Caleb Porterdidn't hold back his disappointment following Wednesday's loss to Orlando City SC.
"It’s pretty obvious for everyone to see that the last twenty-five minutes were very poor," Porter said.
Columbus held a man-advantage for a majority of the second-half following a red card on Nani.
Following Nani's exit, Harrison Affulimmediately scored his first goal of the season and seemingly provided momentum for a Columbus side in search of its first road win, but the Black & Gold managed just one shot on goal in the final thirty minutes.
"Of course, I’m the head coach, I take responsibility," continued Porter, who explained that despite putting in second-half subs for Lucas Zelarayan and Darlington Nagbe – both of whom are still returning to full match fitness – the group on the field did not manage the game successfully.
"It’s not one that I’m going to be negative about, even though it hurts," Porter said. "It hurts [the players], it hurts me. It wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t good enough out of me, it wasn’t good enough out of anyone."
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Now in fourth place, the Crew needs a win over Atlanta United to secure, at minimum, a No. 4 seed and home-field advantage in the first round of the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs. A win over Atlanta plus a loss from Orlando, who plays Nashville SC at home on Sunday, would secure a No. 3 seed for Columbus.
Porter was adamant not to sound excusatory but did acknowledge that the Crew's disappointing finish on Wednesday was, in part, due to fatigue.
"I have to attribute, and this isn’t an excuse at all, but I do think a lot of it is attributed to fatigue. Mental fatigue," Porter said. "Some of the decisions - these are cognitive things that happen - the individuals that are making those decisions, aren’t really like our team."
Now, Columbus returns to MAPFRE Stadium, where they have an 8-1-0 record this season, and host an Atlanta side that is 2-5-2 on the road.
Again, it's in Crew SC's control as to whether they can secure a top-four seed.
Though they've dug themselves in a hole, Porter said, they know what needs to be addressed.
"To make sure we have a home game [in the playoffs], we have to win the next game. Otherwise, we’re going to be on the road [in the] first round of the playoffs."
Kickoff on Sunday, Nov. 8 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
