Columbus Crew GM Issa Tall fortified roster to go trophy hunting | Arace
As the defending MLS Cup champions, the Crew had a bye to the knockout rounds of the Leagues Cup tournament, which was invented to print money for MLS and its mejor amigo, Liga MX. The opponent at the new Crew stadium Friday night was Sporting Kansas City, who finished in second place in West 4, one of the 15 groups in pool play.
Diego Rossi had a brace and the Crew rolled to a 4-0 victory over SKC before a sellout crowd of 20,397 in the new Crew stadium. With that, the Black & Gold advance to play Inter Miami in the Round of 16 Tuesday night in Columbus. Lionel Messi, who suffered an ankle injury in the Copa America final and has yet to resume full training, is not expected to play for Miami.
If you’re not a Crew fan, now might be a good time to jump on the bandwagon.
Over the previous three weeks, the Crew played just one game: On July 27, they had a friendly against Aston Villa’s third string and beat them, 4-1. Skipping pool play in League’s Cup, then, basically gave Crew coach Wilfried Nancy 20-ish days to tune his system and figure out how the new pieces, supplied by general manager Issa Tall, fit into his machinery.
Tall and his former boss, Tim Bezbatchenko – who moved to the other side of the pond last month – did not sit on their hands during this summer transfer window. In June, midfielder Dylan Chambost, 26, was brought in from France on a free-agent contract and midfielder Aziel Jackson, 22, was acquired in a trade with St. Louis. In July, outside back DeJuan Jones, 27, was acquired in a trade with New England. Earlier this week, defender Andres Herrera, 27, was gotten on loan from famed River Plate of Argentina.
(Among the outgoing: midfielder Aidan Morris, sold to Middlesbrough of the English Championship; forward Marino Hinestroza, loaned to Atletico Nacional of Columbia; winger Will Sands, who was part of the Jones deal with New England.)
None of these moves was a big-ticket deal for a designated player, but they are not insignificant moves. They are calculated moves to add quality, depth and versatility. Coach Wilfried Nancy loves versatility.
Are the Crew now well-prepared for what is ahead – a potentially congested schedule with three trophies (Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup, Supporters Shield) at stake between now and Oct. 19, the last day of the MLS regular season?
“Yes, and I say that because I’m not just one of us who feels that way," Tall said. "I talk with Wilfried and Marc (Nicholls, the technical director) and we reach a consensus. We do not rush or panic. We determine why we want to do certain things. We don’t sign a player just to sign a player.
“Dylan Chambost is a good example. We were looking for a left-footed 8/10 (center mid/attacking mid) for so long. There were so many names, so many times when we said, ‘No, he’s not doing what we’re looking for.’ It took time, but in the end, we got what we were looking for.”
They look for certain attributes, beginning with skill on the ball and sangfroid when the ball is lost. In Nancy’s aggressive, possess-and-attack system, players must feel comfortable inviting pressure, transition to defense with alacrity and be confident in playing multiple positions. Among other things. Humility, bravery, patience and trust are all part of the orchestration.
Chambost and Jones came in as second-half substitutes Friday night. Both scored a goal.
“They are versatile,” Tall said as he headed from the team box down to the locker room.
To this point, the Crew are 16-5-10 in all competitions, with 60 goals for and 31 against (a plus-29 differential). In MLS play, the Crew are 12-4-7 and third place in the East with 47 goals for and 22 against (a league-leading plus-25).
Since May 15, the Crew have won nine of 12 league games, scored 34 goals, posted four shutouts and won six of seven on the road.
If Tall & Co. have found the right people to pad the roster, the Crew might be the deepest team in MLS.
“We had three things in mind,” Tall said. “One, the amount of (upcoming) games, two, contending for trophies and, three, the introduction of more competition within our group. More competition makes everyone stand up."
If there are any positions that are lacking in some depth, it is goalkeeper and central center back. Tall said “it’s possible” that another move may be coming before the summer transfer window closes Wednesday. But it’s not probable. Sean Zawadzki is very versatile.
Ahead of the Crew are as many as four more Leagues Cup games this month – they will come apace – and the Campeones Cup, to be played Sept. 25 in Columbus. The Crew’s MLS season has 11 games remaining, six at home. It is scheduled to resume with a game in Philadelphia August 24, a day before the Leagues Cup championship and third-place games. The Crew-Philadelphia game will be moved if either team makes it to the last day of Leagues Cup.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Leagues Cup: Columbus Crew to face Messi, Inter Miami in Round of 16
