New York City FC face the Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference semis. Here’s what to expect from the tie.
After the Columbus Crew beat Atlanta United on penalties in the most entertaining game of the MLS season last Thursday, the Black and Gold will return home for the first leg of their conference semifinal match against second-seed New York City FC on Tuesday. Played at 8:00 p.m. ET on Halloween, this is absolute appointment viewing. It will be the Crew’s first home game since it was confirmed that owner Anthony Precourt was considering a relocation to Austin. The atmosphere will be extremely interesting to watch. We’ll see what these fans have planned.
Oh, and the teams are really entertaining, too.
The rundown
It’s the battle of possession teams. Both clubs have built their identity on keeping the ball and trying to play from the back, and they have been able turn it into success.
Patrick Vieira and NYCFC didn’t finish the season on the highest note, winning just once in their final seven matches, but they secured second in the Eastern Conference with a home(ish) 2-2 draw against this Crew team on Decision Day. Without question, they’re one of the league’s best and most balanced teams, with a backline anchored by low-key Defender of the Year candidate Alexander Callens, a midfield combination of Alex Ring and Yangel Herrera and a front three led by MVP contender David Villa (22 goals, nine assists).
They’ll play with the ball in a different way than the Crew, a contrast to watch for on Tuesday. NYCFC’s ball possession is predicated on keeping the ball in deeper areas, drawing the opponent out and then using patient, intricate through-the-lines passing to free Villa and Jack Harrison. Once they get into the attacking half, Villa becomes the focal point, with Harrison there to put on a dribbling show and Maxi Moralez around to wreck havoc. That’s why the Spaniard has nine assists this season after putting up four last year.
Columbus do things a bit differently, after faltering earlier this season while adhering strictly to the “short goal-kicks, center-backs-are-our-top-distributors” philosophy. Gregg Berhalter has become more pragmatic and traded low-percentage long buildups for an emphasis on midfield possession and No. 10 Federico Higuain, who now doesn’t have to worry as much about getting service. He’s the one who provides the service now, which, in addition to creating more goals, lets players like defensive midfielder Wil Trapp focus on re-pressing and preventing transition attacks.
It makes for good soccer. The Crew will try hard to get out on the attack and put the ball in the net, while also creating good possession. The Light Blues focus more on playing good soccer than any MLS team, and it helps that Villa and Harrison are leading the line. If this were a knockout game, we could have expected a similar matchup to the Atlanta-Columbus thriller.
It’s also worth noting that, since he entered the league in 2015, Villa has scored more goals against the Crew than any player has scored against any team, per Jeff Rueter on the Total Soccer Show. One would think there’s a good chance he grabs another one in these two games.
Matchup to watch
Artur vs. Yangel Herrera in central midfield
One of the Crew’s significant contributors from their win Thursday was No. 8 Artur, who beat Mohammed Abu to the starting job and looked very good for 120 minutes. He’s an efficient and quiet game-controlling box-to-box guy. Herrera, by contrast, is a ground-covering renegade who wins the ball and can hit it through the lines. Those two will be intriguing to watch.
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Three important questions
Can Jonathan Mensah avoid errors and track Villa?
Mensah, the DP starting Crew center-back, gained a reputation for catastrophic mistakes for much of the season before steadying the ship towards the end. He will have to avoid screwing his team for another two games, in addition to dealing with Villa alongside central defense partner Josh Williams.
Will Pedro Santos figure it out in the final third?
Santos, the recently-signed Columbus winger who arrived in the summer, had a lot of opportunities near the goal against Atlanta. Every time, he seemed to make the wrong decision. If he can get it together in those crucial areas, the Crew could add a goal or two.
How far will the full-backs push up?
Part of Columbus’ resurgence was based around a more conservative approach from their full-backs, which helped prevent transitions down the wing, something that killed them earlier in the season. NYCFC are better when they get their outside backs forward, particularly Ben Sweat, who has been a revelation, but they could be in danger of counters, particularly if Kekuta Manneh makes an appearance.
Prediction: I’ll take the under and go with Columbus, who ride Zack Steffen and Higuain into an upset. As for what the fans will do Tuesday night, I have no clue.