Returning to action two weeks after a 5-1 loss to Inter Miami, the Crew looked to prove their most recent result was an anomaly.
They did so against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The Crew defeated Vancouver 2-1 at Lower.com Field on June 14, snapping a six-game winless streak. Columbus’ previous victory was a 4-2 win over Charlotte FC on May 3.
“We deserved more wins, but we didn’t do it,” Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. “I’m happy for the players because obviously they were not happy regarding the last game. The spirit and the intensity during practice was really up. Tonight, they showed that.”
Going up against the Western Conference’s top team, the Crew (8-3-7) swung the momentum in their direction early. Forward Ibrahim Aliyu scored just 1:08 into the matchup, recording the second-fastest regular-season goal in club history.
The Whitecaps (10-2-5) responded 5 minutes later with a goal from midfielder Jean-Claude Ngando, but the Crew remained focused on keeping the game within their control.
In the 23rd minute, forward Diego Rossi put the Crew ahead to stay, scoring his team-leading ninth goal of the regular season.
Rossi’s goal came on his only shot of the game, with the team taking only eight shots overall. The Crew averaged 14.5 shots over the previous six games, in which they averaged only 1.5 goals.
“The way we built the action, it was interesting,” Nancy said. “It puts more doubt on the opposition like this. Again, it was a good game tonight, and against a good team.”
Daniel Gazdag gets first assist with Columbus Crew vs Vancouver Whitecaps
In forward Daniel Gazdag’s first nine games with the Crew after being traded from the Philadelphia Union, the 29-year-old had failed to have a goal contribution, as his offensive struggles mirrored those of the entire Crew lineup.
Against the Whitecaps, Gazdag recorded his first Crew assist by capitalizing on an error.
In the lead-up to Rossi’s goal, Gazdag gained control of the ball when Vancouver forward Daniel Rios overpowered a pass on his side of the field. Off the turnover, Gazdag quickly found Rossi inside the box.
“He was involved – obviously not goals or assists like today – but before the assist,” Nancy said. “Like I said, I’m not concerned by Daniel. He just needed a bit of time. Tonight, it was a coherent game regarding Daniel. … This is only the beginning.”
Knowing the struggles he’d gone through in May, Gazdag felt the importance of getting onto the stat sheet for the first time in Columbus, while also helping the Crew break the cycle of poor finishing.
“It was a tough month,” Gazdag said. “We didn’t win games, so we’ve been very hard on ourselves. I was really hard on myself as well. I’m here to help the team win games. So, I was obviously disappointed last month, and we wanted to show that we are a good team, and we wanted to get the three points at home.”
Columbus Crew have three goals called back for offside in second half
In the second half, the Crew looked to have scored their third goal with the ball finding the back of the net on three different occasions, all resulting in an offside call.
Mo Farsi was the first to be charged with the call following a VAR review that confirmed the midfielder was offside before forward Aziel Jackson scored.
Offside calls against Farsi and defender Andres Herrera were clear, according to Nancy. It was an offside against Aliyu when receiving a pass from Jackson that Nancy felt was called too quickly and deserved another look during the game.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Aliyu said. “I need to check again because I saw when Aziel had a ball, I saw the defenders. I don’t know how (it was offside).”
Wilfried Nancy finds success in starting lineup adjustments
The Crew went with a new starting lineup against the Whitecaps, as multiple players were unavailable due to injury and the CONCACAF Gold Cup, while others had just returned from playing with their national team.
Goalkeeper Evan Bush made his second start of the season and became the oldest player to start a game for Columbus at 39 years, 100 days old.
Starting at the wingbacks were Aliyu and Lassi Lappalainen. Both made key impacts in the game despite Aliyu having little experience at the position.
For Lappalainen, it was his first start with Columbus after dealing with multiple injuries since joining the team in the offseason.
“The medical staff and (fitness coach) Jules (Gueguen) did really good work with Lassi,” Nancy said. “Also, Lassi helped himself to push, to push, to push. Good for him. I know him, I know what he can bring. I’m not surprised that he had a good first half because this is him when he’s fit.”
The Crew return to action June 25 against Atlanta United at Lower.com Field.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew snap 6-game winless streak, defeat Vancouver Whitecaps: Takeaways
Reporting by Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
