After an eventful week with a 4-4 draw against the Montreal Impact, a 1-0 win over Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz and the Kei Kamara trade, Columbus Crew SC responded well by taking a point from the current Supporters’ Shield leaders.
After a 1-1 draw with Colorado, the Black & Gold are undefeated in four of their last five matches, and Crew SC midfielder Mohammed Saeid said the team responded well to the pressure and the Rapids press.
“I think they are the most improved team by far since last year. They tried to play some very good football, they pressed very high and we found it difficult to break down sometimes,” Saeid said after the match. “But the more the game went on, the more we found solutions to their press.”
Saeid led Crew SC with over 93% passing accuracy on Saturday, but the relentless pressure from Colorado made it difficult for the Black & Gold to string passes together and find a rhythm of play. In fact, the Rapids’ high press held Crew SC, the most accurate passing team in Major League Soccer, to its season low of 78% on Saturday.
“A lot of teams try to press us, and a lot of teams have failed. [Colorado] kept going and going, and I felt that they really believed in it. When the confidence is high in the team, it’s very difficult to break down,” Saeid said. “I think we knew they were going to press high, but not for that long.”
Rapids manager Pablo Mastroeni has his club playing in great form as of late, going unbeaten in its last seven matches after Saturday’s draw and leading the Western Conference. Crew SC meanwhile has claimed 10 points through 10 matches. Saeid said the Black & Gold’s performance shows things are pointing in the right direction.
“We didn’t start really well last season either, and we still got to the final. Portland was the same; they didn’t start very well, and they got to the final,” Saied said. “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. We just got to get right at the right time, and I hope we can.”
The midfielder himself performed well in Saturday’s draw, linking up with teammates Justin Meram and Cedrick Mabwati on multiple occasions.
“It’s just that we have got to find each other. And once we get going, once we get the results, I think it will automatically happen. Once the results start coming our way, everything will start flowing freely,” he said. “[Crew SC] has always has been a good team, we always do well in training. But we just have got to transition that into games, and I think we can do that.”
The Black & Gold will have another chance to prove it on Saturday, when they meet Toronto FC in the first match of the 2016 Trillium Cup. Kickoff at BMO Field is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
