Columbus Crew lack finish. What will they do against Lionel Messi, Inter Miami?

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2 days ago

The Crew's Wilfried Nancy is one of the best coaches in MLS. That's the safe way to put it. I've said he's the best coach I've seen at any level in any sport, and I'll stick to it.
Nancy's style demands brave players who buy in, completely, to the system. They aim to possess the ball, break down the defense in front of them and score. When they lose the ball, they endeavor to get it back as quickly as possible and score. Neither the scoreboard nor the time clock dissuades them from these tasks. They don't bunker. They go forward.
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"This is the poison that I decided to drink, because I like it," Nancy said earlier this week.
On the evening of May 28, Nancy's team had to come from behind − twice − to secure a point in a 2-2 draw with Nashville in the new Crew Stadium. That's the way it has been going for the Crew of late. They'll take a five-game winless streak (0-4-1) into a monster game against Lionel Messi Inter Miami in Fort Lauderdale on May 31.
More: Columbus Crew extend winless streak to 5 games with draw vs Nashville SC: Takeaways
The Crew have suffered from defensive lapses − why is Nashville's leading scorer left open on the back post? − and have conceded goals on set pieces. These miscues were rare last year, when they made it to the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, won Leagues Cup and set franchise records for goals and points, among other things (including differential). These miscues were more common during Nancy's first season, 2023, but they were mitigated by the lethality of the Crew's attack. By the time the playoffs rolled around, everything was clicking and the Crew went on to win the 2023 MLS Cup.
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More: How the Columbus Crew climbed from near extinction to the top of American soccer
Other teams are now familiar with the Crew's style and are better prepared to counter it. That said, part of the bedrock of Nancy's philosophy is that it doesn't matter much what other teams are doing if the Crew are executing. And he's right. During this interlude of a four-game winless streak, the Crew have dominated their opposition for long stretches. The problem is the possession and attacking has not led to enough goals.
The Crew (7-2-7) aren't in bad shape: They've lost only two of 16; they're in fourth place in the East and fifth place in the league; there's more than half of the season yet to play, and the Supporters' Shield, which goes to the team with the best record, remains in play.
That said, they have a scoring problem which looks acute when they play against the league's elite. Fans felt it as they watched the Crew lose to Miami in Cleveland and settle for draws against Cincinnati (at home) and Philadelphia (away). What fans felt is a painful pining for Cucho Hernandez, who was sold to Spanish team Real Betis on the eve of the regular season. Hernandez may have been the best player in the league and he, along with Christian Ramirez (traded to the LA Galaxy) accounted for 27 of the Crew's 72 goals last season.
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Attacker Daniel Gazdag, acquired in a cash deal with Philadelphia last month, has yet to fill these boots. He fills a Designated Player slot. He has zero goals and zero assists in eight appearances (six starts).
Nancy said, 'I try to fight people (who tell) Daniel, 'You've got to score. You've got to score.' Leave him alone. He's going to score, yes, because he has been doing that for many years."
Nancy said, 'What I do when a player comes, he sits on the bench. He doesn't start. … That, I didn't do with Daniel. … Now, he just needs time. And I will give him the time. I fully trust his quality. I fully trust in the person.'
And Nancy said: "So, with a lot of respect and a lot of humility, we are not a common team where we focus on one guy. I don't believe in that."
Real Betis forward Cucho Hernandez celebrates scoring during the Spanish league football match between Real Betis and Sevilla FC at Benito Villamarin Stadium in Seville on March 30, 2025. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP) (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images)
Nancy is consistent in this: He likes the story his players are writing. There are things that need to be cleaned up, but that is so for every team, all the time. The goals will come.
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Note: Nancy's teams, dating back to his time in Montreal, have been subject to spring swoons. His first Crew team went 1-4-2 during April-May of 2023. His second Crew team went 0-2-5 in April-May of 2024. Here they are again, winless in their past six.
More: Will Columbus Crew sign a striker? Wilfried Nancy talks focus for MLS summer window
Nancy has earned some leeway here. It may be that the Crew go down to Florida and defeat Messiami behind two goals from Gazdag and two from Diego Rossi (who is having a splendid season). Then, this whole narrative changes. General manager Issa Tall goes out and adds critical reinforcements during the summer transfer window, which opens July 24, and the Crew go on to contend for trophies.
"For me, my focus is not about looking for a No. 9 (striker), I want to be clear with that," Nancy said. "This is not my focus. My focus is to be better with my team, to bring a player or a few players to help my team get better. Simple as that."
Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy watches his team against Nashville SC in the second half during their MLS game at Lower.com Field on May 28, 2025.
Maybe the Crew can find some finish. Maybe they'll be able to create even more chances, although that's difficult to fathom (they create so many as it is). Maybe they'll manage to create different types of chances to better facilitate the finishers. None of this is beyond Nancy's genius.
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But if the Crew continue to have problems with the elites (and non-elites) of the East, it will behoove them to do what Nancy says they do not want to do − and that is to go out on the market and find a forward with a $15-million-plus price tag to regain some of what they lost when Hernandez took his talents to Seville.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami face Columbus Crew in MLS rematch