Welcome to the Anatomy of a Goal, where following each match we dissect one goal (or near goal) from a previous Columbus Crew contest. For match four of the 2024 MLS season, we look at Cucho Hernandez’s 13th-minute goal that put the New York Red Bulls on their heels and set the Crew on track for a 3-0 victory on Saturday evening.
Here’s a look at the goal from Columbus’s in-form striker.
The Black & Gold took the field against New York for their fifth match in two weeks. In those five matches, including Saturday, the Crew secured a place in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup and took seven points from three league matches to keep pace with Inter Miami and Minnesota United at the top of the Supporter’s Shield standings.
The Red Bulls are almost always a difficult matchup for Columbus but on Saturday the home side exerted its influence from the kickoff. The Black & Gold were happy to pass around New York’s trademark high-press and used their opponent’s over-commitment to stopping the ball as a tool to spring counter-attacks. That’s exactly what happens in the first goal of the match.
Hernandez’s goal begins with Patrick Schulte picking up a long, errant pass from the Red Bulls. Schulte plays a short pass forward to center back Rudy Camacho.
New York’s press has not yet kicked into gear so Camacho plays a quick pass on the ground to Steven Moreira.
Moreira is content to sit on the ball until pressure arrives and takes a few touches forward until Elias Manoel engages in defensive pressure.
Moreira turns on the ball and plays the ball right back to Camacho.
Manoel pushes the defensive line forward leaving Camacho with four options: 1. a pass right back to Moreira; 2. a direct ball forward to Darlington Nagbe; 3. attempt to beat Manoel with the ball; or, 4. a touch pass to Malte Amundsen.
Camacho plays the ball forward to Nagbe who is immediately pressured by Emil Forsberg.
Nagbe uses his first touch to send a pass to Moreira who immediately sets off down the field.
Moreira approaches midfield and finds himself with four options: 1. a short pass to Sean Zawadzki; 2. a long pass up the wing to Diego Rossi; 3. a direct ball forward to Jacen Russell-Rowe; or, 4. carry the ball forward.
The French right center-back makes an attacking move by playing a long pass forward to Russell-Rowe.
Russell-Rowe feels pressure from Noah Eile and uses his first touch to play a drop pass to Zawadzki.
Zawadzki takes a touch to collect the ball before playing a quick pass to Moreira.
Moreira touches the ball forward past Forsberg before playing a pass ahead to Rossi.
Rossi takes one touch and is immediately dispossessed by Frankie Amaya. Fortunately, Amaya’s touch is heavy, sending the ball back to the Crew defense.
This passing sequence has fully shifted seven Red Bull defenders toward the attacking right side of the field, leaving the left side open for a potential counter-attack.
Camacho picks up Amaya’s half-clearance and plays a quick pass to Amundsen as Manoel applies pressure.
At midfield, Aidan Morris turns first to see Yaw Yeboah totally un-marked on the left flank and then to see Kyle Duncan as the only defender on that side of the field.
Morris makes a run toward Amundsen which draws Duncan to the midfielder leaving Yeboah free to make a break toward the goal. Amundsen sees this move and must quickly decide whether to play a quick pass to Morris or play a long ball over the top to Yeboah.
Just like he did in the 2023 MLS Cup, Amundsen hits a long pass out in front of a wide-open Yeboah.
Duncan sees the ball and starts to turn around, realizing that he fell for the trap set by Morris and Yeboah.
Yeboah runs forward as the ball soars over the New York defense. Hernandez makes a parallel run up the middle of the field.
Yeboah continues forward with Andres Reyes giving chase.
The ball bounces into the box where Yeboah prepares a first touch to either take a quick shot on goal or hit a square pass in the path of Hernandez.
The left wing-back makes the selfless play and slides a ball right into the path of Hernandez.
Hernandez sprints toward the ball and has only Carlos Coronel to beat.
Hernandez reaches the ball and has a chance for a first-touch shot on goal.
The Colombian striker hits a first touch shot and Coronel can only watch as the ball soars past him . . .
. . . into the back of the net!
Findings:
- Wilfried Nancy’s Columbus team has struggled against the press at times this season but was happy to see New York’s pressure. The Black & Gold used the Red Bulls’ tenacity against them shifting the pressure to one side of the field before playing a quick counter-attack on the other side.
- The Crew act quickly but displayed a ton of patience during this build-up. A defender played a long pass forward multiple times only to see the ball immediately drop right back to the defense.
- Amundsen and Yeboah do it again with a perfectly weighted pass and a perfectly timed-run.
- When Hernandez has a chance from inside the penalty spot, he won’t miss.
MASSIVE REPORT 