As the game against Montreal came to a close at TQL last week, murmurs could be heard in the stands from those holding their phones and watching other outcomes unfold: we were destined to face Columbus. When I composed the first article of the season in mid-February, could any of us have predicted how the season would play out and where we would stand now? Maybe the outcome in the standings could have been foretold, but not the cast of characters. But where are the teams in their respective journeys? Who will be available to play?
The Crew
Columbus finished the regular season with a clear and paced domination of New York Red Bulls, a team Cincinnati had just visited the week prior, claiming a perilous 1 – 0 victory themselves on a 12th-minute goal by Kévin Denkey. Those two outcomes against New York are likely to be pored over by the respective coaching staffs. Like Cincinnati, Columbus is benefiting from player transfer activity throughout the season, with names like Wessam Abou Ali (acquired 7/26), Dániel Gazdag (4/11), and Ibrahim Aliyu (4/23) appearing in the scoring column in the closing frame of the regular season. However, Ali is out for the remainder of the season, as reported by the Columbus Dispatch, due to an ankle injury sustained during the Toronto draw. Columbus will also be missing star forward Diego Rossi, out with a leg injury, who finished the season with 16 goals. MLS legend Darlington Nagbe’s announced retirement at the end of the season will present Columbus with added incentive.
Columbus’s Last Five:
| New York City | L | 2 – 3 | Dániel Gazdag 40′ (P)
Wessam Abou Ali 60′ |
| Toronto | D | 1 – 1 | Wessam Abou Ali 16′ |
| Chicago | L | 0 – 2 | |
| Orlando City | D | 1 – 1 | Andrés Herrera 32′ |
| New York Red Bulls | W | 3 – 1 | Andrés Herrera 32′
Dániel Gazdag 66′ Ibrahim Aliyu 84′ |
Players to Watch
With Matt Miazga still sidelined, Noonan will again have to invent a defense to counter a patchwork Columbus offense featuring Picard, Russell-Rowe, and Lappaleinen, backed by Nagbe in the midfield. With Denkey returning from card accumulation, the trifecta of Evander, Brenner, and Denkey should define this game. The combination of creativity, muscle, and agility, combined with a midfield piloted by Bucha, should produce intense and unrelenting pressure on the Columbus defense. Andrés Herrera has the potential to convert and is hot recently, but perhaps more than any Columbus players, Wilfred Nancy’s decisions on his starting squad, and when we can expect players like Gazdag and Aliyu to appear, might represent the essence of the Crew’s formula on Monday.
What to Expect
Controlled Hell. While some significant attrition saw Columbus finish 7th in the Eastern Conference and 11 points under FC Cincinnati, veterans Miles Robinson and Nick Hagglund will need to lock down the defense by continuously feeding what should be a juggernaut offense that has now had the opportunity to come together with significant game minutes. These are not the same two teams that met in July, where FC Cincinnati disasterously lost 4-2 (including an own goal by Robinson), but still had names like Baird and Mboma Dem on the bench, and Yedlin starting.
MATCH INFO
WHERE: TQL Stadium
WHEN: Monday, Oct 27, 6:45 PM EST
WEATHER: 60°F
WATCH: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+
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