How Max Arfsten found his way to 'full confidence' in Columbus Crew's starting lineup
Crew midfielder Max Arfsten was committed to making this year different.
He made his first appearance in the season opener against Atlanta United as a second-half substitution. That moved him one step closer to his goal of playing in more than the 12 regular-season games he appeared in last season.
"I came in hungry to have a bigger role than I had last season," Arfsten said. "As I began to play in the games and get more playing time, I just became more and more confident."
Including Saturday's 0-0 draw against FC Cincinnati, Arfsten has appeared in 24 of 27 regular-season games and has started 17. After seeing just one minute of action in the 2023 MLS playoffs, Arfsten started all of the Crew's Leagues Cup games this season.
Before carving out a role in the starting lineup, Arfsten was splitting playing time with Yaw Yeboah. Yeboah was the more experienced left wingback with a goal in the 2023 MLS Cup final on his resume. Arfsten was trying to find ways to contribute offensively.
While he was credited with an assist in the Crew's second game of the season, a 1-1 draw against Minnesota, it took a little longer for Arfsten to score a goal himself.
"I think in my position, I don’t necessarily get a lot of chances," he said. "I think I probably get like one or two shots a game. So when I do get the opportunity to shoot, obviously I want to take it because I know I don’t get too many chances in front of goal."
Against FC Cincinnati on May 11, Arfsten entered the game with nine minutes left and scored his first goal of the season. It kept the Crew from being shut out in the 2-1 loss.
Arfsten feels it was a bit further down in line, during the Crew's 4-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on June 22, that everything started to click.
"I think from there, I just became a lot more confident," he said. "I feel like that was kind of a turning point, individually at least."
Against Kansas City, Arfsten recorded an assist on one of the goals in Cucho Hernandez's hat-trick performance. It also marked the start of 12 straight starts for Arfsten. That streak came to an end in a regular-season game against the Philadelphia Union, when Nancy rested more than half the starters following Leagues Cup.
With playing time, Arfsten started to build chemistry with the front line of Hernandez, Diego Rossi and Christian Ramirez.
"When I’m at full confidence and when I’m on the same page with my teammates, I feel more calm on the field," Arfsten said. "Just more at ease with the ball, and stuff, and I feel like the game moves a bit slower when it’s like that."
The mix of confidence and chemistry has shown up in the stat sheet. The 23-year-old leads Crew midfielders in scoring with four goals, twice as many as he had last year. He has has eight assists.
But Arfsten hit a scoring slump from the beginning of July to the end of August. On the field, he displayed frustration with big, demonstrative reactions every time one of his 17 shot attempts went off target.
On Aug. 31, Arfsten scored for the first time in over two months with an assist from Rossi in the Crew's 4-2 victory over New York City FC.
"It was just little details, maybe on my part. I could have been better with decision-making in the final third," Arfsten said. "Diego talked about that movement, for me to run inside when he’s driving. ... It’s just continuing to build chemistry in different situations."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Max Arfsten has become a solidified starter for Columbus Crew
