COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Crew SC face a tall task in their Knockout Round match of the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs, but will draw inspiration from experience for their hopes of upsetting the league’s hottest team.
Columbus travel to D.C. United Thursday (8 pm ET | FS1, UniMás - full TV & streaming info), and will face a team that hasn’t lost a match since August 29.
Since adding star striker Wayne Rooney when the secondary transfer window opened, United has been a different team, setting a blistering pace during the second half of the season to finish with the fourth seed in the East and become the prototypical team no one wanted to see in the postseason.
But Crew SC players and coaches aren’t intimidated, and head coach Gregg Berhalter even said he's enthused for a visit to what has become one of the league's tougher away venues in Audi Field.
“I’m excited to see the stadium,” he said.
Berhalter’s demeanor may seem odd, but Columbus has a reason for its confidence. In a similar position last season, they traveled to Atlanta for a knockout-round matchup in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in front of 70,000 Atlanta United fans.
They were the heavy underdogs, but Berhalter’s team shocked the home crowd thanks to a herculean effort from goalkeeper Zack Steffen and an admirable defensive performance against the league’s most potent attack.
“That’s always a game you can look back on,” defender Josh Williams said. “Any time you go into a place and play in front of 70,000 people with an offense they had, you can always draw positives from that and look back on it. It kind of proves what kind of team we are, what kind of team we can be.”
Crew SC captain Wil Trapp said his team has “shown that we can go on the road in these tough environments and win games,” but “can’t totally bank on that” experience to carry them.”
“It’s understanding what resolve is all about, understanding when your back is up against the wall and there’s no one cheering for you in the stadium and how to deal with that,” he said. “We showed a year ago that we can step up when the moments are big.”
And in preparing to pull another stunning upset this week, the Crew are relishing the chance to exceed expectations again.
“I love it,” Gyasi Zardes said. “If we’re the underdog, that’s even better. They’re a hot team right now, but I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us.”
