The Columbus Crew is between a rock and a hard place.

It’s been three weeks since the last victory for the Black & Gold against New York Red Bull on March 16. Since then, the depending MLS Cup champions lost to Charlotte FC and tied with Nashville SC and Tigres UANL in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

While it’s not time to panic — Columbus has just one loss this season — Wilfried Nancy’s team needs to return to winning ways against D.C. United on Saturday night and save key players for the second leg against Tigres on Tuesday. This has created some questions heading into an important early week this year.

Where is Cucho Hernandez?

Hernandez is the Crew’s best player and propelled the team to the MLS Cup last year. Yet he has not played in the last two matches due to an unspecified issue between him and the coaching staff.

Star players often deserve different treatment compared to other athletes. Nancy has made that clear, prioritizing “team policy” over winning, focusing on the big picture and the greater good of the club.

“This is not about Cucho, this is about the culture,” Nancy said this week. “It could have been another player and it would have been the same.”

Hernandez has been practicing with his teammates, but his return to the starting lineup remains uncertain. No timetable was given for Hernandez’s stay in the doghouse.

Was a two-week punishment long enough for Hernandez? The reality is that the striker’s influence on the Black & Gold’s offense is essential for the MLS Cup champions to have the level of success expected in MLS and a chance to advance to the semifinal of the Champions Cup.

Which game will Nancy prioritize?

Despite mentioning several times that he doesn’t believe in having a fixed starting 11 and believes in having a whole squad, there are some players that Nancy will need to choose for either one game or another this week. Forward Diego Rossi, midfielder Darlington Nagbe, wing backs Yaw Yeboah and Mohamed Farsi and center backs Yevhen Cheberko, Steven Moreira and Malte Amundsen played two whole matches in the last six days.

Will they rest on Saturday? Nancy must decide who plays in which game and how much. But the Champions Cup seems to be the priority right now.

When will Rudy Camacho be back?

Camacho, who started the first five matches of the season, is one of the Crew’s defensive leaders. However, Camacho was subbed off in the 18^th minute against Charlotte on March 16 due to a groin injury.

Grade I muscular injuries normally take between three weeks and one month to fully heal, so Camacho’s availability remains questionable for Saturday and the second leg of the Tigres game.

However, Camacho has been training since last week, and Nancy is optimistic about his return.

“I can tell you that Sean (Zawadzki) is out and Rudy is coming back,” Nancy said this week.

Should Camacho be available, will he come off the bench or will Nancy start him in the initial lineup? The Crew could certainly use the center back.