Following back-to-back weeks of positive results, the Columbus Crew took a setback on Saturday night, losing on the road against the New York Red Bulls. The Crew managed an early lead but couldn’t sustain it while giving up two second half goals.

This game provided another window into what head coach Wilfried Nancy wants to do with the Black & Gold while also reminding supporters that the team is not quite to the level he would like to this point. There remain issues, some of which led directly to a second road defeat in three outings away from Lower.com Field.

Let’s dive into what we learned about Columbus from this game.

Growing pains

The Crew is committed to a long-term plan with Nancy. That much is clear. He has been given the green light to experiment and play younger players that he has faith in, which is different than former head coach Caleb Porter who was in much more of a win-now situation the last two seasons after helping the Crew win the MLS Cup in 2020.

There is nothing wrong with this approach and it ultimately could work out for the best, but there will be nights like Saturday — and Week 1 against the Philadelphia Union — where this trust in younger players with an eye on the future backfires in the immediate.

Philip Quinton is an example of this. The young center back is in his first MLS season and has been thrown into the fire by Nancy because of what he saw from Quinton in the preseason. Teams have identified the center back as a player they can attack — and in the Red Bulls’ case, a player who will turn the ball over in possession — and while he has had moments where he’s been up to the task, including in this game, he was at least partially at fault for each goal the Black & Gold conceded at Red Bull Arena.

On the first, Quinton held on to the ball too long and was put under pressure by New York forward Corey Burke. Quinton did not handle the pressure well, turning back to his own goal with no outlet to pass and was not strong enough to ride through the challenge of Burke.

The defender going to ground, and then taking a slow jog back as the Red Bulls charge into the penalty box, meant that right center back Steven Moreria and right wing back Mohamed Farsi had to squeeze centrally, leaving open attacking midfielder Luquinhas for the easy finish on the rebound following an Eloy Room save. Certainly, other Columbus defenders could have done more to stop the attack before the ball ends up in the net but the initial play by Quinton is what you get at times with a young player.

The second goal starts with a poor clearance from Farsi, another young player Nancy has put his faith in who still has moments of naivety, and then the wing back does not recover quickly enough on his man as the ball is played back over the top. But Quinton fails to recognize that left wing back Jimmy Medranda is caught up field and there are two players that must be marked in the 18-yard box.

It’s impossible to know if Quinton communicates to fellow center back Milos Degenek here, but the young center back never checks over his shoulder to see Dante Vanzeir running free. Instead, Quinton stays glued to New York forward Tom Barlow, who Degenek could have taken out of the play by stepping back, and leaves Vanzeir wide open at the back post for the finish.

Again, there are other errors that led to the Red Bulls’ go-ahead goal — Farsi’s two mistakes, Medranda getting caught a bit too far upfield — but Quinton isn’t at the point where he can help make up for those errors by reading the play as a more experienced center back might.