As the Crew sat winless through five games at the end of March, Henrik Rydstrom saw his team improve in training but needing results to prove it.
“I have talked about awareness. … But the moment the players feel it, that’s when the real awareness happens,” Rydstrom said. “You get the possibility to change behaviors or act in a different way. I think we have done that in a good way.”
On April 25, the Crew defeated the Philadelphia Union 2-0, bringing their regular-season record to 3-1-1 for the month and 3-4-3 overall.
The Crew started against the Union the same way they’ve begun all but three games this season, by scoring first. Midfielder Max Arfsten scored his third goal of the season when he capitalized on a Philadelphia error in the fourth minute.
After relying on an own goal from Union defender Nathan Harriel to extend their advantage right before halftime, the biggest challenge for the Crew came in the second half.
Though the Crew took just one shot in the second half, their defensive performance remained consistent, allowing them to record their first shutout win of the season.
“We’ve talked about coming out and not switching off,” Crew defender Malte Amundsen said. “It sounds pretty easy, but it isn’t always when you’re going into halftime with the lead. So, I think we’re trying to come out and attack the game in the same way, respecting the result, but also respecting the second half and the opponent’s changes.”
Columbus Crew showed awareness of Philadelphia Union game plan to press
The Crew went into the matchup prepared for the flow of the game to be dictated by Philadelphia’s press.
“When you play a team that presses basically all the time, then there will be more verticality in the game, and we will play more forward,” Rydstrom said. “It’s also small margins from us creating big chances.”
Taking a season-low six shots, the Crew’s opportunities came almost exclusively in the first 22 minutes, while the Union spread their 11 shots throughout the game. However, the Crew still finished taking more shots on target, with four compared to three, as they had to be deliberate on every opportunity inside Union’s box.
Specifically, the Crew capitalized on the Union’s mistakes to score both of their goals.
“Obviously, a little bit of good luck that own goal,” Arfsten said. “But you create your own luck sometimes, and we’ll take it.”
Max Arfsten has played more aggressive from right side
In the Crew’s first game without striker Wessam Abou Ali on April 18 against the New England Revolution, Rydstrom moved Arfsten from the left to right wingback.
With Arfsten making the switch, and losing the option to pass to Abou Ali due to the striker’s season-ending ACL injury, the 26-year-old wingback has found more opportunities to be aggressive on the attack and has two goals in the past three games.
“When I play on the right, like cutting in on my left foot,” Arfsten said. “I feel more inclined to shoot and I feel like I’m a bit more narrow. It’s closer to the goal, whereas when I’m on the left, I’m kind of just looking to cross more.”
Arfsten’s goal against the Union started when Union defender Olwethu Makhanya failed to intercept a pass from midfielder Dylan Chambost to Arfsten. Collecting the ball off the error, Arfsten created a path to the middle of the Union’s box and slid a shot past goalkeeper Andre Blake.
Columbus Crew record first shutout win in regular-season play since June 2025
While the Crew’s defense has been the more solid part of their game this season, late-game lapses have limited the them to one shutout, a 0-0 draw against the Chicago Fire, before the Union matchup.
The Union launched all three of their shots on target after the 80-minute mark, but goalkeeper Patrick Schulte made a save on each attempt to give the Crew their first regular-season shutout win since the last time they faced Philadelphia in the 2025 season on June 29.
“It was a focus of ours going into the game,” Schulte said. “Anytime they got in and around 20-25 yards away, it was be ready to expect the unexpected.”
bmackay@dispatch.com
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew build consistency in win over Philadelphia Union: Takeaways
Reporting by Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
