It's a quick turnaround for Nashville SC, who head north to take on the Columbus Crew after their midweek draw against Inter Miami.
To get the latest on the Crew, we chatted with Tyler Fisher of Massive Report.
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Ben Wright (SixOneFive Soccer): A ton of turnover for the Crew this winter with Wilfried Nancy leaving and Henrik Rydström taking over. What have been the most notable tactical changes you've seen?
Tyler Fisher (Massive Report): I don't think there's been a lot of tactical changes, as both coaches play very similarly. One thing that Rydström does in his system, though, is play much more vertically than Nancy.
We saw last week in the Crew's 0-0 draw against Chicago that striker Wessam Abou Ali has a ton more space to roam up top, with Diego Rossi dropping more deeper into the midfield. With Abou Ali given more room to make runs, it was very easy for Chicago to mark him man-to-man, limitting his abilities. Other than that, tactically, it looks the same as Nancy's tenure.
BW: The core of this team has kind of stayed the same. What's your assessment of this roster, and do you think it can compete at the top of the East?
TF: If I'm being completely honest, they look lost.
I get it, it takes time to get used to a new coach and the nuances he instills in the team. This team has been reverting back to old habits, which has cost them points in the first three matches of the season. If they can get it together (it is a long season, so I'm sure they will), I see them at least being in the top five.
But that would call for them to fix their mistakes very quickly, if they want to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
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BW: Who have been some of the early standouts this season?
TF: It's easy. Abou Ali and Rossi. They have scored all four goals for the Crew so far this season. I would be intrigued to see how well newcomers André Gomes and Nariman Akhundzada do, but the No. 9 and No. 10 have been the standouts so far.
Honorable mention to goalkeeper Patrick Schulte for his performance last week. Now let's hope he can keep it up.
BW: What are some of the issues Columbus have had early this season, and do you see solutions being worked on?
TF: Turnovers. Turnovers. Turnovers.
This teams' first touch at times is more wonky than Willy Wonka and his crazy looking chocolate factory. It's inconsistent.
How can they fix it? Well, last week against the Fire, they played too quickly. It was "go, go, go" every time they went on the attack. If they can just enjoy the ball, while still implementing Rydström's tactics, they can definitely limit the amount of turnovers, especially against good teams.
BW: Do you have a lineup/score prediction? Any injuries to note?
TF: As far as injuries, I have not seen a injury report as of the day of these answers being written, but I'm still guessing Dylan Chambost (leg) and Mo Farsi (hernia) will still be out.
I honestly think, with Nashville being hot as they are, and Columbus still looking for their first win... this game has a 2-0 win for the visitors written all over it.
Thanks so much to Tyler for chatting with us! Check out Massive Report for everything Columbus Crew.
