MAPFRE Stadium was packed with 22,000 fans Sunday as Columbus Crew SC knocked around New York Red Bulls, 2-0. Andrew Maniskas/The Pit
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]rew SC fans are riding high today, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t be.
After a 2-0 victory over New York Red Bulls, the almost 22,000 fans who filled MAPFRE Stadium turned their attention to Portland to watch the Timbers take on FC Dallas in the first leg of the Western Conference Final. With the MLS Cup to be hosted by the highest finisher on the overall table, Columbus would host the championship match if Portland finds a way to knock off Dallas.
Right now, that dream is becoming more of a reality after Portland thrashed Dallas 3-1 last night. The youthful FC Dallas side, for the first time in many weeks, looked overwhelmed towards the end of the match. While FC Dallas did manage to get a crucial away goal, the mountain that they have to climb is certainly a rocky one, much like New York.
So….how did we get here? How has this franchise turned it around so quickly? Let’s turn back the clocks, shall we?
A little over two years ago, I was sitting in Nordecke for what would ultimately be Robert Warzycha’s final match in charge of the Crew. On that night, the Nordecke would throw pink pieces of paper into the air upon hearing Warzycha’s name and would start chanting “Guillermo!” like they did just a few seasons ago to honor club legend and former league MVP Guillermo Barros-Schelotto, who was the fan’s choice to take over the club.
Warzycha would get sacked on September 2, 2013 and be temporarily replaced by Brian Bliss, who would lead the Crew to a 4-0-4 record, accumulating 12 points but ultimately missing out on the playoffs. The Crew were a team in flux and desperately needed someone who could implement a better system while building the club up again.
Enter Gregg Berhalter on November 6, 2013, after a search that included the names such as Barros-Schelotto and Brad Friedel. The then 40-year-old Berhalter seemed like a good choice to take over. As a player, he collected 44 caps with the USMNT and played for multiple clubs in Europe such as Crystal Palace and 1860 Munich. Known as a defender with a great mind for the game, Berhalter was not a stranger to MLS as he finished up his playing career with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Upon his retirement, he would instantly join the Galaxy coaching staff as an assistant for the 2011 season. At season’s end, he was offered a position with Hammarby IF in Sweden. He would enjoy a two year stint there, finishing with a record of 18-12-16. It was a good enough resume to catch the eye of Columbus, but his resume wasn’t the only reason he was selected.
MLS always gets a bad rap when it comes to trying to find good talent anywhere other than North America. The “retirement league” moniker that MLS has been trying to shed since the creation of the Designated Player rule is slowly working, considering that a player like Sebastian Giovinco came into the league in his prime and showed what he could do. Gregg Berhalter, however, managed to sell Columbus based upon his experience overseas, and Berhalter’s European ties have proven to be invaluable.
One of Berhalter’s first signings was current Crew SC goalkeeper Steve Clark. A graduate of Oakland University, Clark was starting in the Norwegian leagues for Hønefoss BK, and doing quite well. Berhalter managed to sign him before the start of the 2014 season where Crew SC only had Matt Lampson available as a senior keeper at the time. Clark came into the squad immediately as the top keeper and showed right away just how good he could be and quickly became a Nordecke favorite doing the now famous Daniel Bryan “YES!” chant after every victory.
Berhalter would continue to flip the squad’s roster by adding Waylon Francis, Michael Parkhurst, Giancarlo Gonzalez, and Hector Jimenez. Club mainstays such as Chad Marshall, Andy Gruenebaum, Danny O’Rourke, and Glauber were all transferred out. It was quite obvious that Berhalter had a long-term goal and had players in mind.
2014 was expected to be a rebuilding season for the Black and Gold, but Berhalter’s squad got hot in the second half of the season and managed to make the playoffs comfortably, only to flame out to New England and be sent home in the Conference Semi-finals. It was a disappointing end to a fun season, but it only raised expectations for 2015.
Berhalter continued to build his vision in the 2015 transfer windows, bringing in MVP candidate Kei Kamara, Mohammed Saeid, Cedrick Mabwati, Gaston Sauro, and Harrison Afful while also building for the future by getting USMNT U-20 Romain Gall. Even with all these signings and the rebuild going better than planned, nobody would expect Kamara to walk into this squad and score 22 goals in the regular season.
Of all the things that Berhalter has done with this squad, I think the best work he’s shown is what he’s done in the pivot with Wil Trapp and Tony Tchani. The midfield duo have been arguably the best in MLS for the last two season. With Trapp playing as the DLP and Tchani trading off being a destroyer and a supporting attacker, Berhalter’s system has flourished with these two behind his attacking four.
In just two seasons, almost the entire Starting XI has changed for Crew SC. Gone were the days of Warzycha’s slow-plodding build up attack, replaced with a relentless assault that has almost everyone involved.
Today, Crew SC sits in the driver’s seat. They have a 2-0 lead over NYRB and can lock up a berth in the MLS Cup Final by repeating their performance from Sunday night. If Portland hangs on and finishes off FC Dallas, then MAPFRE Stadium will be arguably the most electric it’s ever been in Crew history.
