REVIEW: Columbus moves on with relative ease.

On: 6:30 AM By: Ryan Kozlowski 0 comments

 

Welcome to 2020 in Major League Soccer where the debut game for a head coach can be the opening playoff game.

That's what occurred yesterday for one Gerhard Struber who the New York Red Bulls paid Barnsley $2.36 million to secure his rights and sign as their head coach back in October.

Struber's coaching accolades prior include coaching two Austrian 2nd division teams and then most recently keeping Barnsley out of the relegation zone in the English Championship.
 

Nevermind that Barnsley would've been relegated if it wasn't for Wigan Athletic falling into administration and receiving a twelve point deduction.

Gerhard Struber (not Jaap Stam)

Lets just say I'm glad that the Columbus Crew went the American, Major League Soccer experience route with Caleb Porter.

Major League Soccer is starting to trend into a haven for questionable international coaches such as Struber, Raphael Wicky, Diego Alonso, and a few Dutch ones.

Struber's major power play in his first game was to keep Brian White out of the starting lineup and start beanpole Tom Barlow who makes Adam Jahn look like Messi.
 

Brian White scored at the end of the game after coming on so as a Columbus Crew fan I appreciate Struber's first power play.
 

Regardless, I wasn't very concerned even when Columbus were down momentarily in the first half.
 

That lack of concern would've grown if it was 1-0 going into half, luckily Dru Yearwood solved that by running over Pedro Santos in the Red Bull penalty area 150 seconds later.
 

Thanks pal. 1-1. 

I was thinking all first half man this Dru Yearwood stinks, NYRB needs to calm it down with starting every homegrown player.
 

Just to look him up and find out that he's one of their DP's from ENGLAND!

Glad with Yearwood and Jason Pendant we didn't end up with Denis Hamlett as our GM. Yikes.

Regardless, I was more concerned by the lack of connectivity and awake-ness by the Columbus Crew in the entirety of the first half.

The only player that looked alive and made good decisions throughout the 1st half was Pedro Santos (and you can't say that every game...). So good on him.

For the rest of the playoffs the entire Columbus Crew need to start showing up a bit earlier.
 

If you need 5 to 10 minutes to feel out the game fine. Not 45 as game will be over by then against Toronto.
 

I doubt Porter was terribly pleased either with the first half and probably had some choice words.

I just wish Porter could have some choice words before the game to spark that fire a bit earlier. 😅

Nevertheless 34 seconds into the 2nd half. 2-1 Nagbe. 

Then Gyasi Zardes capped things off with some real brilliance in the 68th minute to make it 3-1.

"Too good!" 🤯@gyasinho with the PERFECT back-post header to go up 3-1!#Crew96 | #CLBvRBNY pic.twitter.com/8Os8Hc21bz

— x - Columbus Crew SC (@ColumbusCrewSC) November 21, 2020

What Zardes really did well throughout the game was playing defense as a forward. Probably actually the best forward I've seen at that. Came back and disrupted about five plays himself. 

Fernando Adi would blow up if he tried that. 

Another player that was huge was Derrick Etienne Jr. who had an assist, two if you want to be honest as Etienne's one blocked shot led to Nagbe's goal seconds later. 

Etienne also had an assist to Zelarayan the prior meeting between Columbus and NYRB back at the #MLSisBack Tournament.

It's basically Etienne's position for the rest of these playoffs. If Etienne keeps this up it could be his position for much longer.  

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A post shared by Derrick Etienne Jr (@detienne10)

That's another thing what the hell were Denis Hamlett and RBNY thinking of by loaning Etienne out to FC Cincinnati last year (who barely played him, about all you need to know about why FC Cincinnati rocks so much) and then afterwards RBNY declined Etienne's option making him a free agent for the Columbus Crew to pick up this prior offseason?

I mean I shouldn't sound enraged. Thanks. 😅

But who did RBNY have so great to let Etienne go? 

As even Aaron Long looks a bit pedestrian nowadays for RBNY although it could just be his mullet and the players surrounding him. 

Etienne was a player I rated in the past when he was playing often with NYRB. Came into this season with 60 MLS appearances and 6 goals at 23. Yeah you will make a mistake or two from the ages of 18 to 22 but sure as hell beats most college draft picks with no MLS games.  

Definitely beats their other recent pickups at around the same age in Jason Pendant and Dru Yearwood. 

Further if you think Florian Valot and Daniel Royer are better midfield wingers I have to question your mental acuity. Both speedwise or otherwise. I only think they signed Valot because he's French and therefore must be good? As both are currently not that good and not 23 so are unlikely to grow. Neither would start a game in Columbus unless there was an injury or two. 

Just makes zero sense. 

For our next opponent I'm rooting for Nashville as who wouldn't want to be at home again. Especially when you've won 10 out of 11 there this year. 

But also going to Connecticut and beating Toronto FC after the dismantling there the last time would be about the biggest  statement that Columbus can make that "we are for real."

As prior to the 2nd half on 9/27/20 the Columbus Crew were perfect and then the season kind of went halfway off the rails after that. 

Regardless Columbus will have a better, stronger opponent compared to this first game. I just hope Columbus gets going in this next game sooner.