Defence is seemingly the best form of attack, so says Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy after his side kept an 11th clean sheet of the season in their 2-0 win over Toronto FC.
After securing their spot in the playoffs, the Crew will be looking to continue their momentum for the final games of the campaign, starting with the visit of Orlando City FC this weekend.
Nancy’s squad have been impressive at both ends of the pitch, keeping the most shutouts in the division along with scoring 54 goals, a total only bettered by Eastern Conference leaders Inter Miami (67), while also conceding the fewest goals in the MLS this term (28).
The Columbus head coach lauded his players for their showings in attack and defence, saying their success this season has been down to the competitive spirit within the group.
“This is not only the backline because the front line, but they also do a good job avoiding certain things,” Nancy said. “Obviously, also the backline does it well.
This is the competitive spirit that we have. After that, we can talk about tactics that we are good at defensively, but for me, this is this desire to compete all the time.
“Sometimes we are unbalanced because it could happen, they are able to make a play at the right moment. This is the chemistry of the team, and this is the spirit of the team. That's why we can also be good defensively.”
But another head coach that has been impressed with his side’s defensive showing is Orlando’s Oscar Pareja, with the Lions having now kept three clean sheets in their last three league games.
Orlando have also scored eight goals during that run, with their last triumph over Charlotte FC moving them up to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
While the likes of Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire have starred for the Lions at the top end of the pitch, Pareja was quick to acknowledge the performances of his defenders.
“It’s also a very important phase that we have to highlight tonight as well,” Pareja said.
“Defending well as a group with consistency is probably one of the most difficult parts of the game. The back forward and those midfielders are sustaining the team in a very good way.
“We're solid. Individual performance has risen as well; it's better individually. I think that they have grown a lot during this period.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez
Hernandez came off the bench to record a goal and an assist in Columbus’ win over Toronto on Wednesday.
Since joining the Crew in July 2022, he has 11 games with both a goal and an assist in all competitions, third among MLS players in that time behind Lionel Messi (12) and Luciano Acosta (18).
Orlando City – Facundo Torres
Torres netted his team-leading 12th goal of the season for Orlando in their win over Charlotte on Wednesday and will be confident of adding to his MLS tally against the Crew.
The Uruguayan boasts an impressive record against this weekend’s opponents, contributing four goal involvements (two goals and two assists) in his five games against Columbus.
MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN
Columbus have won two straight matches against Orlando, both with 2–0 wins in last season’s conference semi-finals and in May this year. The Crew had won just one of their previous 10 matches against the Lions prior to last season’s playoff meeting (D1 L8).
The Crew’s 4-0 loss to Seattle Sounders earlier this month was just their second defeat in their last 39 home matches in all competitions dating back to May 2023. No MLS team under Nancy’s stewardship has ever lost two straight home matches in all competitions.
However, Orlando have won six away matches in the 2024 regular season, having only triumphed more on the road in a single season last year (nine). Only FC Cincinnati (17) have more away wins than Orlando (15) since the start of the 2023 season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Columbus Crew – 60.5%
Draw – 20.7%
Orlando City – 18.7%
Gilbert eyes strong JPL run after goalless stalemate with Real Hope confirms Caribbean Cup exit
Arnett Gardens Head Coach Xavier Gilbert was left with a mixed bag of emotions following his team’s goalless draw against Haitian club Real Hope in their Group A Concacaf Caribbean Cup encounter.
While pleased with their usual attacking intent and defensive resilience, which earned them their first point of the tournament, Gilbert admitted that he would have liked to secure all three points in the heated affair at the National Stadium on Wednesday to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
The “Junglists” were more threatening in open play and felt they should have won the contest as they had a goal ruled out for offside, while a penalty call, which should have gone their way, was not given.
As such, the result left them rooted at the bottom of the group on a point, as Cavalier (six points), Real Hope (five points), Police FC (four points), and Mount Pleasant FA (three points) remain in contention for the top two spots to the semis.
With one game to come against Mount Pleasant on October 3, Gilbert is hoping they can secure a win to cap off what he described as a valuable experience for the team in the regional competition.
“Honestly, it’s a bit of a bittersweet feeling; I think it was a tough encounter, but I can fault the guys for trying. I’m happy that the team showed great effort and fight, but decision-making in the final third could have been better,” Gilbert told Sportsmax.TV.
“On the other hand, I thought we were just unlucky to not get the full points last night, especially in the way some calls went against us, but that's the way it is, sometimes we get them and sometimes we don't. We came into this game hoping to get the victory, but we were just a bit short in the final third,” he added.
Despite the shortfall, Gilbert highlighted the positives of the Caribbean Cup campaign and believes the team has gained crucial exposure and experience testing themselves against regional opponents. This, he said, will serve them well for the remainder of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season.
“We fight on nonetheless; we are happy for the exposure that we got at this level, and hopefully we can use this as a catalyst to do well in the local league and make it back here next season because these are the types of tournaments we need to be involved in more often,” he explained.
“Playing teams from across the Caribbean pushes us to raise our level and exposes the areas we need to improve. The intensity and quality are slightly different from what we face locally, and the players have to adapt quickly. It’s an experience we’ll definitely build on going forward,” he noted.
With the JPL season already in full swing and Arnett Gardens, Gilbert has already shifting his focus to ensuring that his team come out stronger for their next encounter against promoted Racing United on Sunday.
The CFU Club Shield winning coach believes the lessons learned in the Caribbean Cup can propel the team to a successful domestic season, which would, in turn, put them back in contention for another crack at the regional tournament next year.
Arnett Gardens currently sit second on the JPL standings on three points from their opening 3-0 win over Dunbeholden FC.
“We have to take what we’ve learned here (in the Caribbean Cup) and channel it into our JPL campaign. The goal now is to be consistent, play good football, and secure one of those top spots to qualify for the Caribbean Cup again. This tournament has given us a taste of what’s possible, and I’m confident we’ll be better equipped next time around.” Gilbert stated confidently.
The tactician is counting on his team’s mix of experienced campaigners and emerging talents to continue growing and improving as they look to reclaim domestic glory. He also expressed gratitude to the club’s fans for their unwavering support throughout the tournament and promised that they would see a revitalized Arnett Gardens as the JPL season progresses.
“We’re going back to the drawing board with a renewed focus and determination,” he said.
“The fans deserve nothing but our best effort, and we’re committed to making sure we’re back in the Caribbean Cup next year and, more importantly, compete for titles,” Gilbert ended.
'Bunny' Shaw at the double as City blank Paris FC 3-0 to secure Champions League group stage play
After missing out on the first leg due to visa issues, Jamaican international Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw once again showed her class in second leg action, as she scored a brace that propelled Manchester City to a 3-0 win over Paris FC and into the Women’s Champions League group stages.
Gareth Taylor said Manchester City are back “where they belong” after they finally ended their disappointing streak in Europe’s top club competition and reaching the, by completing a comprehensive 8-0 aggregate victory over Paris FC.
Shaw found the target in the 31st and 65th minutes, after Chloe Kelly (2nd) opened the scoring in a lopsided contest at the Joie Stadium, as City wrapped up a comprehensive 8-0 aggregate scoreline.
Taylor’s confident-looking side were not involved in Europe at all last season and had been eliminated by Real Madrid in the qualifying rounds of the two campaigns before that. They will now contest the last-16 stage of the competition for the first time since 2020-21, when the knockout format was still in use, and will harbour realistic ambitions of going deep into the competition on the evidence of their strong showing over the two legs of this second-round tie.
“It’s a big honour for us. This is where we want to be. The qualification process is really tough. I’m not the only coach, I’m sure, who has sat, over the past couple of years, with a squad that felt capable of not just being in the Champions League, but actually doing something within it,” Taylor said in a post-game interview.
“Man City is a big club. We feel like we belong there, because we are a big team and we have huge ambitions, but of course the club recognises how difficult it is to be there because of the qualification process. I never felt safe, even at 5-0. A lot of things can go wrong in football. Nothing is a formality,” he added.
Kelly put City in front when she pounced on a loose ball and slotted home inside five minutes.
She then turned provider for Shaw with a weighted cross that the towering Jamaican lashed home for her first goal of the season.
Shaw then registered her second from the penalty spot after she was taken out inside the 18-yard box.
Manchester City, who were semi-finalists in 2017 and 2018, can now look forward to the group-stage draw on Friday and Taylor is cautiously optimistic about their chances there.
“I think getting out of the group stages is going to be our next objective, and once we get out of the group stages, anything can happen. We just want a crack at it, that’s what we want,” he said.
New England Revolution v Nashville SC: Porter holding out hope for playoff spot
Caleb Porter still believes New England Revolution have an outside chance of making the playoffs if they win all their games, starting with Nashville SC.
The Revs currently sit bottom of the Eastern Conference on 28 points and are eight points behind Philadelphia Union in ninth.
They are winless in their last five matches though, alternating between losses and draws, and were heavily beaten 4-0 by Charlotte FC last weekend after Dylan Borrero's sending-off.
Porter remains hopeful, though even he admits it may be just out of the Revs' reach.
"I might be stupid, but I still believe that we can win all five [games] and get in [the MLS Cup Playoffs] somehow," he said, as quoted in The Blazing Musket substack.
"That is the approach that I'm going to take. But if we don't, we are building for the future and I expect, obviously, that we continue developing and keep building.
"We want to give the fans hope and something to look forward to and the right message that we are continuing to grow and that even though this season has been difficult, there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel."
Meanwhile, Nashville are five points and three places better off than their opponents, after an impressive week saw them win two and draw one of their games.
Head coach BJ Callaghan was left frustrated by some decisions in their 2-2 draw with FC Cincinnati but expects his team to be stronger for it.
"We're a team and a locker room that talks about responding to adversity, training responses, not having emotional reactions to things, so that's part of the game," Callaghan said.
"Decisions are made, and it's our job to respond and move forward."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New England Revolution – Aljaz Ivacic
New England's 4-0 defeat to Charlotte on Saturday was the club's 13th loss by multiple goals in the 2024 regular season.
The Revs have kept just one clean sheet in their last 13 MLS outings (5-0 win over Montreal), and Aljaz Ivacic will be desperate to improve on that run.
Nashville SC – Sam Surridge
Sam Surridge scored both of Nashville's goals in the 2-2 draw with Cincinnati on Saturday.
Each of the last four multi-goal games by a Nashville player, including all three this season, have been by Surridge.
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION WIN
Three of the four meetings between New England and Nashville in Foxborough have ended in draws, with the Revs winning the other meeting 1-0 in March 2023. There have been three total goals scored in the four matches, with two of those coming in the 1-1 draw in the Leagues Cup meeting on August 6.
New England are winless in four straight regular season home matches (D3 L1), though each of the last three home games have finished level. This is their longest regular-season winless run in Foxborough since a five-match drought in March-September 2020.
Meanwhile, Nashville are unbeaten in three straight matches (W2 D1) following an eight-match regular-season losing streak. Nashville won their last away match 2-0 at Atlanta United but have not won consecutive regular-season road games since May-June 2023.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New England Revolution – 44.2%
Draw – 26.8%
Nashville SC – 28.9%
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