Given Columbus Crew SC's rotated lineup on Wednesday night, Caleb Porter said that, yes, while he is disappointed in not getting a result at D.C. United, he is not discouraged with the performance overall.
Taking into account the remaining schedule layout (three more games in an eight-day span for Columbus), Porter put out a rotated Starting XI, knowing they would go full tilt for the final three matches.
"Again, there are a lot of positives, but I don’t think it’s going to be one [match] where we dissect and go through a ton because at the end of the day, we’re going to put our best foot forward with our top lineup in the last three games," Porter said.
"Ultimately," Porter continued, "that was what this game was about: giving some guys a run, coming up with a plan where we can get something out of the game, which I think we had a good plan and for the most part, that showed up today."
HIGHLIGHTS | D.C. United vs. Columbus Crew SC | Oct. 28, 2020
The Crew remains in third place with 35 points, and Porter said that given the rotation, he and the coaching staff would not delve too deep into the evaluation process following Wednesday.
"I think you evaluate it a lot less when you rotate. You’re looking at individuals who did well. This game always was going to set up the Philadelphia [Union] game," Porter said.
Both Columbus and D.C. United finished with one shot on goal.
For D.C., that was enough. For Columbus, everything but the final-third execution seemed to meet their standards.
POST-MATCH INTERVIEW | Porter's full interview following #DCUvCLB
"I do think there are a lot of positives; I told the guys that. We still, with a rotated group, looked like us for the most part without - for me - not enough precision and cutting edge in the final third," Porter explained.
"But in terms of playing out, we played out the back, we had the ball, we had good control and we were organized defensively. You really, other than the goal, can’t think of another real clear chance they [D.C. United] had… a couple of set pieces."
The Crew's best chance came in the 73rd minute when Chris Cadden swung in a driven ball for a sprinting Krisztian Nemeth, whose header fell inches from landing on target.
CHANCE | Cadden puts it on a dime for Nemeth, whose header goes just high
Nemeth, who made his second straight start for Columbus, said after D.C.'s opening goal from Julian Gressel in the 32nd minute, the opponents sat back and played simple.
It was nothing unexpected, Nemeth said, but given the opportunities once Columbus crossed the midfield line, it was tough to come away from that game without a result.
"After they scored, they played simple soccer: try to defend and then put the ball behind our defense. I think we did a great job after that. We tried to push it. I think we deserved more tonight," Nemeth said.
Of course, Porter said they'd put the result behind them.
Now, he expects Columbus to be at full strength down the home-stretch, with two of the final three matches remaining taking place at MAPFRE Stadium, starting Sunday vs. Philadelphia at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN Deportes.
