With Aidan Morris leaving, who slots in at center midfield for Crew? 3 possible players
The Crew were able to keep their full starting lineup from the 2023 MLS Cup through the offseason and the first MLS primary transfer window, but now Columbus is taking a hit as midfielder Aidan Morris departs for England's second-tier Middlesbrough FC.
More: Crew midfielder Aidan Morris leaving Columbus for EFL Championship's Middlesbrough FC
Morris, who has played in the center midfield alongside Darlington Nagbe for the majority of the past three seasons, was a staple in coach Wilfried Nancy's starting lineup, so Nancy will have to make some adjustments.
"Aidan, he is a really good piece for us, but it’s always (what’s) next," Nancy said. "My job is to try to be ahead all the time. So, the fact is that we have players who can play in different positions, and Aidan didn’t play all the games, he missed a few games. So, I’m not concerned by that because it’s going to be good for other players."
While there is always the chance Columbus swings a deal to fill Morris' role, there are also possibilities on the Crew roster with another player on the way.
"Next player’s going to have to enjoy," Nancy said, "and to do something, not Aidan Morris-style, but his own style."
Here are the Crew's three internal options to replace Morris:
Sean Zawadzki
There are very few positions that Nancy has yet to feature Crew utility man Sean Zawadzki in, but Zawadzki's natural spot before playing for Nancy was center midfield.
"He played at this position for many years," Nancy said. "And since I came in, I disrupted everything. But he’s good for that, and he can bring something different because he’s really smart, and also to read the game quickly.”
In the three matches since Morris' departure was reported, Zawadzki has either started at center midfield or come into the match for Morris. Whether that was a coincidence or the team was preparing Zawadzki to step back into that role has yet to be seen.
Zawadzki has played more than 45 matches for the Crew over the past two seasons, and Nancy has said he likes the 23-year-old's technical ability in terms of his pacing with the ball.
"Sean has been great," Nagbe said. "In my opinion, you can put him anywhere on the field, anywhere on the back line or in the middle and he does a good job there. I'm not surprised to see him going from center back to stepping into the midfield."
Derrick Jones
The Crew signed MLS veteran Derrick Jones during the offseason, and from the beginning of training camp Jones has been practicing as a center midfielder. Limited to nine MLS appearances and one start this season, every time Jones has received playing time it has been next to either Morris or Nagbe.
Jones, who is 6-4, brings a height advantage that would present a marked change the lineup's complexion. Both Nagbe and Morris stand under 5-10. But it has taken Jones time to adjust as a center midfielder due to the fact he has primarily been used as a defensive midfielder.
"A guy like Derrick (Jones) hasn’t played a lot recently," Nancy said. "And I would like to give him more minutes and he’s going to get more minutes because he deserves that.”
Dylan Chambost
Dyaln Chambost was the first player the Crew official acquired ahead of the secondary transfer window, and the first player to sign with the club since new general manager Issa Tall took over. He'll join the club July 18.
During his five seasons playing professional soccer in France, Chambost was utilized as an attacking midfielder and rarely saw time at center midfield, but Nancy has been known to use players outside of what might be considered their natural position.
And some of the qualities Nancy has said he values in Chambost sound like the traits of a center midfielder.
"I wanted to have a ... lefty, because this is not something that we have," Nancy said. "To be able to disguise the pass, to be able to play the reverse pass, to be able to have a lot of activities and to be also a passer. We have a lot of players who like to dribble, dribble, dribble. So, the idea was to get a passer player who can be good with the link of play."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 Columbus Crew players who can start at center midfield next to Nagbe
