After arguably the most exciting game of Leagues Cup thus far, the Columbus Crew have advanced to the competition’s quarterfinals for the first time ever. Tuesday saw the Crew take down the defending champions Inter Miami. Even more impressively, the Crew overcame a two-goal deficit in the second half in order to advance.

Now in the quarterfinals, the Crew have another continental trophy in their sights. The Black & Gold now face a difficult challenge in New York City FC at home on Saturday for a spot in the semifinals. Many had NYCFC pegged to exit the competition last round, but their surprise victory over Tigres indicates how far they have come in this campaign. This will be the second time these two sides have met after the Crew defeated NYCFC 3-2 in June at Yankee Stadium. Expect NYCFC to have revenge and trophies on their mind when they enter Lower.com Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

NYCFC at a glance:

Record: 11-5-9, 38 points

League Form: W-D-L-D-D

Leading Scorer: Alonso Martinez, Santiago Rodriguez (8)

Assist Leader: Hannes Wolf, Tayvon Gray (5)

Player to Watch: Santiago Rodriguez

Rodriguez has been the feature attacker for this NYCFC side so far in 2024 and for good reason. The 24-year-old Uruguayan is entering the prime of his career and is in the middle of another strong season in 2024. With 11 goals and 4 assists, Rodriguez leads NYCFC in production, but also is the conductor of the NYCFC attack. Usually used as a central midfielder, Rodriguez has the freedom to roam about the field looking for pockets of space to drift into and receive the ball. From there, Rodriguez is an excellent passer of the ball and has 1v1 ability to beat his defender. These skills, paired with his finishing ability make him a threat to score, or help a teammate score, every time he picks up the ball. Crew players and fans alike should be wary of Rodriguez at all times on Saturday. 

How New York City FC play: 

NYCFC boss Nick Cushing is in his second full season in charge in the Big Apple after taking over as the interim manager in 2022. Cushing has stuck to the same general shape throughout his time with NYCFC as he prefers to play with a back four and three central midfielders. This year, he usually sets his side up in a 4-2-3-1 shape. NYCFC have been known for their possession-based, proactive attacking style over the years. However, this year’s team has a few more wrinkles up their sleeves than in years past. 

In possession, NYCFC looks to shift into what is probably the most common attacking shape in MLS, their outside backs move higher up the field, their wingers move into the half spaces inside, and their central midfielders stay a little deeper to help circulate the ball and the striker occupies the opposing center backs. This shape is very common around the league and one the Crew have seen before. However, where this NYCFC team is different is how they look to attack out of this shape. In the past, they would be happy to move the ball from side to side and pull their opponents apart with their passing, like the Crew try to do. Instead, this year NYCFC seem to have a huge focus on attacking quickly and directly whenever possible. NYCFC ranks second in Attacking Direct Speed and fifth in Direct Attacks according to Opta. Comparing this to the 2023 season where NYCFC ranked 18th in Attacking Direct Speed and 15th for Direct Attacks and you can see a clear shift in attacking philosophy for Cushing and his staff. Look for NYCFC to continue in this vein on Saturday as the Crew are often vulnerable to direct attacks and counterattacks due to the number of players Columbus will push into attack.

There is an arguably even bigger shift in defensive philosophy from Cushing in the 2024 campaign. While their defensive shape remains flexible, Cushing usually opts for a 4-2-3-1 setup without the ball. NYCFC uses this shape in the previous meeting in June. This is similar to last year for NYCFC, the difference comes in the amount of pressure and the areas of the field where that pressure is applied. This year, NYCFC apply pressure all the way up the pitch and prefers to press their opponents high up the field as much as possible. This is a huge shift in MO for Cushing. This year, NYCFC has the fifth lowest Passes per Defensive Action (PPDA) in MLS. They rank higher than many traditionally high-pressing teams such as New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union. If you once again compare this to last year, NYCFC was 14th in the league in PPDA. Once again you can see a clear shift in philosophy from Cushing in the 2024 campaign. While much of the tactical structure of NYCFC remains the same as it has been for years, the 2024 team is clearly different in how they go about their business. Look for NYCFC to play at a high tempo as much as possible Saturday night and try to force Columbus to do the same.

How the Crew can win:

1. Play Through the Pressure: In the previous matchup between these two sides, the Crew sliced and diced their way through the NYCFC press for most of the match. In fact, we saw a tweak from Wilfried Nancy that we haven’t seen before or since in how he used Yevan Cheberko. Cheberko, who’s left-footed, played as the right center back and inverted to his natural left foot to connect passes with ease under pressure. Don’t be surprised if Nancy does the same on Saturday. 
2. Counter Press: NYCFC will look to play forward as soon as they can when they win the ball back. This, of course, is dangerous to the Black & Gold when done well. However, this style also allows the Crew to suffocate NYCFC in their own half if they can counter-press effectively. The Crew are usually good at this, but keep an eye on how many times the Crew can win the ball back within a few seconds of losing it. 
3. Be Sharp in the Final Third: In the previous match between these two, the Crew routinely broke through the NYCFC pressure. When they can do this, they’ll have plenty of chances to move into the final third. The Crew needs to be sharp with their finishing and final passes in order to capitalize on these opportunities.