The Columbus Crew, MLS Cup champions in 2020, missed a prime opportunity to inch toward the Eastern Conference's seven Audi MLS Cup Playoff places on Sunday evening.
After a 3-0 loss at the Philadelphia Union, they sit in 10th place with six regular-season games remaining. They’re six points below seventh-place CF Montréal, potentially going from title-holders to postseason-watchers in under a year.
Speaking after their setback at Subaru Park, the frustration from Crew head coach Caleb Porter was palpable. Repeatedly, he contrasted the letdown with their Week 28 win over Montréal and midweek Campeones Cup victory, where they beat Liga MX side Cruz Azul 2-0.
“It’s disappointing and unacceptable at this point,” Porter said. “We need guys to be sharper, more focused and have more intensity to start the game. It's very easy to let a long week overcome you. But if you're going to be a top performer game in and game out, you have to be stronger mentally and you have to find a way to perform under the circumstances. We got that at Montréal, we got that at Cruz Azul. We didn't get that today.”
All three goals Columbus allowed were preventable, including two miscues by goalkeeper Evan Bush – first via a 30-yard free kick from Union center back Jack Elliott in the first half and then a volley from Leon Flach in the 89th minute that capped the scoring. In between, Philly captain Alejandro Bedoya doubled the hosts’ advantage just 28 seconds after the halftime whistle.
Another lowlight occurred in the 78th minute when Crew veteran Pedro Santos’ penalty kick was saved by Union goalkeeper Andre Blake. They were only trailing 2-0 at that point and held a man advantage after Kai Wagner was sent off in the 64th minute for his second bookable offense.
Columbus center back Josh Williams didn’t mince words when assessing what unfolded, even saying Porter isn’t at fault.
“That's just not a championship performance. Plain and simple, man,” Williams said. “We have aspirations of competing with the best teams in this league and you just can't play like that. We have everything on the line. We still have a chance to keep the rest of the season in our hands and we come out and we do that. That blows my mind.
“And I'm involved in that as well, I'd place myself in that as well. It's a team, I'm not putting the blame on any individual, a couple guys. It's everybody. But I'd tell you who it's not, it's not the staff. It's not staff, it's not Caleb, it's not anybody else but the guys that were on the pitch, the guys that were in the locker room. It's embarrassing, it's shocking. I can't, I don't understand it.”
Porter, searching for answers, said they need improved individual performances across the board.
“Margins are tight, pressure is there, fatigue maybe could be there,” Porter said. “That's why mentality in the top guys is so important, that you're always a seven or an eight. And I think we had a lot of guys get sevens or eights in the first two games and we had a bunch of fours and fives today. And they know it and it's up to them to solve it for sure, but six games to go, we have more to think about looking at this week because the range of performances this week were pretty wide.”
Following the international break, Columbus return to action October 16 when hosting Inter Miami CF at Lower.com Field (6 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
“Our margins now are even thinner,” Porter said. “We've got six games now, probably going to need to win four or five. We do have four home games, but we dropped this result and every result we drop from here on out we start to take it out of our hands a little bit and that's what's, again, frustrating.”
