The start of Major League Soccer’s 20th season has been somewhat of a scheduling whirlwind for Columbus Crew SC. Between their first five matches, the Black & Gold have had to deal with two bye weeks and a 5,500-mile, cross-continental road trip that took the team to Vancouver, New England and back in less than a week.
Now, as the season is finding its stride, Crew SC’s schedule is approaching normalcy and Gregg Berhalter is confident his side will find its rhythm too.
“I feel like we’re still getting started,” the Sporting Director and Head Coach said following the match in New England. “We’re still progressing and we’re moving toward something. I wouldn’t say we’re there yet with our product, but the group's been tested in a number of ways so far. So we’re doing fine.”
In addition to their unusual schedule, the Black & Gold have had to deal with injuries, suspensions and international call-ups. As a result, Berhalter has had the opportunity to experiment with his line-up.
“Look how many guys we’ve started in five games already,” he said. “There are probably fifteen, sixteen guys who have started already. That’s a good number. We have some good depth.”
That depth has shown particularly on the attack, as Crew SC ranks fourth in the league and first in the Eastern Conference for shots taken (77).
“I think that we’ve been dangerous most every game, so I like that side of our attack,” Berhalter said.
Most recently, his team showed improvement in defense as well, having shut out the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.
“Getting shutouts is so important for the team. Just to know that we can defend if we have to, that if the goals are not going in we can take points from games,” goalkeeper Steve Clark said about the 0-0 draw in Foxborough.
Having earned five points in five matches, the Black & Gold now enter a seven-week stretch that sees them play one match a week, beginning and culminating with games against Orlando City SC.
Much like Crew SC, the expansion side has seen mixed results in its first six matches. With a record of 2-2-2, Orlando City ranks third in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the Black & Gold.
The Lions are led by Brazilian star Kaka. The former Fifa World Player of the Year is pulling the strings in Orlando’s attack and has scored half of its six goals in addition to providing one assist. Keeping the playmaker as uninvolved as possible will be one of the most challenging tasks for Crew SC.
“It’s about limiting the damage. You know he’s going to do some good stuff because he is a great player. So, it’s just trying to limit that,” Berhalter said. “He’s going to get his touches on the ball and he’s going to make some good passes, so you have to be aware.”
Clark called Kaka “a great player for this league, a world player, someone who has done a lot of amazing things in his career.” But Crew SC’s No. 1 said he is more focused on his own game in preparation for Saturday.
“We’ll be ready for Orlando,” he said. “We want to win our home games and this is a big one.”
Orlando City will visit MAPFRE Stadium this Saturday, April 18. Kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. Catch the action on Time Warner Cable’s SportsChannel, CD 102.5 or La Mega 103.1.
