Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew

We have a quick turnaround this week as Orlando City played one of its two remaining midweek matches on Wednesday, and came away with a comfortable 2-0 win over Charlotte FC. If the Lions want to keep the good vibes going on Saturday, they’ll need to beat one of the toughest teams in the league and do so on the road, as they travel up to Ohio to face the defending champion Columbus Crew.

A showdown with Columbus means I spoke to Caleb Denorme, one of the writers over at the always excellent Massive Report. Caleb was very helpful in getting us up to speed on this year’s edition of the Crew, and we appreciate his help.

Columbus has the best defense in the league by a comfortable margin. What’s made the back line so good this year?

Caleb Denorme: I think it’s a combination of finally learning the system and the development of the players at the position. Steven Moreira and Rudy Camacho are already experienced
defenders that you can throw into any starting roster in MLS. It took time for them to
adapt to Nancy’s system, but it is evident now that they have taken it in stride. The
development side is something that needs to be talked about too. Both Max Arfsten and
Mo Farsi are products of MLS NEXT Pro and have become no-contest starters at both
wingback spots. Yevhen Cheberko has improved as well, fighting for time with Malte
Amundsen, who was one of the Crew’s best players last season. So, the combination of
having time to learn Nancy’s system and giving these young players time to develop has
been massive.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Crew also has one of the best attacks in MLS. Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi get a ton of the headlines, but who are some other guys that help make the attack what it is?

CD: Obviously Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi are the spearhead of the attack. Hernandez
is going to do his thing regardless, and Rossi has really proved a lot of Columbus fans
wrong after he had a slow start when he first arrived. A lot of praise has to go to the
wingbacks as well. The rotation of Farsi, Arfsten, DeJuan Jones, Yaw Yeboah, and
Marcelo Herrera have added a new dimension to the attack that did not exist before. The
ability of each wingback to whip accurate crosses in to Hernandez and Rossi and cut in
when necessary is a dangerous asset to have. They also cause the opposing defense to be
stretched, which creates more room for the attackers inside. If there is one thing opposing
teams do not want, it’s Cucho Hernandez having more space inside the box.

Despite playing a metric ton of games this year, Columbus’ form has shown no signs of dipping due to fatigue and match load. Is there any concern that the packed schedule will eventually take its toll, or does Wilfried Nancy seem to have struck the perfect balance of navigating the busy calendar?

CD: The Crew have been the one team in recent memory who went far in the Concacaf
Champions Cup and did not crash and burn in league play. I think most of the praise has
to be put on the Columbus front office and Nancy himself. Issa Tall (and Tim
Bezbatchenko) did a phenomenal job constructing this roster. The Crew’s roster is the
perfect balance of spending for DPs, investing in young talent and getting high
performance out of MLS veterans. There is not a distinct position group that comes to
mind as “weak” when you think of Columbus, and that is thanks to the front office. On
the other hand, Nancy has done his job as well. Getting the right team in place is one
thing, but it takes a talented coach to take those players and get them to perform
consistently. Nancy has found the balance where he can plug a player in, and they
perform up to the task almost every single time. It’s a masterclass combination of
coaching and front office moves.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

CD: The only player listed on the injury report is Evan Bush, who has missed a large part of
the season with a broken arm.

As long as nothing happens midweek (knock on wood) against Toronto FC, expect a strong Columbus lineup against Orlando. Those decisions will depend on what lineup Nancy goes with against Toronto. If it’s a rotated lineup midweek, the Black & Gold will roll out the starters at the weekend. I think Patrick Schulte will be between the posts, with Moreira, Camacho and Amundsen at the center back spots. I’d say Arfsten and Farsi will start out wide, with Sean Zawadzki and Darlington Nagbe in the middle. Front three will most likely be headed by Hernandez, Rossi and Christian Ramirez. Be on the lookout for what happens midweek though, because that will determine what the Crew go with on Saturday. (Editor’s note: The Crew rotated somewhat at Toronto and will likely play their strongest lineup.)

Score prediction not provided.

Thank you to Caleb for the excellent insight on Columbus. Vamos Orlando!