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Columbus Crew capitalize on CF Montreal offside calls, record home victory: Takeaways
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- Columbus Crew capitalize on CF Montreal offside calls, record home victory: Takeaways
The Crew finished their matchup against CF Montreal , the last-place team in the Eastern Conference, with a victory despite Montreal technically finding the back of the net on more occasions.
At Lower.com Field on Saturday, Montreal appeared to record three goals, but only one counted as VAR review determined there was offside during the other two, securing a 2-1 Crew win.
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"It could have been a few goals, but they were offside," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "This means that under fatigue when we didn't control the moment, we were able to have the lucidity to stay with a good line, and this is not by luck that they were offsides."
Replay: Columbus Crew top Montreal 2-1, stay undefeated in MLS
VAR reviews were needed on all three occasions Montreal sent the ball over the goal line. On Montreal's lone-goal, scored at the 50-minute mark by forward Prince Owusu , the initial call was offside before a review overturned the decision.
The Crew had the clear advantage entering the game with an undefeated 3-0-3 MLS record compared to Montreal, who entered at 0-4-2 and with an interim coach, Marco Donadel , who took over after Laurent Courtois was fired March 24.
Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe fights for the ball against CF Montreal on Saturday.
The Crew got both of their goals in the opening 30 minutes. They also held Montreal to one off-target shot in the first half.
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The only real opportunity Montreal had in the first half was the goal from forward Caden Clark that was overturned in the 32nd minute. Montreal's second overturned goal occurred with less than 10 minutes remaining.
While Nancy felt it was no accident that Columbus was able to force Montreal into offside calls, the Crew recognize there are faults in allowing Montreal to find the back of the net multiple times.
"We can improve a lot," Crew defender Yevhen Cheberko said. "They pushed in the last maybe 20 minutes, so we had difficulties. But every game is a new lesson."
Columbus Crew fail on multiple opportunities to put third goal on the board in second half
According to Nancy, the Crew should have avoided being in a position where one missed offside call resulted in a draw or even a Montreal victory.
Columbus Crew forward Max Arftsen (27) reacts in the second half at Lower.com Field on Saturday, April 5, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
In the second half, the Crew had three more shot opportunities than the first half, seven compared to four, but their attempts were inches off from the goal. The struggle highlighted one of the biggest issues for Columbus this season - finishing shots.
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"We had chances, a lot of chances," Nancy said. "This is the moment I want my team to get better. ... Because we don't score, it's 2-1. This is the worst (winning) result to deal with during the game."
The Crew have scored only 10 goals through seven games.
Aziel Jackson connects on first goal of the season to give Columbus Crew early 1-0 lead vs CF Montreal
The Crew recorded their first goal when midfielder Aziel Jackson scored from the left side of Montreal's box.
Jackson called the shot "the slowest goal ever," as he had to watch the ball take a favorable bounce off the right goalpost and land into the net. In the Crew's past matchups this season, Jackson had multiple shot attempts that hit off the goalpost or cross bar.
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"It felt good," Jackson said. "I just remember the first goal that I scored was offside vs Chicago , and I felt disappointed because I've been working on getting myself in good positions, but I'm happy this one got to go in."
The second goal for Columbus came off the foot of forward Jacen Russell-Rowe in the 26th minute.
Columbus Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe (19) and midfielder Aziel Jackson (13) celebrate after Jackson scored a goal in the first half at Lower.com Field on Saturday, April 5, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus Crew take advantage of consistent rain vs CF Montreal
It rained during the entire game, a factor the Crew felt played as an advantage with their style of play.
"It's just different because the ball moves faster," Cheberko said. "So, it's good for our game because we can move the ball faster and the opponent. It's harder for them (to stop)."
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The Crew defense was able to use the wet field to slide across the field to record multiple blocked shots and tackles.
"This is a good time to play football when you have a little bit of rain like this," Nancy said. "The pitch is nice like that, you can make tackles, you can do a lot of things."
The Crew play at St. Louis City SC at 7 p.m. April 13.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew defeat Montreal, remain undefeated in MLS
