Crew Coverage pres. by Medical Mutual | PORTER: ‘We need more edge’

For the second-straight game, the Columbus Crew outshot and out-possessed their opponent. And for the second straight game, the club lost, 1-0.

Speaking to the media following the defeat against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night at Subaru Park, Crew head coach Caleb Porter said he and his players were equally frustrated that they were unable to earn a result against a good side.

"Well, this is very simple, we just lost two games in a row. And obviously, teams we've lost to are very good teams," Porter said. "So, losing 1-0 to Nashville, and losing on the road 1-0 to Philly. There's no shame in that. But we're a good enough group and we played well enough in both of those games minus the mistake, obviously (Saturday) for the goal and then finishing.

"Myself, the players, we’re extremely p* off because it's another game where, think it was 19-10 in shots, we had 70 percent possession. And this is a good team, and we're on the road. And we feel like we should have won every game this year. But we didn't and that aspect of it is extremely frustrating for a competitive club, and a competitive locker room, and a competitive group of coaches like we have and now moving forward, what are we going to do about it?"

The Crew fell behind 80 seconds into the match against Philadelphia when goalkeeper Eloy Room mishandled a Union cross and the ball drifted into the net. It was uncharacteristic from Room, who also finished the match with five saves, including several clutch ones, and Porter said his keeper acknowledged it after the game.

"We know was a big mistake that made life again a lot more difficult," the coach said. "There's nothing anybody could have done about that other than Eloy; he feels bad about it obviously, he put his hand up after the game."

But Porter, who’s in his fourth season leading the Black & Gold, made it clear to the media that he expects more from his attacking frontline.

The Crew’s 10 goals this season through six games ties the team for second-best in the Eastern Conference. The problem, however, is that none of those 10 goals have taken place this month.

"I think we need to play a little bit more angry," Porter said. "That hunger around the goal, for me, is what we're lacking you know? We need more edge; we need more killer instinct with our front three. It's that simple."

Columbus finished the match with 19 total shots, with four on target. In terms of possession, the Crew controlled the ball for 69% of the game and more than doubled the Union’s total passes, 590-275. But as Porter alluded to, the problem was the team was unable to bounce back from the early own goal.

"Yes, we're playing well. And yes, we are dominating very good teams. But we're going to continue to be losing games and not scoring goals if we don't have more of a chip on our shoulder to score goals," Porter said.

Next up for the Crew is Saturday night’s fixture against Orlando City SC at Lower.com Field. Orlando sits second in the conference behind Philadelphia, while Columbus is seventh with eight points.