The Columbus Crew have gone three straight games without winning, the last two being ties coming without star forward Cucho Hernandez who seems to be suspended by the team for breaking “team policy”. The Columbian’s absence has been a major talking point around the Crew and head coach Wilfried Nancy has chosen to deal with the incident internally.

Fans and reporters can only speculate as to why Hernandez has been out but Nancy should have the benefit of the doubt that he is dealing with the issue with the highest integrity as this has been the character he has shown. Also even though Columbus has not won the games Hernandez has missed, they have played well earning ties in difficult matches. It seems Nancy still has the respect of his players and Cucho has been seen practicing this week. The Crew boss still was noncommittal about his star player and if he would play against DC.

Defender Rudy Camacho may return from injury for this match, but it might be wise to let him start on the bench as Columbus has a big away match against Tigres the following Tuesday. Midfielder Alex Matan has been practicing and could also return. Forward Christian Ramirez is out and Sean Zawadzki will be out with a concussion, both players likely will be out for the away match to Tigres as well.

Here is how Columbus could lineup:

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte will continue to log solid minutes and has a tough task against DC United’s Christian Benteke. Benteke has had some early injury issues but has tallied a hat trick this year. Schulte is excellent when defending while the ball is on the ground but has had difficulty with crosses. Schulte will need to judge the crosses with precision to command the box. 

It might be wise to let Camacho start on the bench, but Columbus does not have that luxury as Zawadzki is definitely out and defender Philip Quinton has not shown the class needed to defend against a threat like Benteke. Starting alongside Camacho will be defenders Steven Moreira and Yevhen Cheberko. Cheberko had a strong performance against Tigres, and while some might fault him for the goal given up, Andre-Pierre Gignac has scored 205 goals for Tigres over nine seasons and is one of the most difficult forwards in the continent to defend against. 

The wing backs should see a full rotation as playing midweek at El Volcan will take full stamina from the unit. Will Sands will start his first match, he has played in a few Columbus Crew 2 matches to prepare and become match fit. Joining Sands will be fellow wing back Max Arfsten who has had solid contributions when relied upon. 

Midfielder Aidan Morris will start as he will be suspended for the midweek match and should be able to contribute a full 90-minute shift unlike his partner captain and midfielder Darlington Nagbe who should be rotated mid-match. Midfielder Derrick Jones should rotate in to try and get in rhythm with his teammates as he will be relied upon midweek with Morris’ suspension. 

Matan could start in this match as Nancy will continue to tinker with the attacking line. Nancy might want to see if the Romanian can keep his momentum rolling from before his injury. Joining Matan will be forward Diego Rossi who finally scored his first goal of the season. An in-form Rossi could push the Crew to be a Supporter’s Shield contender. The final attacker will be Hernandez, who starts this match and puts all the rumors and controversies to bed.