The heart rate of the Nordecke likely peaked at the 95:05 mark in stoppage time on March 7, when Crew goalie Patrick Schulte made a key save against the Chicago Fire.
Receiving a perfect through ball off a Fire counterattack, winger Mbekezeli Mbokazi fired a low shot that hooked left. Schulte reacted flawlessly.
The referee blew the whistle seconds after to end Columbus’ home opener as a scoreless draw. Fire players looked stunned. Crew fans collectively exhaled and exited the concourse.
“I was going to have to make a play to keep that point, which was the main focus, but [I was] not trying to let that get to my head and was just trying to be composed through that minute, 10 seconds, whatever it was,” Schulte said.
Having surrendered two counterattack goals a week prior against Sporting Kansas City, the Crew doubled down on their defensive effort and picked up a standings point as a result.
Here are three other takeaways from the Crew’s first home game of the 2026 season.
Schulte’s clean sheet, solid defensive formation earn point
Wanting to put up a stiffer resistance on defense, coach Henrik Rydstrom opted for a 4-4-2 formation rather than a 3-4-3, which they played against Sporting KC. It did not hinder the Crew offensively in the first half, and they spent the majority of the first 45 minutes in Chicago’s end.
“I’ll take a half like that any half,” Schulte said.
Schulte made no saves before intermission as the Crew’s sturdy backfield was able to track runners, pick up wingers on the outside and demonstrate awareness before dangers arose.
“We were good in having numbers behind the ball,” Rydstrom said. “When they then maybe try to play into our penalty box, we have good possibilities to defend, and we did that today.”
Schulte’s first big moment was a diving stop on Dylan Borso’s header in the 71st minute, which forced the keeper to fully extend himself to his right.
Moments prior, defender Steven Moreira had prevented Chicago’s Jonathan Bamba from scoring off a perfectly placed aerial pass into the box. Moreira slid to block the shot in the nick of time.
Despite having no goals to show for it, the Crew led in expected goals, shots and shots on target by game’s end.
Chicago Fire create late scoring threats
The Crew’s best chances to score came in the 51st minute, when Amar Sedjic’s through ball on the right side of the penalty box created numbers and opportunity. They came away with four individual shots and nothing to show for it.
Then, momentum shifted. For the remainder of the game, the Crew struggled to generate attacks inside or around the penalty box, while the Fire got hotter.
“We didn’t stick to the plan enough in the second half or at least the last 20-25 minutes,” Rydstrom said. “We were defensively solid, hard to break down. Over time, we need to be better, to press higher up and win the ball higher up. We need to look at that.”
After earning seven corner kicks in the first half, Columbus’ energy seemed to dwindle. Chicago took advantage, especially on its final rush. The Fire stretched the field in the last 20 seconds with five men on the attack.
“We have the ball under control, and instead of trying to go around them and put the ball in, we try to break through in situations where it’s too compact, and it ends up in that situation,” Rydstrom said.
Past the 51st minute, the Crew had three shot attempts with two on target, while the Fire took seven shots and put four on target.
Crew draw blanks on close-range shots, corner kicks
After the game, captain Sean Zawadski said the Crew, who have scored four times through three games, are poised for an offensive breakthrough.
“The ability to put the ball in the net is there, but now it’s putting together that full performance and having the confidence that it’s going to happen,” the midfielder said. “We did the defensive work [against the Fire] to keep them at zero, but now it’s about getting forward and getting numbers around the ball, numbers in the box, and to score.”
Through three games, the Crew are tied with six other teams for 10th in goals, but rank second in expected goals at 7.38. They have the fourth-most corner kick chances and are 13th in shots on target.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sturdy defense, Patrick Schulte save Crew home opener. Takeaways
Reporting by Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
