Ever since Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter took over at the helm for the club, Crew SC has become well-known throughout MLS for its pass-and-move, possession-oriented attacking style. So far in the 2018 MLS regular season, Crew SC leads the League in successful crosses from open play (68) and is top-three in the League when it comes to chances created (232).
The fact that the Black & Gold are among the League leaders in chances created comes as no surprise, especially given that stalwart Federico Higuain leads MLS in goal-scoring chances created. What might be surprising, however, is that of Crew SC’s top-five chance creators, two of them are defenders:
Harrison Afful
(26) and
Milton Valenzuela
(17).
Moreover, both Afful and Valenzuela are among the top 10 defenders when it comes to chances created, with Afful tied for first place with Orlando City SC’s Yoshimar Yotun, and Valenzuela tied for seventh-place with Los Angeles FC’s Steven Beitashour. Similarly, Afful leads MLS defenders in attempted crosses from open play (70) and is third in the League among all players, while Valenzuela leads MLS in successful open crosses by a defender (17) and is fourth in the League among all players.
But what makes the fullback duo’s offensive numbers all the more impressive is that they have managed to contribute to Crew SC’s attack without neglecting their defensive duties. Most notably, Afful leads the club in recoveries (125) and is third in the League among defenders. Likewise, Valenzuela leads the Black & Gold in attempted tackles (55), and he is fifth in MLS among defenders in tackles won (33).
When asked whether he focuses more on attacking or defending, Valenzuela says that it all depends on the match, but that he actually enjoys both sets of duties.
“I enjoy both,” says the 19-year-old. “Some players prefer to have the ball and attack, but when it’s necessary to defend, one has to enjoy running and trying to recover the ball.”
The young Argentine has a right-sided counterpart who shares his philosophy in Harrison Afful. Since his MLS debut on August 19, 2015, the Ghanaian has completed more crosses from open play (65) than any other player in MLS over that span, regardless of position. Similarly, his 86 chances created from open play are the most out of any defender. On the defensive end, Afful is second in MLS in recoveries since his debut (500), behind only Andrew Farrell (507).
Afful acknowledges the similarities between his playing style and Valenzuela’s and believes that a good fullback should be able to help out offensively. “I think we have the same style of play, we both join in the attack very well,” says the Ghanaian. “In general, fullbacks always have to join the attack, you know? That makes you more dangerous, to be able to hurt opponents.”
While Valenzuela is in his first season in MLS, he claims that he has learned a lot already just from watching Afful. Putting what he has learned to practice, however, has proven to be more challenging.
“Harry does a lot of things well. I watch him make diagonal runs behind the line. He’s faster [than me] and it’s easier for him, but I try to do them anyway,” admitted a laughing Valenzuela.
You can catch Afful and Valenzuela in action this Saturday, when Crew SC hosts Orlando City SC at MAPFRE Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET / CW Columbus, Spectrum Sports, BCSN2, CD102.5 FM, English and Spanish audio broadcasts available on ColumbusCrewSC.com).
