Nobody is going to confuse Gregg Berhalter with Bret Maverick, but it's quite fair to suggest that the Columbus Crew SC coach's heady lineup gamble is the main reason his side will head to Red Bull Arena holding a 1-0 aggregate lead in their Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinal.
The tactician held his ace-in-the-hole, playmaking midweek hero Federico Higuain, and the club's regular 4-2-3-1 formation as well, opting instead for a 4-4-2 against the New York Red Bulls and their vaunted press. That is, until halftime, when Berhalter brought on his wily No. 10 and shifted the team into their usual style.
There was a logic here. The 34-year-old Higuain had already played 210 intense minutes inside the last 7 days. And even after taking the first 45 minutes off Sunday, the Crew SC appeared to be laboring through the waning moments of the contest. Berhalter has no comparable plug-in, and wagered going against the tactical grain would take the pot.
The visitors were obviously thrown. When Columbus didn't come out matching their modus operandi (possession), the Red Bulls weren't really able to work out of theirs (turning your possession into their offense). Not only did they look confused about what to do in the first half, they never quite caught up to the plot after Berhalter's halftime twist. Just past the hour, Columbus decided the match with a piercing attack that allowed Gyasi Zardes to finish from a deft Higuain touch.
Though Berhalter's gambit still needed a friendly post, a couple of big saves from Zack Steffen and a few important interventions from Jonathan Mensah to pay off, all the while the Columbus characters handed dual roles -- separated by intermission -- played their parts to a 'T'.
A big part of the standard Crew SC script involves fullbacks Harrison Afful and Milton Valenzuela creeping into the opponent's corner as often as possible. Both can cross and their actions spread the defense even when the final delivery misses.
But in Sunday's first half, both kept their surges to the safe, bare minimum. They only had a handful of final third touches between them. Then, after Higuain entered, Afful began motoring toward the end line (although most of his centering attempts went awry).
It was Valenzuela, however, who initiated the play that claimed Leg 1. His diagonal ground game, from the flank to the inside channel, bothered the Red Bulls all day. And his best such pass of the match took a gentle Higuain detour on the way to the winning Zardes boot.
Quite effectively, Berhalter rolled the dice one half at a time. His first bet was that his team could keep the game scoreless for 45 minutes by choosing not to pass through the Red Bulls' midfield sharks. It worked.
He then opted for a measured stab at conjuring a lone-goal winner. That worked, too, and left the Crew SC boss scooping up all the chips. It's RBNY on tilt heading into Leg 2.
