OBETZ, Ohio – Columbus Crew SC are the only team in MLS with fewer than four wins. They have the worst goal differential in the league at -9 and are only ahead of the Chicago Fire on points.
Crew SC are seven points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and have only 13 matches – including just six home games – to make up the difference.
But the team’s leadership isn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.
“I’m an eternal optimist,” head coach Gregg Berhalter said at the team’s Tuesday training session. “I’m not going to say [it’s over] until, mathematically, we’re out of it. I think we have a team that can beat every team in this league. It’s about doing it now. … It’s still seven points. The deficit hasn’t changed. It’s the same, so we’re going to attack it.”
Berhalter said he’s “not at that point yet” where he’ll be making drastic lineup decisions or focusing on toying with tactics or prioritizing minutes for younger players. He added that the team will “fight every last minute” to make a playoff push.
That said, the Crew SC boss believes his team needs to toughen up mentally. He pointed to the first goal the team gave up against Orlando City two weeks ago in what ended up being another frustrating draw as well as the second goal conceded in a 3-0 blowout to Toronto FC this past Sunday.
In moments like those, Berhalter doesn’t “think we did well dealing with adversity.”
“Psychologically, it becomes challenging when you’re dealing with these setbacks and you have different expectations for yourselves and how the team is and how we’re playing and how the results have been going,” he said. “But that’s part of the game. That’s what makes this such a wonderful game, is that you have to deal with stuff like that. You’re forced to every game.
“Things don’t go your way, you’re down. How do you react to it? How do you deal with it individually and on a collective level? I don’t think that’s been great, to be honest.”
Columbus captain Michael Parkhurst agreed with that notion.
“There’s no doubt we’re fragile right now, and that’s mostly mental,” he said. “So we need to be able to overcome things, there’s no doubt about it.”
How does Berhalter fix it? He’s taking the route of encouragement and positivity.
“Be stronger,” he said of his message to the team. “You’re good enough. You have enough time. Whatever it is, deal with it.”
And for Parkhurst, three points could make all the difference.
“Winning cures all,” he said. “If we can get a victory, I think, mentally, it would go a long way. You never know what happens if you’re able to string together a win or two.”
