OBETZ, Ohio – To keep their season alive, the Columbus Crew need their biggest road victory since their very first match of the season, when they beat D.C. United 3-0.
And while some clubs may make a drastic change to their starting lineup or a shift in their system, the Crew have played essentially the same system all season long, and have only shown brief glimpses of playing two forwards at once.
But the 4-2 deficit following the Eastern Conference semifinal first leg of the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, puts the Crew and head coach Gregg Berhalter in a difficult position.
Which team will win leg 2?
“I think it makes it interesting,” Berhalter said. “We’re certainly considering different options and how we can put as much pressure on them early on as possible.”
Berhalter admitted that while he’s toyed with other formations in-game, he hasn’t prepared in the week leading up to a game for the team to play another style.
“You have different tactics [for] while you’re in the game and the result changes,” he said. “But going into the game from the start and having to score three goals makes it challenging.”
And while he left his options open, he said that the lineup, formation and focus could all see some tinkering this weekend.
“All those things are possibilities,” he said. “We certainly believe that we can score three goals, but we’re considering everything. Because this is it, our season is on the line, and we know that.”
Berhalter said he hopes to have his lineup decided by Friday, but isn’t planning on making wholesale changes to his starting XI.
“I think it’s pretty clear this week,” he said. “We have a group of probably 18 guys that we’re pulling from to be potential starters, and that’s what we’re looking at. With the season on the line, we’re not going to change too much, but there could be some slight alterations to the lineup.”
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Crew players pointed to an early goal as a necessity after Saturday’s loss, but Berhalter isn’t buying the necessity of an early goal, which could hint at a more consistent approach.
“I don’t think you have to score early; I think you need to win by three goals,” he said. “There are no time constraints on when you need to score those three goals. So we’re going to be focused and we’re going to give it our best effort.”
