The resurgent season continues for Columbus Crew SC forward Gyasi Zardes following last night’s 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids at MAPFRE Stadium.
Zardes, a six-year MLS veteran who totaled 14 combined regular-season goals throughout his previous three seasons with the LA Galaxy, scored his 16th goal of the season for Crew SC on Saturday, tying a previous career-high for regular-season goals in a single season.
Though the finish was nothing more than a calm display of technical ability we’ve been accustomed to seeing from the number nine this year, its career significance made it all the more special, as the left-footed finish past Colorado goalkeeper Tim Howard marked Zardes’ 50th career MLS regular-season goal.
In his post-match remarks, Zardes – who joined Crew SC prior to the start of the 2018 season – recalled his first impressions of Crew SC’s style and the potential for his role in Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s system.
“Straight from preseason, when we were in Arizona, I remember just thinking to myself, ‘what a great team I get to play for. What a great system the coaches have here. Everything is crystal clear,’” Zardes said following Saturday’s victory. “I knew I was going to be successful here.”
Zardes has scored nearly half of Crew SC’s 39 goals this season. Of Zardes’ 13 non-penalty goals, 12 have come from inside the box with 10 being assisted on, as the prototypical target striker under Berhalter has continued to pay dividends, averaging nearly one goal in every two shots on target.
“I’m really proud of [Gyasi],” Berhalter said in the post-match press conference.
“I’m really proud of the way he has been able to score goals and help our team. You know, it starts with his mindset. It starts with what type of guy he is, what type of work he is willing to do for the team, and even in games where he doesn’t score, he does enough work to become valuable for this group.”
Captain and fellow United States Men’s National Team call-up Wil Trappdoubled down on Zardes’ notable work rate and efficiency.
“I told him I am only 48 (goals) away, so he has to be careful,” Trapp said with a smile in the locker room. “He has been awesome. You look at his work rate, his effort in the box. To score tonight was huge for him and it just shows how much he means to us.”
In 2014, Zardes totaled 16 goals in 32 regular-season appearances in his second year with the Galaxy.
Zardes, who has scored in four of Crew SC’s last five home games, will again have a chance to set a career mark on Saturday, Sept. 29, as the Black & Gold host the Philadelphia Union in a battle between the fourth- and fifth-place teams in the Eastern Conference. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET.
