could throw some stuff at us that might not necessarily be on film,” said defender Josh Williams. “I think right now it is going to be a big opportunity for us. An opportunity that we need to go in there and play our game. I think that if we play our game, then we leave ourselves with a very good chance to leave with points.”
One of the biggest challenges that come with playing at Colorado is the altitude. Dick’s Sporting Goods Park sits at over 5,200 feet above sea level, with the highest elevation of any other MLS stadium.
“You have to be aware that the ball flies a little funny there.” Porter said “We are one of the fittest teams in the league, so it won’t affect our fitness. It is just getting over that feeling you get a little bit into the half or late into the game.”
Players on Crew SC also acknowledge the challenge that comes with playing in altitude but have developed strategies to stay sharp for the entire match.
“You get your second wind sooner than in any other city that we play in. Altitude is tricky,” Williams said. "I have felt that if you really go hard in warmups and you get that second wind early then you have a lot more success."
Defensively, the Black & Gold must prevent Colorado from creating chances to score. Currently, the Rapids are fourth in the League when it comes to big chance conversion (55%) and is second on big chances scored (16).
While staying strong defensively is very important, it is also important that their defensive pieces get involved in the attack come Saturday. Midfield Wil Trapp believes that the team needs the outside backs to generate crosses. “It is kind of the cornerstone of how we score goals,” he said. “How do we start to put our outside backs in those positions?”
Kickoff on Saturday is slated for 9 p.m. ET at Dick's Sporting Good Park. Fans can tune-in on SportsTime Ohio or 97.1 FM The Fan or stream the match on FOX Sports GO as well as stream the audio on www.ColumbusCrewSC.com.
