TORONTO – The best laid plans oft go awry. Columbus Crew SC found that out the hard way on Friday night.
Crew SC thought they had Toronto FC figured out. Twice already in 2017 they had played the league leaders tough, handing Toronto their only loss of the season on April 15 and, having taken the lead, were only undone by a pair of late goals from Tosaint Ricketts in a 2-1 loss to TFC on May 10.
But after getting thumped 5-0 by TFC at BMO Field on Friday, Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter was sounding a dramatically different note.
“Bitterly poor performance, bitterly poor result, but we have to move on,” he said. “It’s one of 34 games, we can’t let this put us in a tailspin or derail our objectives.”
Many were perplexed by the aggressive 4-1-4-1 lineup Berhalter trotted out on TFC's home turf. With the home side taking the lead less six minutes into the contest and doubling their advantage in the 39th minute, Columbus were forced to adapt, sacrificing Justin Meram for Artur in the 40th minute to revert back to their more familiar 4-2-3-1.
“We came with a game plan, quickly found out that it wasn't working,” Meram said after the match. “We did [have an aggressive setup]. [Toronto] just had the better of us in the first half, led to a couple of goals. It's tough to fight back.”
Even Toronto head coach Greg Vanney was surprised that Crew SC would approach a road match, with the Trillium Cup on the line, with such an aggressive posture. But he had a trick or two up his sleeve in case they did. With Sebastian Giovinco (injury) and Jozy Altidore (suspension) both out on Friday, Vanney drew up a plan centered on the counterattack and getting Ricketts behind the backline. It worked to near perfection.
“Against us at their place, they did a few things that they were very successful at: played a 4-1-4-1, rotated their fullbacks into defensive midfield positions, dropped [Wil] Trapp into the backline, wingers staying wide,” explained Vanney. “We've seen it before. It's something we talked about. When they set the lineup sheet [we knew] that was what we were going to see.”
“You try to take something from every time you play somebody. We knew that was an option, so we were ready for it,” he continued. “We got an opportunity early to release [Ricketts] behind the backline and that goal sets up a good start.”
The defeat portends a serious rethink for Columbus, who will have a quick turnaround after Friday’s match, as they’ll host Seattle at MAPFRE Stadium on Wednesday night.
“Some tough conversations, some long looks in the mirror,” foresaw Trapp. “Inevitably on Wednesday, the lineup is going to be different. No one’s safe at this point; rightfully so. They outcompeted us in every facet of the game. The chances we had we didn’t finish and then we just gave up.”
Despite the best intent, sometimes the opposition gets the better.
“They played an excellent game,” said Berhalter. “Give their coaching staff credit for drawing up a game plan based on the counterattack and absorbing pressure; they did a great job of denying shots and battling. That’s the effort you need to win games.”
