In the short term, Saturday night was a setback for the Columbus Crew, who lost, 2-1, to the New England Revolution at Lower.com Field.
But from a broader perspective, the evening was a step forward toward what we can expect from the Black & Gold during the final weeks of the regular season before the playoffs.
Wessam Abou Ali, the club’s new No. 9 signed earlier this summer, made his Columbus debut in the 57th minute. Abou Ali is the team’s second Designated Player signed during the regular season, after Daniel Gazdag, who scored against the Revs.
“It feels amazing,” Abou Ali said of his debut. “That's why I came to get going, to start playing, to get to know my teammates. It's been a quick, quick week, but I'm happy and I'm proud to get my debut. Obviously, it's a nice feeling, and a warm welcome from the fans.”
The Palestinian international praised his warm welcome and felt moved by the warm embrace of the supporters.
“It was actually very amazing. I'm so grateful for the people that were here supporting the team,” he said. “I had a very good welcome in the warmup and, every time I went to warm up as well on the other side during the game. I heard the roar when I got in as well. It’s a big thing for me. Of course, I'm representing myself, my family, a whole nation.
“So, it gives you a reason to give something back to these people and really work hard to make them happy and live up to those expectations.”
Of course, this is just the beginning. Yes, only seven matches remain in the regular season, but with the transfer deadline past, this is the Black & Gold team that will push for a third piece of hardware in as many seasons.
Abou Ali alluded to still needing time to grow and form chemistry with the teammates, who are still very much progressing themselves.
As mentioned earlier, Gazdag scored his second goal of the season in the 71st minute – his first goal from open play.
“I was really close last week to score,” the Hungarian said. “It was annoying that I was offside but yeah, I'm happy that I at least scored today.”
The Crew produced more chances to at least earn a point from the match, but the visitors scored two goals in the first half from just two chances.
“We had many chances. We didn’t score,” head coach Wilfried Nancy said. “They had their head under the water. Suddenly, boom, goal [on a] throw in. We attack, we attack, we attack, we don't score, boom, goal. After that, the game for them is simple – defend with 11 players, this is a wall. It's a wall. This is so difficult to score. They do really well. They do really well. It is not a concern; it’s a fact that this is the reality at this moment.”
All season, Nancy has mentioned the concern would be if the side couldn’t create chances. As we’ve seen, they most certainly can.
The goal between now and the end of the season is converting those chances, and piling up points to help with playoff seeding.
Having a Designated Player getting on the score sheet helps. Having another Designated Player – a forward – making his debut should also help.
Yes, the Crew lost Saturday night, but they gained a new forward and another attacking weapon to help lead the team in crunch time.
