The Columbus Crew garnered yet another point on the third matchday of the 2026 season, this time in a scoreless draw with the Chicago Fire. It was a game of feeling each other out by both sides, with each squad having chances to break the deadlock, but none finding the back of the net. Max Arfsten had the best chance for the Black & Gold, after a rebound found his feet and an open goal seemingly staring him down. Unfortunately, a Fire defender cleared the ball of the line after Arfsten fired it towards the left corner. After another uninspired performance – this time in front of a home crowd – the Crew now have two points after three games.

Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into Columbus’ goalless affair against their oldest rival.

Learning from prior mistakes

The Black & Gold have struggled mightily in the defensive department since the season began. After conceding five goals in the first two games of the year, it is clear that head coach Henrick Rydström came into the match against Chicago attempting to tighten the defense.

The Crew did just that, both in practice and lineup. Amar Sejdic joined Sean Zawadzki in central midfield, both as defense-minded midfielders placed in front of Rudy Camacho, Malte Amundsen and Steven Moreira. Sejdic and Zawadzki both gave the midfield a defensive weight, allowing Taha Habroune to slot into the front three alongside Diego Rossi and Wessam Abou Ali.

Having Zawadzki and Sejdic play alongside each other was the change in lineup. Columbus went from having Habroune – an offensive minded midfielder – paired with Zawadzki to Sejdic, who can provide a bit more tempo-control and defensive stability. Even with that added layer of protection, Rydström still had another plan in place to help bail the defense out.

That plan involved Rossi and Habroune. Both part of the fluid-ish front three on offense, there was a different story when the Black & Gold transitioned to defend. Both the Uruguayan and the American assisted Abou Ali in a repress after losing the ball, but once Chicago advanced the ball past the halfway line, Habroune and Rossi dropped into the midfield to help defend.

This stuck the Crew into a 5-4-1 or 5-3-2 formation depending on if Rossi stayed higher with Abou Ali. More often than not, it was a 5-4-1 with a box midfield, letting Sejdic and Zawadzki sit deeper, Rossi and Habroune be the first line of defense and then the wingbacks would press if the ball moved outside.

This change did a few things for Columbus. First, it took pressure off the two defensive midfielders to exclusively win the midfield battle. One of the biggest problems for the Black & Gold so far this year has been controlling the midfield with less manpower. Adding Rossi and Habroune into that mix on the defensive end gave the Crew a numerical equal to match up against the Fire’s attack.

Second, it allowed Columbus to be more dynamic in its press and re-press. Once the first line of pressure was broken – set up in a 5-2-3 – Rossi and Habroune dropped to assist in the Black & Gold’s own-half defending. With two additional players in the midfield though, the wingbacks were freed up to press higher due to the additional coverage the midfielders could provide.

Finally, and most worryingly, this change cost the Crew offensively. The problem with committing more players to the defensive effort is that then the transition moments are harder to capitalize on. With Rossi and Habroune so deep, Abou Ali was left alone to deal with Chicago’s three centerbacks. At times, the Palestinian had good holdup moments that allowed Rossi, Habroune and the wingbacks to get forward, but the offense struggled to get Abou Ali involved.

With soccer being such a give-and-take game, Rydström will need to find the balance between a rock-solid defense and a dynamic offense. Columbus can have both, but it will take tinkering from the new coach and effort from the players to find that mark.

Trying out new shapes

As the season and Rydström’s system evolves, so does the Black & Gold’s tactical shape throughout the game. On Saturday, the Crew shifted to a few different looks, but one in particular that was new this season.

Out of the typical 5-2-3 offensive formation and 5-4-1 defensive look, Columbus morphed into a building formation and a possession formation. The building formation was the shape the Black & Gold held when they retained the ball in their own half and were building towards Chicago’s half of the field. This look was the newest formation for Rydström and his team, lining up in an offset 4-2-4.

The backline consisted of Camacho and Moreira as centerbacks, Amundsen at left back and Andres Herrera at right back. The defensive midfielders remained the same, with Rossi and Habroune acting as dueling no. 10s. Abou Ali was the lone striker, with Arfsten offset as the left winger.

This formation was interesting due to the non-uniform nature of it. Only one winger our wide left meant the Crew tipped their hand at what side they preferred to build down, but it also gave Columbus numerical advantages down the left flank.

At times it could become a 4-2-1-3 with Habroune or Rossi floating up to join Abou Ali on the front line, but that usually only happened when the Black & Gold began to advance the ball further up the field, which led to the next formation.

The possession formation is one that fans are more familiar with: a 1-4-5. Camacho would remain as the anchor, with both Moreira and Amundsen joining the midfield alongside the defensive midfielders. Herrera ran up the right flank to even out the formation with Arfsten on the other side, with Rossi and Habroune joining Abou Ali as the interior front three.

The 1-4-5 kept Chicago pinned in their half but also was susceptible to transition moments where the Crew have struggled in recent weeks. That being said, the pairing of Sejdic and Zawadzki did very well assisting the defense to quell any counter attacks.

The biggest takeaway from these formations was how the buildup looked improved to recent weeks. Columbus looked more in control and strung together better passes but improved is still not where they want to be.

On the downside, the Black & Gold still had a lack of meaningful possession and went forward too quick at times. Playing long balls into Abou Ali’s feet is not going to work when his running mates are still far back on the field after assisting in the midfield. Those long balls was where possession was lost and what gave the Fire opportunities to retain the ball and go back at the Crew.

Rydström’s system is a work in progress, but there has been improvement over the past three weeks. It has been gradual, but this team showed on Saturday that they can defend well. The biggest task for Rydström and company now is to find the balance between a stout defense, while still putting out a dangerous offense.