As the full-time whistle chirped on Sunday afternoon, it wasn’t just the conclusion of a match. It was the conclusion of a busy, grueling month for the Columbus Crew.
Players and interim head coach Laurent Courtois were quick to dismiss any excuses following the result. The Black & Gold scored early before attacking venom drifted away, as the Club lost, 3-1, to the New England Revolution at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.
The match – originally scheduled for Saturday night by moved back a day because of the cross-country Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Club América in California – was the team’s ninth fixture in the last 29 days.
“You've been going for the last month every three days, but I mean, when you have success as a Club, it's bound to happen,” captain Sean Zawadzki said after the game. “So, going off successfully qualifying for Leagues Cup, and this year you make a run, you qualify for the quarterfinal for Leagues Cup, which you always want to do. You always want to try and win trophies when it's possible, and so we put ourselves in a position to do that. And obviously, it means more games, less rest. But I don't think we would change a thing.
“It's a chance to play more games, chance to win trophies for this Club, and now, obviously now we have some rest, but we got to keep going mentally. You can rest mentally and get rest physically, but get yourself ready for the rest of the season, because that's what's in store now.”
Keep in mind this is a Club busy with roster incomings and departures. In recent times, a match on the schedule means another player is making his “first” for the Club. Sunday, Josef Martínez made his first MLS start for Columbus, while forward Gonzalo Tapia and center back Eric Bailly and made their regular season Crew debut.
“I come just to help the team or the things the manager wants to make,” Bailly said following his first match at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. “I am here to try to help. For me, the one thing I say about this game, the game we play in (Leagues) Cup, it is about the intensity. We have the quality, but it's not enough. We need to be intense and try to win back the ball, and that is so important.”
But now the Black & Gold look ahead.
This will be the Crew’s first week without a midweek fixture since July. While that should lead to physical rest, there’s the mental component as well.
The Crew return to the Ohio capital on Saturday night when they host Western Conference foe Colorado Rapids at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Kick it with the Crew this holiday weekend.
“Colorado is already on our minds. We're ready for it,” Zawadzki said. “How can we mentally and physically prepare ourselves for that game, and then everything that comes after? Because we know we have really big games coming up, and then [U.S.] Open Cup comes along too. Semifinal game at home. So, it's rest now because it's going to come again, and how can we prepare ourselves to be physically and mentally ready for that long stretch.”