The Columbus Crew SC team that will take on the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field on Saturday (1 p.m. PT; JOEtv, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS) is vastly different than the one the Rave Green faced in 2017.
Forward Ola Kamara (LA Galaxy) and winger Justin Meram (Orlando City) are gone, but Columbus acquired Gyasi Zardes in exchange for Kamara this past offseason. After recent struggles with the Galaxy, Zardes has found a resurgence in Columbus so far with five goals in his first nine games.
“He’s had a little career revival, that happens sometimes,” Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said of Zardes. “You move to a difference club and you get a little spark, you get a little bump.”
Still, even with several moving parts, the genetic makeup of the team is still very Gregg Berhalter. Columbus’ fifth-year head coach prides his teams on keeping possession and pushing wide backs high while playing with three defenders at the back.
Federico Higuain and Nicolás Lodeiro in 2017 | USA Today Sports
“Their style of [play] is very progressive,” said Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan. “Berhalter does an extremely good job in coaching their players tactically. They don’t have their big names [in Kamara or Meram anymore], but they make the most of every space and every player that they have on their team.”
Columbus enters the match fifth in the East with 14 points from nine games. Crew SC are still led by Federico Higuain, the Argentine playmaker who leads them in assists this season. Shutting him down will go a long way in helping Seattle earn its second straight home victory.
“Higuain is obviously special, you have to be aware of him at all times and at times you have to have a guy on him just running around [defending],” said Roldan. “He’s very clever, and if you can eliminate the ball getting to him, first and foremost, you’ll be in a better spot going forward.”
