Propelling itself into the 2018 MLS season on a three-match unbeaten run (and continuing a 13-match regular-season run dating back to 2017), Columbus Crew SC's midfield and its powerhouse performances are an instrumental ingredient toward success. Having the same five-man midfield start across the three matches, consistency is an asset for Gregg Berhalter's group.
Artur, Federico Higuain, Cristian Martinez, Pedro SantosandWil Trappcombine for an 82.7 passing percentage (577-for-680). Trapp leads the way with a 91.98 percentage — good for sixth in MLS.
Its not just their passing that proves intelligence — off-the-ball positioning has been crucial for Crew SC's fivesome. Three Black & Gold midfielders rank inside the League's top-15 successful tacklers. Artur (13-for-16) is tied for fifth best, Trapp (8-for-11) is tied for eighth and Santos (8-for-10) is tied for 11th.
To midfielders, there are no more important illustrations of performance. Not only does the middle of the park win the ball defensively but, nearly 83 percent of the time, they successfully transition those won tackles into offensive passes.
Not to be overlooked, Crew SC's midfield quintet boasts an average age of 26-years-old with an average of just 67.4 games played (of the combined 337 games Artur, Higuain, Martinez, Santos and Trapp have played — Higuain and Trapp's 282 games played account for 84 percent of them).
After its season-opening win over the defending MLS Cup champion Toronto FC, Columbus sparked playoff conversations across Major League Soccer, highlighting the midfield's ability to pass, transition and ultimately develop scoring plays. At the end of the fist half, the first goal of the game came from Higuain. MLSsoccer.com's Bobby Warshaw and Calen Carr foreshadowed Columbus' success and expressed sincere surprise.
“When the MLS schedule came out (in January), I thought this was going to be an awesome first game," Warshaw said. "Not just because they are good teams, but because of what happens in their brains — tactically. I knew it would be an interesting chess battle to watch, and Columbus absolutely won it. Not just this game, but the season as a whole — I think they have come up with the template of ‘how you beat Toronto FC.’ They may have drawn up how to beat the champions. They did it by: 1. Pressing up high … don’t let them get comfortable, 2. In transition … just go, and 3. The runners (Santos and Martinez) got forward.”
Carr added, “Let’s just take a minute to say, ‘what a surprise Columbus is!’ I’m not sure any experts picked them with everything they’ve gone through — losing key players (in the offseason) and facing the champs in their house. It was Higuain, who was the man of the match - he got the goal, slipped smart balls through and connected with Santos.
In that match, Artur started the game-winning play by feeding a diagonal pass to Milton Valenzuela, who pinged it across to Higuain to put Columbus on top.
Warshaw went on to credit much of the midfield success to Higuain: “It helps when you have a guy like Higuain to play those through balls but whenever they won (the ball) they got out in transition and they took advantage of a little bit of a slower Toronto center back group.”
Coming back from a win on the road, Crew SC took on Montreal Impact in its home opener the following week. Higuain took the spotlight once again in this matchup guiding the midfield and completing his 50th career regular season goal.
“Higuain’s ability to find those little gaps, no matter which team he’s playing against, is unmatched in this league,” MLSsoccer.com’s Matt Doyle said. “Anytime the camera goes tight on a play and you lose sight of him on your screen, I'm always excited to see where he pops up next. He always seems to be in the perfect spot to send those runners forward.”
Crew SC started the same XI in its match against the Philadelphia Union in Week 3. Although the game ended scoreless, Columbus out-passed the Union 543-519 and out-possessed them with 51.2 percent. The game's leading passer for the game, Artur, went 79-for-99 on the day, including nine successful long passes.
With few predicting success in the top-heavy Eastern Conference, Columbus is already showing strong and cementing its reputation as a playoff contender. Beyond the score sheet, intangibles like positional awareness and style of play have produced almost unparalleled success.
Trapp, the team captain and Homegrown Player, spoke to the chemistry of his midfield.
“I think the comprehensive nature of our midfield has made us successful." Trapp said. "Whether it be tactically, trying to implement our style of play and also defensively — that ultimately helps us win games.”
Trapp's obvious understanding and ability thus far in 2018 has caught the eye of others as well. He has already earned his second U.S. Men's National Team call-up of the year after serving as captain in the Yanks scoreless draw against Bosnia & Herzegovina in January. Trapp and goalkeeper Zack Steffen are currently with the USMNT ahead of an international friendly against Paraguay next Tuesday.
In Trapp and Steffen's absence this week, Crew SC will return to MAPFRE Stadium on March 24 for an Eastern Conference clash against D.C. United at 6 p.m. ET.
