Familiar story plays out for Columbus Crew in HIR derby | OneFootball

Hell is Real. Not the kind of hell you may be thinking of. This hell is watching this team in Columbus work so hard to be in control of the game, and create opportunities just to see the ball harmlessly be parried away or miss completely. Finishing chances is the hell right now, we are all in it together. There was a real opportunity at hand for someone to step up and leave their mark on the game. It was a boisterous crowd, energy was high, Aidan Morris was in attendance, it was a moment there for the taking. Problem was, nobody answered the bell. It took FC Cincy less than six minutes to get on the board taking some of the air out of the stadium after a botched play by Patrick Schulte that led to a scramble where Denkey found himself the opportunist. Cincy used that as fuel to continue to see what resolve the Crew would have, and to the credit of the back line and Schulte they stood tall the rest of the match. After the initial wave of pressure by Cincy that lasted about the entire first half, Columbus dominated as they've become accustomed to doing. Creating great chances and dominating games is all well and good, but scoring goals is the name of the game. Columbus was one fortunate hand ball and a Rossi PK (to his credit, well taken for the pressure of the moment) away from coming away with nothing. A few notes from the match:

Daniel Gazdag...

This game was a huge opportunity for Gazdag to fully endear himself to Crew fans and solidify their support. Instead what was witnessed was yet another good chance from eight yards away fall harmlessly into the keeper's hands. It was great vision by Max Arfsten in the box who played a short ground pass to find an open Gazdag less than 10 yards from goal, an opportunity that puts you on the edge of your seat. However, instead of raising your hands in joy, you would've found your hands covering your face wondering how that chance was left to go by the wayside. Unfortunately for his short time with the Crew there's now a string of those clips that can be played while he awaits to open his account with the team. There are groans right now about his acquisition and his recent multi-year extension given his performances since he's been here. He was brought here to help score goals, and he's had enough chances to do just that, so in my opinion the groans are valid. All that being said Gazdag is a class player, you can tell the way he moves, the way he receives the ball, he's displayed good vision in combination play he's just missing the finishing touch. Perhaps he's feeling the pressure of it, each game that passes he can sense more questions being asked which may cause him to press a bit. Whatever the case, we need him to get through it before more points are dropped.

Sean Zawadzki and Max Arfsten

Another stellar performance by Zawadzki was turned in. He did miss a slide tackle in the first half that sprung a chance for Cincy which thankfully was defused. Outside of that he looked to have the most energy, and want to will his team to a win. There were points in the game he received the ball and attacked the space in front him in an effort to create havoc and spring a chance with direct pressure. He also displayed speed in chasing down tackles to prevent shots from attackers that got behind the line. Zawadzki won the most aerial duels, finished with the most interceptions, the most blocks and the highest pass percentage on the team. This has become a consistent level of performance from the new stalwart at center back.

Max Arfsten also showed great energy in the match. He's developed good whip on his crosses and he's been setting up his teammates in a number of different ways. His progress also seems to be growing on a weekly basis. Decision making has improved, ability to put the ball n dangerous spots, pick out players with crosses, along with improved vision. His assertiveness could improve, exemplified by when he was sprung through Cincy's backline by a clever back heel by Ibrahim Aliyu as he approahced the near post he seemed stuck in two minds and couldn't decide between shooting or dropping it to the six for a tap in chance. He instead chose to try to pass the ball across the keeper's feet with his instep, which was easily deflected away. In that moment if he becomes more decisive he can fully commit to the outcome of the play. Overall he played well enough to get his name in the books with an assist but such was not meant to be on yet another night where the finishing left a lot to be desired.

Each season tends to have storylines, narratives that help write the story that explains the results and can help answer the why's and the how's. Last season it was Nancy benching Cucho early in the year for a "team policy" issue, thus creating the monster in him as he went on his MVP tear. In 2023 it was coach Nancy's first year with the team and took Columbus all the way to a cup win. 2022 was coach Porter's last season with the Crew who in that year the story was their record away from home (3-4-10). So far this season's narrative is the refusal to score goals. I highlight so far because we still have a long way to go and a summer transfer window that could change everything. For now, finishing is the story of the season. This is evidenced by the Crew's only loss was a game against Miami in which Columbus dominated, but couldn't score. Saturday night's HIR derby was just the next chapter in the book of points left on the table due to poor finishing.

All is not lost. This team still sits in third place in the Eastern Conference, only two points behind leaders FC Cincy and Philadelphia. Frustration only comes because even if Columbus was marginally better at finishing I think it'd be fair to say they'd still sit at the top of the east. Maybe this is all supposed to happen so that when the goals do start flowing in we can look back at these moments and bask in how far they've come and be more appreciative. Is that pie in the sky thinking? Maybe, but the only other choice is to ruminate in this hell of poor finishing. I know what path I'd like to choose, hopefully the Crew do too.