COLUMBUS, Ohio – In Saturday night’s match between MLS originals Columbus Crew SC and FC Dallas, the clubs met heading in opposite directions.
And thanks to a Jonathan Mensah game-winner, Columbus’s 2-1 win ensured that the teams stayed on those trajectories for at least one more week.
Crew SC is perfect at home in their last four matches in MAPFRE Stadium, and the result gave Columbus their second in a row and third in four games to put them level on points per game with playoff competition Atlanta United and the Montreal Impact.
“I think in the end, it’s going to be really important,” said Crew SC head coach Gregg Berhalter, whose club earned two much-needed home wins this week. “But there are points still there that we need to get, because 42 points isn’t making the playoffs – not in the East.”
Meanwhile, FC Dallas has hit the roughest patch of their season.
The club is now winless in six matches, and Oscar Pareja’s side have toppled from the top of the Western Conference back into the playoff race.
And as the season winds down, Pareja admitted “of course” the winless streak has him worried about his team’s playoff positioning.
“There should be five or six teams worried about it, not just FC Dallas,” he said. “Many teams should be worried about their spot because this is the last stretch of the season. We should have many more points (to be) more comfortable. But at this point, nobody’s safe.”
Despite that worry, Pareja says he doesn’t have “any doubts” about his squad.
“We always get worried,” he said. “In any moment that you don’t get the results, you get worried about it. But I keep faith in this team … Things are not bouncing our way, but I believe in this group.”
Berhalter believes in his team, too, and admitted his players are upbeat in the midst of their sparkling run of form.
“All we can do at this stage to try to make the playoffs is get three points in every game,” he said. “That’s how we can say we’re a good team; that’s how we can make a push for the playoffs, and we’ve been doing that. The attitude has been great. The guys are confident, and you can see that when we’re confident, we can do some nice stuff.”
And for striker Ola Kamara, the run means more than improved playoff chances. He said it serves as a message"
“For us, this was a big week and we came out on top of it,” he said. “Winning against Dallas and LA at home is kind of a statement that you can count on us.”
