After a productive preseason camp in San Diego, California, Vancouver Whitecaps FC open up the 2021 Major League Soccer regular season against Eastern Conference side Columbus Crew this Saturday, February 26 at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.
Saturday’s contest will be the first time the two sides meet since September 2019 when they played to a 1-1 draw at BC Place thanks to a late Fredy Montero header.
Both rosters have seen plenty of turnover since that last meeting, as well as some changes in tactics and styles of play.
In this edition of ‘Know thy enemy’, we break down the Crew and what to expect from them on opening day.
ONES TO WATCH
Despite narrowly missing out on the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs, Columbus Crew have shown they can be one of the top sides in the league on any given day thanks to their dynamic attacking across wide areas of the pitch.
A big part of their offence is none other than Argentine attacking midfielder Lucas Zelarayan, who tallied 12 goals and seven assists last season.
The former Tigres UANL man has been given a free, creative license by Columbus head coach Caleb Porter to drift wherever he needs to around the pitch to create chaos in the final third, whether it be by taking defenders on with his nifty dribbling or finding gaps in between defences to slip his teammates in on goal.
However, Zelarayan's most dangerous trait is his shooting from distance, as he led the league in goals from outside the box in 2021 with eight.
The Argentine has a knack for goals off free kicks, so the 'Caps will need to be wary of giving away dangerous free kicks in their own half and limiting the playmaker from finding space in the final third.
Along with Zelarayan, the Crew also possess the threats of strikers Miguel Berry and Gyasi Zardes.
Berry, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2021, tallied eight goals as well as two assists across nine starts and 18 appearances, while US men's national team veteran Zardes recorded nine goals in 18 starts and 21 appearances.
Both offer a presence in the box for Columbus' wide style of play, which sees them put lots of crosses into the box for players such as Berry and Zardes to latch onto.
There may only be one starting spot for a striker in the Crew's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, but whether it be Berry or Zardes, the 'Caps will have to keep their eyes peeled to make sure they prevent either from finding the back of the net on opening day.
FINAL THIRD CHAOS
Throughout the years, Columbus has instilled an identity of creating chaos in the final third with overlapping fullbacks, dynamic wingers and efficient finishers in their 4-2-3-1 formation.
The system relies on stretching the field as much as possible and players making runs into space in the opponent's half to in turn open up more of the pitch for teammates to operate in.
At the heart of the formation are two midfielders and an attacking midfielder to help move the ball around the pitch quickly to take advantage of those spaces.
In the Crew's case, they've turned to the trio of Artur, Darlington Nagbe and Zelarayan in preseason to fill those positions, with all of them being comfortable in possession and have the ability to create space with their dribbling as well as their passing.
However, their high-tempo, attacking system could leave gaps at the back for the 'Caps to exploit.
NEW FACES
While Zelarayan, Berry and Zardes have MLS experience under their belts, Columbus have added some new faces during the offseason.
Ghanaian winger Yaw Yeboah joined the club from Polish first division side Wisła Kraków, where he recorded 10 goals and five assists across two seasons with the club.
Given Columbus' heavily-dependent use of width in their system, Yeboah will be allowed to express himself on the wing while looking to provide service into the area for his teammates.
At the back, the Crew have added Australian international centre back Miloš Degenek from Serbian side Red Star Belgrade.
Degenek, who made 132 appearances in all competitions for Red Star, arrives with UEFA Champions League and Europa League experience to Columbus and will be looking to add some defensive stability to a Crew side that gave up 45 goals during the 2021 regular season.
Despite arriving in August of last year, French fullback Steven Moreira is a relatively new face to the league and will be looking to build on a productive first season in MLS, where he collected three assists in six starts and seven appearances.
Expect the former Toulouse man to attempt to create opportunities for his teammates from wide areas as he pushes up from his fullback position.
It’s sure to be a feisty one this Saturday, February 26 at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. You can catch the match live on TSN1 and AM730, with the pre-game shows starting at 12 p.m. (TV) and 11:30 a.m. (Radio). All times in PT.
