The Columbus Crew returned to winning ways on Friday night, taking down a red-hot NYCFC team who had won their past five games. Despite going down a man, NYCFC found the first goal near the end of the first half. Columbus would not stay down long though, storming back with three straight goals to grab a comfortable lead. New York City would add another goal later in the match, but the Black & Gold were able to hold on to secure all three points. This win extended the Crew’s winning streak in MLS to four games.

It was a back-and-forth game for Columbus. The Black & Gold fought back after going down a goal but allowed NYCFC to get back into the game with a late goal to put them within striking distance. Let’s dive into the tactics of this roller-coaster of a game.

Playstyle before the NYCFC red card

For the first 39 minutes of the game, the Crew played a differing style compared to the other 51 minutes of the contest. When Mitja Ilenič was sent off six minutes before halftime, Columbus would tweak their tactics and playstyle to go at NYCFC more effectively.

Before that though, the Black & Gold lined up as they typically do. They played in a three/five back defensive set, with wingbacks that will fly up the field in attack. Wilfried Nancy still opted for two defensive midfielders, but chose to start Sean Zawadzki in place of Aidan Morris, who is reportedly on the move to Europe soon. Up top, Cucho Hernandez partnered with Diego Rossi and Christian Ramirez in the attacking trident.

The Crew did not tweak a lot of their usual gameplan for NYCFC, but there were some changes. Playing on a narrow field and Yankee Stadium, Columbus had to adjust based on how narrow the pitch was. They could not stretch New York City from side to side as they usually would try because of the width, so they had to take a different approach.

This did not deter Nancy from playing with wingbacks. It simply meant that they would have to play more of an interior role than what they are used to. Both Mo Farsi and Max Arfsten tried to hug the touchline as much as they could, but occasionally would have to make runs inside of the front three because that is where the space was.

One way the Black & Gold tried to use the limited spacing they had was by pushing Farsi high into a winger role on offense. Zawadzki would slide out to the right as a pivot, while Cheberko would step up into that space as well. Nagbe remained in the center as a lone no. 6, with Rossi dropping into pockets in the midfield behind the lone central midfielder.

One thing that became more apparent in this game was how often Rossi dropped into the midfield. He was still a part of that fluid front three, but at times he played more like a no. 10. This gave more room for the wingbacks on the outside because Ramirez and Hernandez could pinch more inside.

Rossi dropping into the midfield also showed how the Crew could adapt to different playing conditions. The narrowness of Yankee Stadium made it hard for Columbus to do what they usually do; build down the flanks by creating overloads. Now, their focus shifted to building through the middle so they could suck the defense in, and then going outside to the wingbacks and attackers.

In the first 39 minutes, the Black & Gold generated great chances and had golden opportunities to score, but it was not until after NYCFC went down a man that they found the back of the net.

Playstyle after the red card and NYCFC goal

The Crew got a huge break just before halftime when Ilenič was sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity. A few minutes later though, Columbus was a goal down, despite being a man up. This quick change in having a man advantage and going down a goal spurred Nancy to tweak some things to spark a comeback.

The first thing the Black & Gold did was obvious, they decided to commit more players into the attack. Instead of only one outside centerback stepping up, now both centerbacks were joining the midfield alongside Zawadzki and Nagbe. To ensure a bit of defensive stability, one defensive midfielder would often stay deeper than the other.

This switch to a 1-4-5 put immense pressure on the NYCFC backline. In typical Crew fashion though, it was adaptable. Down a goal, Columbus had six to seven players in or around their opponent’s 18-yard box. They tried to trap them in the 1-4-5 until the goals came, which they eventually did.

After the two quick goals found the net in the span of five minutes, the Black & Gold switched to a 2-3-5. Now Cheberko dropped back alongside Camacho in a fulltime defensive role, while Zawadzki took his place on the right. Nagbe stayed central, and Amundsen moved up alongside him on the left. Yet again, this is Nancy adapting to the moment in the game. He is not taking his foot off the gas, but he is redistributing manpower to the areas they need at that moment.

The 2-3-5 could also become a 2-3-1-4 with Rossi dropping in as the lone no. 10. This allowed the midfielders to play through and around him as the focal point and build through the middle.

Towards the end of the game, the Crew began to pack it in. After NYCFC’s second goal went in, they switched to almost completely playing on the counterattack. New York City’s second goal seemed to just be a result of Columbus playing a high line, but after that went in, they shut it down defensively.

It was a very good result against a hot team at home, so Nancy and the Black & Gold will be happy. They now will shift their focus to a Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami on Wednesday.