The Crew won’t have injured forward Jamal Thiaré for a third straight game when they face the New York Red Bulls on May 12 in Harrison, New Jersey, while defender Malte Amundsen and midfielder Dylan Chambost are questionable.
Columbus also won’t have forward Wessam Abou Ali, who is out for the season following knee surgery.
Thiare’s absence with a lower-leg issue is challenging because his speed backs off pressing teams, while Amundsen [thigh] has become an integral part of coach Henrik Rydstrom’s 4-4-2 system on the back end. Losing Chambost, who signed a contract extension April 23, would create a key void in the midfield if his ankle injury keeps him from playing.
Amundsen was replaced at halftime of the Crew’s 3-2 loss to Minnesota United on May 2 at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Things slid downhill after Rydstrom altered the Crew’s system to better fit Yevhen Cheberko entering as Amundsen’s sub.
Amundsen then missed the Crew’s 3-0 loss to NYCFC on May 10 at Yankee Stadium, where the Pigeons capitalized on turnovers that led to Hannes Wolf’s hat trick.
“Malte, he’s so important for our way of playing,” Rydstrom said May 12 at the OhioHealth Performance Center. “He’s also a person that is very open-minded and likes to be challenged, so to have not been able to have him, it’s been maybe a sign of some problems with the depth in the squad when we don’t really have a clear option there.”
Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew injury report at New York Red Bulls
Reporting by Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
