Pregame 17: Crew @ Fire
The season is coming to a turning point. The Crew have surged up the Eastern Conference standings after turning around a bad start to the season, but lately things have not been going as well. After squeaking by the woeful New York Red Bulls, the Crew put in it’s worst performance at home this year allowing D.C. United to run all over the field in route to a tie and a missed chance to take hold of first place in the conference. Chance number two comes tonight as the Crew head to Chicago to take on the Fire.
Crew on Offense: As Schelotto goes, so goes the Crew offense. The goal scoring wizard has been quiet lately. The rest of the offense hasn’t picked up the slack yet. Aside from a single well taken chance last Saturday by Moreno off an Ekpo cross and Lenhart nod, the offense was missing last week. There was no flow out of the midfield; Gaven and Ekpo did not really have a chance to add much from the wings.
This problem stems from a defensive posture in central midfield. The pairing of O’Rourke and Carroll does not create many chances for the offense going forward. There are no readily available solutions with Rogers with the Gold Cup team, but necessity being the mother of invention Warzycha noted that O’Rourke could be moving to the backline and he will try working out Lenhart on the right side to move Gaven back centrally if injured forward Ale Moreno can play.
With the offensive situation in a state of flux, the key to the offense comes back to the reigning league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Schelotto is leading the league in goal scoring and may need to shoulder that load again tonight with the possibility of no Alejandro Moreno or a juggled lineup. A good game from him is key to the Crew’s drive for three points and the lead in the conference. He is a player that steps up when he needs to, I expect nothing less from him.
Crew on Defense: The once rock hard Columbus defense has had issues all year long holding opponents scoreless; with the troubles on offense, the defense will have to solidify quickly. Mainstays Frankie Hejduk and Gino Padula will have to play good games to neutralize the wing play of the Fire. Chicago has Marco Pappa, Chris Rolfe, and Justin Mapp to test the wings.
The task of quieting dangerous offensive players Cuauhutemoc Blanco and Brian McBride will fall to the rookie defender Eric Brunner and a possible pairing with Danny O’Rourke, Jed Zayner, or Andy Iro. This is a key test because two fire forwards can be devastating. Keeping an eye of McBride to negate his aerial prowess will be key. The man can score even if well marked. Blanco still has the ability to create a chance out of nothing.
Final Thoughts: This is a chance for the Crew to cement themselves as title contenders be defeating a strong road opponent. Before they beat Chicago they need to settle the lineup and start working as a cohesive team. With all of the lineup changes and international absences, I see this as too tough to do on the road as the Crew let one slip by.
Crew 0 – Chicago 2
