OBETZ, Ohio – When Columbus Crew SC travel for their first Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoff match on 1954140730" tabindex="0">Sunday, it will have been exactly one year since the club was embarrassed in a 4-2 blowout at the hands of the New England Revolution to begin last year’s playoffs in Columbus.
And while a full calendar year will have passed since the loss, no one who was with Crew SC for that game has forgotten it for a second, not even in the revelatory moments following their 5-0 domination of D.C. United at home on Decision Day.
“I told the guys to go out and enjoy it 1954140731" tabindex="0">tonight, but to be careful and make sure we’re ready come [training on] Tuesday,” captain Michael Parkhurst said after the match. “We’ve got more than two games left in our season, and we need to build off of last year. If we can take anything from last year, it’s that experience from that first game. We need to further the process, and that’s getting out of the next round.”
Even head coach Gregg Berhalter, the even-keel, every-game-means-the-same face of Crew SC, admits that the way the team crashed out of the playoffs last year was a turning point in the group’s makeup.
“I think it was important,” he said. “In any evolution of a team, you go through highs and lows and you go through events that potentially shape who you are. That’s certainly an event that shaped us. We were disappointed with our performance, and we felt like we were a better team than we showed.
“Collectively, we’re going to be better prepared than we were last year. It’s players going through it, coaches going through it, and understanding just what you have at stake.”
For this group, pride is as much at stake as their season is.
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And after a year of growth, Parkhurst – who has significantly more playoff experience than most of his teammates – thinks the squad is in a better position to succeed and to be aware of those stakes.
“I think we were a little naïve as a group last year,” he said. “We had a lot of first-time playoff players, so a lot of those guys have a taste of it now and know that one bad half, one bad 15 minutes and it can really turn the season.”
Both Berhalter and his team believe preparation is key. And while the mindset and quotes in 2014 were about confidence and playing up to their competition, their thoughts this year are on consistency. You also won’t catch anyone making guarantees.
“We’re a confident group going into the playoffs,” Parkhurst said. “But I told the guys, we were confident last year and it didn’t do us any good. This game put us in a great spot, but we have to take advantage of it.”
And with that preparation comes a different mindset. If Crew SC find themselves down a goal in the first of a two-leg series like last year, they won’t be panicking.
“It’s just taking it day-by-day – we don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves – and realizing it’s a home-and-away,” Ethan Finlay said. “I don’t think we realized that last time. We were going balls to the wall in the first game and kind of cost ourselves. So that’s something we’ll be conscious of going into this next series.”
Berhalter doesn’t know if his team is quite there yet, but he compared Columbus' development to the 2009 MLS Cup runner-up and 2011 MLS Cup-winning LA Galaxy teams he was a part of.
“[That team was] a little more mature than we are, as a team,” he said. “But it was a case where, in 2009, we were excited to win the Western Conference final. I’m sure guys would tell you that we didn’t go into the final with the right mentality. ...
“By 2011, we had certainly learned. We didn’t even celebrate the Supporters’ Shield, we didn’t celebrate the Western Conference championship because we had one goal in mind – that was MLS Cup.”
This Crew SC squad may not be as star-studded as that Galaxy team, but it has a chip on its shoulder that’s been growing for the last year.
“We’ll be better-prepared, just based on what happened last year and how we went out,” Finlay said. “It wasn’t great. It was a salty feeling for everyone. So being able to manage those expectations and manage the game is going to be extremely important going forward.”
And while it’s not likely a Crew SC will player openly admit they want another shot at the Revolution, it may be just as unlikely to hear them turn down a chance.
“That [rematch] would always be nice,” Wil Trapp said with a grin. “But there are steps you have to take and teams you have to beat, whether it’s the Revs or Montreal or D.C.”
