The crossroads arrived two years ago. Everyone in Columbus knew the stakes and responded accordingly. Changes swept through to usher the old guard out of town. Crew SC investor/operator Anthony Precourt wanted to establish a different course for the team he purchased a few months earlier. The overhaul required a new coach, a new direction and a new philosophy.
Slowly but surely, the foundation formed. Precourt hired Gregg Berhalter to coach the team and serve as technical director. Some of the core players stayed, while a few more departed. Others arrived or emerged. Everyone pulled in one direction with a carefully crafted tactical approach to guide them and a dedication to implementing it game after game underpinning their efforts.
The repetition allowed Berhalter and his players to adopt the mentality as second nature and trust in its vision. There were reminders of the work ahead -- the 4-2 defeat to New England Revolution in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinal last year, for example -- as those measures took hold.
Diligence and foresight are the pillars of the opportunity at hand. This group is on the cusp of MLS Cup ahead of the second leg of the Eastern Conference final against New York Red Bulls on Sunday (live, 7:30p.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports GO). The second leg at Red Bull Arena offers Columbus a chance to exhibit its growth and vindicate its pursuits as it manages a 2-0 aggregate lead.
“It’s really been a work in progress over the past two years,” Crew SC captain Michael Parkhurst told FOX Soccer this week. “We started pretty much from the ground up last year with a whole new staff, a lot of new players and a whole new system and philosophy. There were wholesale changes on and off the field for the club. We felt like we had a successful season last year, albeit running up against a team that had more experience in the playoffs in New England. We showed our inexperience in that first game. We vowed to make it a lesson and learn from it and use that experience this year. I think we’ve done that.”
The difficult rebuke against New England inspired tactical adjustments, not widespread changes. Columbus remains firmly set on its expansive course even when adversity strikes and opponents punish them for it. Berhalter prefers a 4-2-3-1 setup with adventurous fullbacks, a roving number 10 in Federico Higuain, slicing wingers and a robust touchstone up front in Kei Kamara. It is, by any measure, a team arranged to obtain possession and push forward first and foremost. And it shows.
“We always say that, for our team, the best form of defense is offense,” Parkhurst said. “We’re not a team that is really set up to just go into a game to sit back, soak up pressure and defend. It’s just not in our DNA. We want to be on the ball. We want to keep it. We want to out-possess teams. We want to make runs and open them up. We know that we have to be smart about that. It’s a very difficult task against a team like New York. They just don’t allot you the time to keep the ball in the back or go side-to-side. Their pressure is very good, so we have to try to keep it in their half of the field.”
Those tenets fuel a Crew SC side capable of dominating the opposition. Kamara finished with 22 goals because his teammates provided him with ample supply from the wide areas and he finished off those opportunities reliably. Ethan Finlay and Justin Meram tuck inside from their wide berths to create room for fullbacks Harrison Afful and Waylon Francis to venture into the attacking half and link up with Higuain. Tony Tchani and Wil Trapp serve as the hub of operations to establish the proper cadence in possession and snuff out the opposition on the counter.
“We gave up a lot of goals this year, but we also scored a lot,” Parkhurst said. “It’s because we spread ourselves out so much and we do open ourselves up. Sometimes, we leave ourselves open for the counter because we’re spread out. It makes it difficult for the back line, no doubt, but we’ve fine-tuned it a little bit. We’ve worked on some things. And guys have stepped up and played really, really well.”
Those performances carried Columbus to a pair of wins to close the regular season and secured the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They lifted Crew SC up after a first-leg defeat in Montréal and pushed them past the in-form Impact with a stirring display in the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals. They secured the potentially critical first leg triumph over the Red Bulls without conceding to reinforce their defensive improvements.
“It was important for us to get past Montréal to progress as a team and as a club,” Parkhurst said. “We had to go out there and use that experience again against New York. It’s another step in the right direction. I think we have made a lot of strides as a team and as a club as far as not giving up on the philosophy, not giving up on the style of play. Last year, we went [16 games with just one win]. This year, we gave up a lot of goals in the middle of the season. We stayed true to who we are. We’re a confident group right now.”
The belief stems from the course charted and the system implemented over the past two years. This club is no longer stuck at the junction. It marches forward step-by-step with its principles firmly in mind and its objectives now within reach.
