Columbus Crew SC’s depth will be tested on Saturday, when the Black & Gold host Real Salt Lake at MAPFRE Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
Crew SC will have to replace Cedrick Mabwati and Harrison Afful, who are on international duty, as well as Gaston Sauro, who is expected to miss four to five months with a PCL sprain. Both Afful and Sauro have been anchors in Crew SC’s defense and Mabwati featured in the starting XI in Columbus’ last two matches.
As the Black & Gold hope to add to their current four-game unbeaten streak at home and hand RSL its third loss in four matches, Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter says he is confident in his team’s depth.
“We feel like we are still going to put up a pretty good lineup on the field and give us a chance to win some games,” he says. “We’re confident in the guys that are here and that is specifically why we structured this group the way we did.”
Berhalter says Crew SC will be missing Sauro’s physical presence, but stresses that both Tyson Wahl and Rodrigo Saravia have shown they can fill the center back role, as well.
“Whether it’s Tyson or Rodrigo, or whoever we may bring in, we’ll find someone capable and these guys are good players,” he says.
Berhalter has options on the wings, as well. Ethan Finlay could step back into the starting lineup for Mabwati and Corey Ashe, Waylon Francis, Hector Jimenez and Chad Barson have proven themselves outside backs.
Real Salt Lake, meanwhile, will be without one of its key players as Kyle Beckerman is preparing for Copa Centenario with the U.S. Men’s National Team.
“They have a good team and will miss Beckerman,” Berhalter says. “He’s an outstanding player but their attacking group is talented. When you talk about guys that they have, they are good players. It’s going to be tough.”
Midfielder Wil Trapp says the Black & Gold have to pay particular attention to RSL’s lead scorer Joao Plata, who has four goals on the season, as well as forward Juan Manuel Martínez who follows closely behind with three.
“I think they are always a team that can come up and bite you at any moment,” Trapp says. “You look at guys like Plata and Martinez, who this year is a new guy that has done really well for them, they can be very dangerous.”
Real Salt Lake is a team known for countering at speed and Crew SC will have to careful in breaking down the Claret and Cobalt.
“Obviously we are a possession team,” Finlay says. “When you play against a team that can get compact, when we have the ball in their final third, we have to figure out how to break them down and that’s going to be moving the ball quickly in tight spaces and then runs behind the defense.”
That approach has been a cornerstone of Crew SC’s attack in the past, and Finlay says the Black & Gold hope to get back to it on Saturday.
“Obviously we are missing a couple of guys who help us do that, but we have plenty of guys who have been here and who have played in this system and understand it, and are more than capable of making a difference come Saturday,” he says.
Whoever gets the starting nod against RSL, the top priority for Crew SC is to earn three points after going without a win in its last four matches.
“We have been playing good soccer,” Finlay says. “I think that’s where there is still a lot of positivity and confidence in this locker room, and hopefully we can come out with three points. We got to earn it obviously but we’re due, that’s for sure.”
