The Columbus Crew finally got into the win column on Saturday. The team traveled south to face Atlanta United. The first half was largely uneventful. However, an explosion of second-half goals allowed the Black & Gold to claim all three points. Wessam Abou Ali scored first, finishing an inch-perfect ball from Max Arfsten. The Palestinian striker headed into the far corner, then netted a brace from outside the box to give the Crew a 2-0 lead. The Five Stripes responded with a tap-in after a few spilled balls in front of goal, but Henrik Rydström’s men hit back instantly. Just 30 seconds after the Atlanta United goal, Arfsten restored the two-goal cushion with a close-range effort off a perfectly placed pass from Andres Herrera. The Black & Gold then nursed the lead the rest of the way—aside from a late sideline scuffle—and took home all three points.

This game showcased the evolution of the Crew under Rydström. Columbus looked in control for most of the game and finally bridged the gap between a highly efficient offense and a stellar defense. Let’s dive into all the tactics that helped the Black & Gold get their first win of the season.

Finding a formation/lineup that works

In the first weeks of the season, Rydström and his staff experimented with various shapes and lineups in pursuit of the winning formula. In Atlanta, the Crew may have found the perfect mix to start racking up points in the coming weeks.

Columbus opted for a 4-4-2 in this game, a stark contrast from the first matchday when the Black & Gold trotted out a familiar 5-2-3 shape that was a mainstay during the Wilfried Nancy tenure. The backline consisted of Rudy Camacho and Sean Zawadzki in the middle, flanked by Malte Amundsen and Steven Moreira.

There are a few keys in this backline. First off, the return of Camacho’s form after his season-long injury a year ago is a welcome sight for the Black & Gold. Secondly, Zawadzki’s return to the defensive line gave the Crew stability, but also versatility with how the American international can shift into different roles and positions as the game progresses. The inclusion of Amundsen and Moreira along the backline also gives Columbus a strong defensive presence while allowing room for attacking creativity to bloom.

Moving into the midfield, Andres Gomes and Dylan Chambost held down the middle of the pitch while Arfsten and Herrera manned the flanks. It seems Gomes was the missing piece throughout the first few games of the season when the Black & Gold struggled to cause disruptions and control tempo in the midfield. Since his inclusion in the lineup, the Crew has looked strong in possession and more in control of games from back to front.

The attack was rounded off by a strike partnership of Abou Ali and Diego Rossi. After a brief stint of playing outside as a right midfielder, Rossi’s return to the middle of the field sparked the Columbus attack to the tune of three goals and three points.

Now six games into the season, this match marks an important milestone in Rydström’s young tenure as the head coach of the Black & Gold. It took six games to find the winning formula – albeit against a floundering Atlanta team – but Rydström’s decisions and tinkering with personnel and shape have finally paid off.

Starting with the formation, a 4-4-2 has given the Crew a versatility and balance that was non-existent in the 3-5-2 under Rydström. The four-back setup gives the defense more stability, and the four midfielders allow for a balance between aggressive pressure and stalwart defending.

Out of the 4-4-2, Columbus can morph into several shapes just like they did under Nancy in the 3-5-2. On offense, the Black & Gold would push up into a 2-4-4 or even a 2-2-6. When Atlanta pushed the ball into the Crew’s defensive half, Columbus backed up into the 4-4-2 again, or in deeper defending situations, a 5-3-2.

On the personnel side, Rydström seemed to have found the correct homes for Rossi and Zawadzki, two of the Black & Gold’s most important pieces in terms of taking home three points. In recent games on the flank, Rossi was isolated and did not impact the game as much as was necessary. By moving the Uruguayan inside to play alongside Abou Ali, Rossi was able to dictate the game and mold the attack fluently.

For Zawadzki, his reinstatement on the backline comes after starting recent games in midfield. After the Crew struggled to retain the ball in the midfield after the first few games, Zawadzki was thrust into the no. 6 role to do just that. With Gomes firmly placed in the lineup and Chambost returning from injury, the American rejoins the defense alongside Camacho. Not only does this solidify the line in front of Patrick Schulte, but it also allows Moreira and Amundsen the freedom to move into the attack with more liberties.

After weeks of experimenting and learning his new squad, it seems like Rydström has found something with his most recent lineup and shape. Time will tell if the Crew can keep stacking points, sitting at 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Using fullbacks and wingers to exploit the opposition

One of the positives Columbus has going for it is the fact that Rydström has a number of talented players who can make an impact on the flanks of the pitch. On Saturday, it was the foursome of Moreira, Herrera, Arfsten, and Amundsen who were tasked with making the opposition pay down the line.

The one wrinkle that the coaching staff threw in is the concept of doubling up on the flanks. Most times, all four players would be up in the attack despite being stacked positionally on paper. These wide overloads not only confused the defense, but they also gave the Black & Gold several fluid options going forward into the attack.

Throughout this game, Arfsten and Herrera were the ones who typically occupied the widest attacking areas. As wingers, the tandem focused on stretching Atlanta’s narrow back four and whipping balls into the box for waiting attackers.

That is where Moreira and Amundsen come in. Both fullbacks routinely pushed up in the inside channel, offering support to the wingers and continuing their runs into the box to be targets for the wingers to find with whipped balls.

Their runs not only kept the Atlanta defense on their toes, but it allowed Rossi and Abou Ali to go and find the game without the defense locking them down. Rossi routinely dropped into the midfield as a false nine, to be replaced by Amundsen or Moreira in those moments.

There were other times, though, when the fullbacks would give additional support to the wingers on the outside. If Moreira and Amundsen saw an opportunity to create an overload, they would overlap with the wingers and even take up their positions so Arfsten and Herrera can cut inside to join the strike partnership.

These moves found lots of success due to Atlanta’s narrow backline. It caused the Five Stripes to have midfielders drop deeper to help mark, which then allowed the Crew’s defense to push higher and enable them to repress.

This concept of having tandem wingers with the outside midfielders and fullbacks will be something to watch in the coming games as Rydström continues to evolve his tactics. Against a five-back defensive approach, it may not work as well, and the Black & Gold may need to adjust. All in all, Moreira and Amundsen’s movements into the attack were a major reason why the Crew was able to claim all three points down in Atlanta.