What a ride it has been for the Columbus Crew the last couple of weeks. Three straight matches have seen goals scored deep into stoppage time to determine the outcome of the game. Mo Farsi scored the latest goal in an MLS regular season match with his game-winning goal in the 100th minute against Chicago to secure the victory for the Crew just three days ago. The Black & Gold need to carry that momentum for the return leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 matchup against a rested Houston Dynamo side. 

Midfielder Alex Matan is out with an injury for this match and head coach Wilfried Nancy did not have an update. After the Chicago Fire match, Nancy did say Matan would be ok, hopefully there will be more of an update later this week for the Romanian. 

Here is how Columbus could lineup:

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte continues to put together a string of positive performances. He had a bit of luck go his way as Chicago struggled to get shots on target, registering only two. Giving Schulte the high-stakes matches in knockout rounds will continue to give him valuable experience as he continues in his career. 

It seems Nancy is a fan of changing the backline every match and letting the fans play the game of “where will Sean Zawadzki lineup?”

In this match, Zawadzki will likely play as the main center back. Defenders Yehvan Cheberko and Steven Moreira will flank Zawadzki.

Farsi only played 20 minutes plus stoppage time on Saturday which should give him the legs to start in this match. Nancy did not start wingback Yaw Yeboah in the midweek game last week and it still seems too early for defender Will Sands to get a full start, look for defender Malte Amundsen to make the start on the quick turnaround. 

Midfielder and captain Darlington Nagbe came out of Saturday’s context in the 60th minute against the Fire, expect him to start against the Dynamo. Both Zawadzki and fellow midfielder Aidan Morris seem to never tire and still cover every blade of grass on the pitch. Nancy might want to rest Morris to give his legs some rest while midfielder Derrick Jones gets a first start for the Black & Gold. 

Forward Diego Rossi has played all but 12 minutes for the Crew across all four matches, Nancy will likely need to give the Uruguayan rest in this match. Unfortunately Nancy cannot rely on Matan to start in this match due to his injury, which will result in a front lineup of forwards, Marino Hinestroza, Christian Ramirez, and Jacen Russell-Rowe. Hinestroza showed moments during the matchup against Houston and was an early substitution while Rossi and forward Cucho Hernandez played nearly 105 minutes including stoppage time.