Columbus Crew look to 'make the most' of Leagues Cup, how will new players factor in?
In less than two weeks, the Crew could be hosting another championship match at Lower.com Field. All that stands in the way for Columbus: four survive-and-advance games in the Leagues Cup knockout stage.
The Crew are entering the second-annual Leagues Cup tournament as the reigning MLS Cup champions, which means Columbus will have home-field advantage throughout, including in the final, and the Crew received a bye into the round of 32, avoiding group play entirely.
Columbus is set to face Sporting Kansas City Friday, one of the few MLS Western Conference teams the Crew have already played against this season. Since that June 22 matchup, in which Columbus defeated Kansas City 4-0, both clubs have seen changes.
For Columbus, the changes have come from its roster construction. The last Kansas City match was a farewell to long-time central midfielder Aidan Morris, who left for England's Middlesbrough FC, and since then, the Crew have added four new players, most of whom will be recording their first official minutes with the club during Leagues Cup.
"Freshness is really important," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "My job with the staff, all the time, is to improve the team. And improve doesn’t just mean that we have to change players, it means we have to analyze and see what we need to bring or what we need to do to keep everyone on their toes. And because, I believe that competition is the most important tool to improve, individually and collectively."
Columbus had already acquired two new offensive threats, Dylan Chambost and Aziel Jackson, prior to the Kansas City match in June, but both were ineligible to play until the opening of the MLS secondary transfer window on July 18. Only Jackson played in the Crew's final game before the MLS All-Star break on July 20, recording less than 10 minutes in the club's 2-1 loss to Atlanta United. Chambost was unavailable due to U.S. Soccer not receiving his international transfer certificate until the days after the game.
Jackson and Chambost both played the entire second half of the Crew's friendly against Aston Villa on July 27, with Chambost scoring within his first five minutes competing in a Columbus uniform.
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During the nearly three-week break between the Crew's last competitive game and the upcoming Leagues Cup matchup, Columbus has also traded for DeJuan Jones and added Andres Herrera via a loan from Argentina's River Plate. Nancy views both players as flexible with the ability to "play in different positions."
According to Crew forward Christian Ramirez, this year's moves could have the same impact as the acquisitions the club signed last season during Leagues Cup, such as Rudy Camacho and Diego Rossi.
"You want to always challenge to get better and strive for that," Ramirez said. "I mean, you bring those guys qualities into this group. It's not very similar, but ideas of what was brought last year around this time, and it helped push the group forward and push certain guys forward. So yeah, it’s good to see, and those guys are very welcomed.”
Nancy confirmed that Jones will be an option for the Crew against Kansas City, but Herrera will be unavailable on Friday. Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, who returned to the club on Thursday after participating in the Paris Olympics, will also be unavailable.
Has Kansas City improved since MLS regular-season match vs Columbus Crew?
The loss to Columbus might have been a wake-up call for Kansas City.
In the days following the match, Kansas City fired its technical director Brian Bliss and has seen a bit of improvement in its results since the change. In Kansas City's last six MLS regular-season matches, the team has lost two, while also advancing to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals with a victory over FC Dallas. In the group stage of Leagues Cup, Kansas City went 1-1.
"I think they’re in a good rhythm themselves," Ramirez said. "They’ve changed a bit of their style, a bit of the personnel. They have guys that are firing on the front line, and they’re playing well together. So, it’s a completely different team than we faced back then.”
Nancy has said his philosophy is to look forward rather than back on the earlier matchup between the two teams, as this being a new competition leaves "everything open," especially in a knockout game.
"We know what happens if we lose," Crew midfielder Sean Zawadzki said. "It’s two and a half weeks of not playing, and training, and then getting back in MLS play. We want to make the most of this opportunity, it’s another tournament, another chance to win a trophy. And so, I think guys are ready for it, and ready to put in whatever it takes to makes a run and hopefully win another cup here.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew adjust roster ahead of Leagues Cup start vs Kansas City
