Columbus Crew record fifth straight MLS regular-season draw in Montreal match: 2 takeaways
From the perspective of Aidan Morris, the Crew's captain against CF Montreal on Saturday, Columbus' inability to record a shot in the first half was less of a struggle and a more of a process to create opportunities for the second half.
"I think the struggle in the first half could wear them down and allow things to open up in the second half," Morris said. "Things don't always happen right away, and that's what halftime's for, to make adjustments."
The Crew finished the Montreal match with 13 shots, four on goal, but walked away with nothing to show for their efforts, recording a 0-0 draw. It was the first time since May 2021 that the Crew failed to record a shot attempt in the first half, with the last occurrence taking place at Montreal, which was then led by current Crew coach Wilfried Nancy.
Nancy felt the lack of opportunity in the first half stemmed from the Crew being inside their own heads and overthinking instead of playing with aggression.
"We didn't attack the box well because we didn't make any run in behind," Nancy said. "We had the moment to do it, but we didn't do it."
Amid CONCACAF Champions Cup play, which is causing schedule congestion for the Crew with three matches in eight days, regular starting forwards Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernandez were kept from the starting lineup. Instead, Nancy opted for a younger frontline of Jacen Russell-Rowe, Alex Matan and Marino Hinestroza.
It took less than two minutes after halftime for Hinestroza to find the Crew's first scoring opportunity. Columbus took four shot attempts within the first five minutes of the half.
Replay: Columbus Crew tie CF Montreal 0-0
With the Crew starting to create opportunities, the frustration shifted to the inability to score, which midfielder Max Arfsten made visibly clear when Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois saved his final attempt of the night in stoppage time.
"I was just disappointed," Arfsten said. "Obviously frustrated because I feel like we had a lot of good chances in the game, not just myself. We had a lot of good opportunities, so just a bit unlucky there."
The draw against Montreal marks the fifth draw in a row for Columbus in MLS regular-season play.
Here are the top takeaways from Saturday's match:
Columbus Crew feeling effects of mixing Champions Cup and MLS regular-season play
Having the Champions Cup semifinals series against CF Monterrey take place in the middle of MLS regular-season play is causing more than just a physical impact on the Crew.
Nancy had to consider the upcoming match on Wednesday against Monterrey when making lineup and substitution decisions on Saturday. Six players who started Wednesday were on the bench to start on Saturday.
The Crew are choosing to view this stretch in a positive light.
"I think you look at a lot of teams historically and when they play CONCACAF and go back to the league, there's usually a big struggle," Morris said. "They drop a lot of points, they lose a lot of games. And I think going from playing Wednesday to Saturday, I felt that tonight."
Nancy said he was pleased with the Crew's efforts on Saturday.
"I really liked the fact that we were coherent as a team," Nancy said. "... The fact that I mixed the team, I put in different players, they did what they had to do, it could have been better, but I'm pleased the way we balance between the Champions Cup and MLS."
Columbus Crew coach Wilfried Nancy naming Aidan Morris as captain is important
Morris was walking into the locker room alongside Darlington Nagbe, the Crew's usual captain, at the training facility before the Montreal match when Nancy said to Nagbe, "Hey, get him ready. He has the arm band tonight."
Morris, 22, was given the title of captain for the first time in his career with the Crew during a rest game for Nagbe.
"I said this exact same thing in the pregame," Morris said. " 'It's an honor to come out here, wear this badge and represent you guys and be the guy to leads you guys out there.' I've been here for a good amount of time, I think it's my seventh year in Columbus, which is crazy. To play a game with the armband, meant so much to me."
The Florida native first came to Columbus as a part of the Crew's academy in 2017. After taking a season away to play at Indiana University in 2019, Morris signed a homegrown contract and started making appearances for the Crew in 2020.
Morris has become a fixture within the Crew lineup alongside Nagbe as a center midfielder. This season, Morris' offensive production has been on an upward trajectory, as he has two goals and four assists.
Being named captain is a step in the right direction for him to establish himself as a leader in Columbus.
"It was natural for me to give him the arm band," Nancy said. "Yes, he is young, but I don't see it like that. He's been with the club for a long time, and he has experience. So, it was a good challenge for him in terms of this is a new role, but at the same time, he has to do well on the pitch."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew vs CF Montreal record 0-0 draw, takeaways from MLS match
