Columbus Crew preseason: What's been learned about the club's new additions so far
There is always room for improvement, even for the reigning MLS Cup champions.
Despite returning most of their 2023 championship lineup, the Crew made additions throughout December. Each signing had a specific reason.
Free agent Derrick Jones, a 6-foot-4 midfielder brings height to Columbus' lineup. The club added Marino Hinestroza via a transfer from Club de Futbol Pachuca as he presents a new attacking threat. And free agent Nicolas Hagen gives needed depth to the goalkeeping group.
The Crew's newest players are already in their second leg of training camp, adjusting to coach Wilfried Nancy's style of play.
"I think the way we try to set up everything, allows new players to fit in what we want to do," Nancy said. "So, the idea, my job is to create this environment for the new players to be as quick as possible in what we do."
With Jones and Hinestroza possessing the ability to play multiple positions, their roles might evolve throughout the season, but here's what we have learned about the Crew's latest additions so far.
Jones is 'really coachable'
Jones represented Team USA in the U20 World Cup and has seen ups-and-downs in MLS, bouncing around from four different clubs before Columbus. The 26-year-old feels that has helped him grow.
"I do a lot of defensive work a lot, win balls, tackle and stuff," Jones said. "And then very calm on the ball, so I think that's something I can add to this team."
Before heading to Santa Barabara for Columbus' second leg of training camp, Jones considered himself a defensive midfielder, but he has proven that he can slot in as a center back in the past.
Officially the tallest non-goalkeeper on the Crew's roster, Jones brings a physical presence and potential, but Nancy wants to see progression during the preseason.
"We had a meeting with him maybe one week after we started, and after the meeting, (he) was already trying to apply what he was struggling with," Nancy said. "He's a beast and he's really, really good for that. And now, he’s really coachable and he's able to put himself in danger and this is something that I like, and it's been really interesting since this meeting."
Jones has known Crew winger Yaw Yeboah for a while. Both have family in Ghana, and both have spent their time away from the pitch in their native country.
Hagen grows the goalkeeping depth
Already in talks with Columbus before the Crew took home their third MLS Cup, the championship added more excitement when Hagen joined the club.
He has international experience coming into this season, his first playing for an MLS team, with more than 30 caps for the Guatemala national team. And knowing the standard he was walking into in Columbus, Hagen been putting in the work, collaborating with his new goalkeeping group.
"I've never settled for anything. I've always liked to push myself. At the end of the day as a goalkeeper ... it's a lonely position," Hagen said. "Even though I'm older than Patrick, I'm still learning from him, and if he needs help, I'll try to tell him that in a good way, just to make everybody better and have the competition in there because I think that's where we grow."
The 2022 MLS Cup title winners Los Angeles FC played over 50 games as reigning champions, and the Crew expects to see a similar increase in the number of games they play in 2024. Declining to pick up the option of goalkeeper Brady Scott at the end of last season, Hagen can provide new depth for Columbus' goalkeeping group.
"It's just kind of very open dialogue as well as wanting to do extra reps, wanting to stay after, hit long balls, hit side ollies, take shots," Schulte said of Hagen. "He's a good human being as well, which is most important in a goalie group, that's four guys that you work with every day. It's good to have a tight bond.”
Hinestroza brings a new style of play
Joining Columbus a little later in the preseason than Jones and Hagen, the 21-year-old Hinestroza has been working to adjust to Nancy's new system over the past few weeks of training camp.
Hinestroza is a U22 incitive player who will fill an international slot, and he comes in with experience as a winger, but Nancy can also see him at the number nine position if needed.
"We don't have this kind of profile," Nancy said. "A player that likes to dribble, he likes to one-v-one. So, when he gets the ball, something's going happen. ... So the idea is to give him the confidence to be able to repeat it again and to size up the situation, when to give the ball, when to keep it. But I liked the fact that he likes to attack the box."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew's 3 new additions since MLS Cup victory
