Story by
Columbus Crew rely on younger players to survive NYCFC with limited roster: Takeaways
- Story by
- Columbus Crew rely on younger players to survive NYCFC with limited roster: Takeaways
There was no getting around the fact that the Crew's lineup against New York City FC on Saturday was going to look different without the availability of eight players, five being regular starters.
The Crew went into the matchup at Lower.com Field missing these players for reasons ranging from international duty to injuries , and in the case of Malte Amundsen , a red-card suspension in the previous game.
Advertisement
Despite the limited roster, the Crew remained unbeaten in MLS regular-season play, recording a scoreless draw.
"It was not a bad game, but we were not good on certain moments," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "Yes, we could have scored more goals. ... We are able to win the battle of power and they defended with 10 men inside the box."
Replay: Columbus Crew finish in scoreless draw vs New York City FC
In the starting lineup for the Crew was defender Cesar Ruvalcaba, a 2025 second-round draft pick out of SMU. Ruvalcaba was signed by the MLS NEXT Pro team, Crew 2 , in March but has spent the majority of his time since the draft with the first team.
Advertisement
Impressed with Ruvalcaba's practices, Nancy felt he had earned a starting spot in his MLS debut.
"I felt great," Ruvalcaba said. "This is something I've been working for years on end, and I think I had to get settled in, probably the first 10 minutes of the game. But after those first 10 minutes, those first couple of actions, I felt great."
After being told he would be getting the start earlier in the week, Ruvalcaba had time to have six family members, including his parents, fly from California to watch his first game.
Ruvalcaba recorded 73 minutes, with one shot and one blocked attempt before being substituted out.
Advertisement
Columbus Crew fail to score on 20-plus shot attempts
Ruvalcaba's shot was just one of 23 the Crew took in the game.
The front line was the only line that had all its regular starters with Aziel Jackson , Diego Rossi and Jacen Russell-Rowe available. The three combined for 12 shots while the Crew controlled the ball for nearly 60% of the game.
"We attacked the box better," Nancy said. "I think that we had more players inside the box, we were able to still make runs behind the line when they played low. I think that after that, this is about maybe execution at certain moments."
Advertisement
The only shot that found the back of the net was from Russell-Rowe in the final 10 minutes, but was overturned after a VAR review determined that midfielder DeJuan Jones was offside.
Crew forward Diego Rossi reacts to a missed shot on Saturday.
Columbus Crew defense makes up for missed opportunities vs New York City FC
In addition to their 20-plus shot attempts, the Crew also had 10 corner kicks opportunities they failed to capitalize on.
"It could be the decision making," Nancy said. "When we try to play short, it could have been better. Set pieces, sometimes we can have an opportunity and sometimes not. This is a tool, yes, but for me, this is not the tool to score. In this one, it didn't work."
Advertisement
While offense was struggling, the defense had strong a strong outing, containing New York City to five shots and no corner kicks.
Goalkeeper Evan Bush , who was making his first appearance since breaking his arm during a game last April , had little work to do, with no shots on goal coming his way.
Wilfried Nancy opts to play younger players from bench
Nancy made two substitutions against New York City, both involving players under 19 years old.
Crew forward Cole Mrowka shoves New York City midfielder Justin Haak on Saturday.
Forward Cole Mrowka replaced Jackson and Ruvalcaba was replaced by midfielder Tristian Brown, who was also making his MLS debut.
"It was about profile, not veterans," Nancy said. "They (NYCFC) were so tight, so I needed a passer and Cole is so good to pass the ball. ... After that, with Tristan, we needed to have a left foot on the side to keep the time edge that we had."
Advertisement
The Crew (2-0-3) go back on the road to face D.C. United next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with the four players who were on international duty returning before that game.
Get more Columbus Crew content by listening to our podcast
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew record draw vs NYCFC with limited roster
