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Columbus Crew shut out vs Chicago Fire, but clinch MLS Cup playoff spot
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- Columbus Crew shut out vs Chicago Fire, but clinch MLS Cup playoff spot
There was no celebration for the Crew after clinching a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs on Sept. 27, as they were shut down 2-0 by the Chicago Fire the same night.
The Crew 's postseason berth was officially secured during the second half of their road matchup when the New York Red Bulls dropped their game against New York City FC 3-2. To clinch, the Crew either needed a victory over Chicago or a Red Bulls' loss.
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But once the final whistle blew in the Crew's matchup, no one on the Crew's bench was discussing the results from 790 miles away. Instead, the Crew were focused solely on their disappointing performance.
"I just saw when I went into the locker room," Crew goalkeeper Evan Bush said. "I know where we are in terms of having an opportunity ahead of us, and it stings right now. And some teams might celebrate the fact that they clinched a spot in the playoffs or play-in, whatever it is at this point, after a loss, but that's not who we are as a team."
Replay: Columbus Crew fall to Chicago Fire, fail to score without key attacking players
From kickoff, the Crew struggled to get past Chicago's press, having their first attempt to get into Chicago's box cleared back to their side of the field.
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Forced turnovers and intercepted passes continued to plague the Crew throughout the first half, which kept the offense from taking a shot before halftime.
Crew midfielder Dániel Gazdag controls the ball against Chicago Fire forward Philip Zinckernagel.
Chicago took seven attempts in the first half, along with three scoring plays that were overturned due to offside or foul calls.
In the 25th minute, Chicago's Andrew Gutman scored a goal that finally counted. Following a Crew offside call, Gutman gained control of the ball outside the Crew's box and sent a shot that hit off the crossbar and the right goalpost before landing in the net.
The Crew's attack created seven shots in the second half, two on goal, but allowed Chicago to take 15 attempts to finish with 22 shots overall.
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"They pressed us," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "We had a few opportunities to escape. I didn't feel that we were lacking intensity. It was more about they were winning the ball because they were pressing us. After that, we were not connected."
Chicago solidified its 2-0 victory with a goal from forward Hugo Cuypers on a counterattack at the 70-minute mark.
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Columbus Crew 's offense shut down without key attacking players
The Crew were without five injured players , including striker Wessam Abou Ali and forward Diego Rossi , who accounted for six of Columbus' eight goals in September.
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In the absence of two key attackers, Nancy opted to start Max Arfsten , Daniel Gazdag and Hugo Picard on the frontline to evaluate their connection up top.
Crew forward Max Arfsten (at right) and Chicago Fire defender Leonardo Barroso battle for the ball.
Of that group, only Picard managed to create a shot on goal, with halftime substitute Ibrahim Aliyu taking the Crew's only other on-target attempt.
"I just think we lack some sharpness," midfielder Darlington Nagbe said. "That was it. Sharpness in the buildup, sharpness in the attack, and defensively, just overall, we lack sharpness."
Columbus Crew goalkeeper Evan Bush gets starting nod over Patrick Schulte
In addition to missing multiple starters, Nancy benched regular-starting goalkeeper Patrick Schulte for veteran Bush to "change the dynamic."
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"I've played in a lot of these types of games," Bush said. "I've been in playoff races and stuff like that throughout the course of my career, and sometimes just trying to spark something different with different types of players on the field can be a benefit. So, I just try to do what's asked of me and try to be who I am, and ideally, that's to bring energy to players."
Bush conceded two goals, but grabbed six saves, which marked the most saves from a Crew goalkeeper since Nicholas Hagen recorded seven against Charlotte FC on May 24.
Crew goalkeeper Evan Bush made six saves against the Chicago Fire.
Columbus Crew leave more points behind as regular season nears end
Following a group-stage exit from Leagues Cup , the Crew have gone 1-3-3 in regular-season play, which has caused a fall from fifth to eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.
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If the season ended after the Chicago matchup, the Crew would be slotted into the play-in game against Chicago to start the postseason. The winner of the play-in advances to a best-of-three first-round series against the top team in the conference.
The Crew still have time to improve in the standings, with just three points separating Columbus and fifth-ranked Charlotte, but moving up will require getting back in the win column in their final two games of the regular season.
"We expect to be in the playoffs," Nagbe said. "Now, it's just looking at how we can be better and perform better. I think it's a disappointment. No one's thinking about the playoffs right now. We're thinking about how we can improve as a team, individually and collectively. How can we have performances that lead to wins? I think it's as simple as that."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew defeated by Chicago Fire, clinch MLS Cup playoff berth
