Mods: If you want to roll this into another thread that's fine. As we are pretty close to the start of the season I thought it might be interesting to set expectations for individual players and position groups. The idea being at the end of the season and see who "met" expectations. I am going to bucket the positions based on how the Crew have listed the player on the roster page but perhaps different expectations based on where they are likely to play. Also, assuming good health for all players. Forwards: Berry, Zardes, Molino, Hurtado, Yeboah, Donovan Berry - I expect for him to score 10+ goals this season. He has continued to develop his game every year and basically forced Porter to play him at the end of last season. He is a different look than Zardes who may miss time with Friendly NT games over the summer. He plays with a physically and wrecking ball that I appreciate but his skill with the ball continues to improve. Zardes - I expect him to also have a 12+ goal season but would not be shocked to see him end up slightly under this number. Hopefully, he has some extra motivation to make the WC squad which helps us. Last season he logged the fewest of minutes of his professional career but still ended up with 9 goals. Yeboah - He is listed as a forward but really seems more likely to play as a wide right attacker. He has not been a high volume scorer or assist maker so my expectations are pretty low. My expectations is he would have 7 goals and assist combined. I am hoping I am undervaluing him. We have been so poor from the right side that if he can do anything that will be such an increase over last year. Molino - Coming off another knee injury and won't be back until the summer AND will be turning 32 this summer its hard to see much of an impact. A late season boost from him would probably be the best we could expect. I would say 2 goals and 2 assist assuming he is not back 100% to match sharpness till August. Hurtado - Shouldn't see the field but 100% will. 3 goals in limited minutes off the bench would be fine. If he starts any games we are in big trouble. Donovan - Crew 2 player and shouldn't see his way onto the field. Worth developing (see Berry as an example) Overall Expectations: 30 goals/assist should come from the main 3 attackers. I expect to see Berry continue to take steps forward to becoming the permeant forward for the Crew. Zardes will hopefully play himself into the National Team. Yeboah will give us some end product from the right wing. Honestly, production from the right side will be better than last year. Not really counting on the rest. How I feel about the group: Top 2 seem set in stone and we should feel good about that. Depth is a huge worry.
Midfielders: Zelarayan, Matan, Nagbe, Etienne, Hairston, Kitchen, Artur, Diaz, Santos*, Morris, Parente Zelerayan: In 2021, he had 12 goals and 7 assist which is a pretty decent output for him considering we lacked finishing ability most games. It's pretty close to what is 2020 numbers were on a per minute basis. We should expect at least that amount from him in 2022. As I tend to be more optimistic, I am going to say that we will be a better attacking team in 2022 which should help him out. I would say 13 goals and 10 assist would meet what I expect to see from a player of his quality and who is firmly in their "prime". Matan - Played a total of 792 minutes but was able to get off 16 shots compared to Etienne who played more than double his minutes but managed 26 shots. Matan seemed a little unlucky to score and with his age and development curve we should expect him to produce this season. He has hopefully made the transition and having a settled into the team. I expect that he will start a minimum of 14 games, score 4 times and have 4 assist this season. Hopefully play closer to 1900 minutes. Nagbe - He is not ever going to put up big statistical numbers but I am hoping for 4 goals 5 assist from him this season but more importantly I want to see him pass the ball forward and play a bit more risky. He is one of the top % completion passers in the league but that often feels like it comes from a lack of "taking a chance" with a pass. Not as easily measurable but thats what I want to see from him. Etienne - He is probably my least favorite player in this group. I don't think he has shown any finishing ability or overall creativity that makes the defense even have to consider he is there. I believe Porter has said he might even play a little right back if needed. I would hope we have more quality in this team and he becomes a substitute and we see his minutes drop below 600 for the season. No statistical goals for him since I am hoping he doesn't see the field enough to make it a thing. Sure, 1 goal and 1 assist might be nice. Hariston - He seemed like a fine fill in at the CM spot and even right back if necessary. He is our new Hector in his ability to be played in multiple positions and comes at a fairly small salary. I hope for a variety of reasons his minutes also are reduced but I am not expecting huge things from him and hoping he starts less than 5 games this season and maybe doesn't even crack a a total 1,000 minutes. Us bringing in Igbekeme is a straight challenge for his minutes in center midfield. Kitchen - Honestly, feel like he is maybe best as a Crew 2 player to serve as a mentor to the younger players in that team. If he plays in more than 6-7 games we are in trouble. Artur - It's almost impossible to predict as he is coming off injuries. If he is healthy, we would assume he will start and play a good amount of games but its even hard to predict because of how the last season has unfolded. I would expect him to return to some form of health but maybe have lost his starting spot to Morris. A good season for him would just getting on the field for 1,200 or so minute and stating healthy. Diaz - At 23, he is not considered a young player in the global sense but when you watch him in the final 3rd he still very much looks that way. Unless we trade or loan him he is still going to get minutes in this team unless the options in front of him really produce. He has consistently gotten worse for the Crew since joining in 2019. 2 goals and 2 assist in 900 minutes would be a very productive year from him. Maybe we even see him get time with Crew 2. Santos - He seems to be likely a starter at left back or left wing back so I imagine his production compared to last season will go down. Despite him being 33 and turning 34 in March, he has something left in his legs which should be the main worry. He has just passed 10,000 minutes in his Crew career. I would expect him to play roughly 2,000 minutes and primarily in a more defensive position. 3 goals and 2 assist as a primary defender would be a good season. Morris - I am expecting big things from him despite the fact we have only seen him play in 360 MLS minutes to this point. I think he brings the energy, bite and running to get the best out of Nagbe and provide box to box play to help support our attack. I would hope a couple goals and assist but more importantly he is a consistent starter by the end of the season and plays close to 1,900 minutes in total and stays injury free. Parente - Imagine his future is not in the game day roster and is with Crew 2 Overall Expectations: A little all over the place as we try to get healthy (Artur and Morris), new positions (Santos) and need some production from wide areas (Diaz, Etienne, Matan). I would say I don't really know what our "best" midfield looks like outside of Nagbe and Lucas.
No but seriously: I expect Artur will start in less than five games this year. I expect a slight uptick in output from Berry, Zardes, and Hurtado as they push each other. I expect the offensive production from the midfield to remain at 2021 levels. I expect the defense will save more points for this team than the offense produces. I expect that Lucas will publicly express frustration at least once before the All Star break. I expect that there will be no inbound transfer that moves the needle in an immediate & meaningful way. I expect Caleb Porter will be the deciding factor in the team's success and that they will win in spite of his decisions rather than because of them. I expect the Columbus Crew to make the 2022 MLS playoffs but not advance to the second round.
@Smithsoccer1721 appreciate your analysis and optimism. I'm trying like hell to find some of it. I'd love to renew my membership in the Sunshine Brigade. I just can't get there. So many unknowns in central midfield. We generated next to nothing through the middle of the field last year. The team has to improve in this area to be better than we were in 2021. It's asking a lot for Nagbe and a cast of maybes and could bes to make that happen. Wing play was also terrible last year. Again, there is some potential there, but nothing that you'd say is a stone cold lock to be better than what we had in 2021. Now, one way I can see finding more production is putting Zelarayán at left wing/forward in 4-3-3, similar to how Porter user Valeri in his prime years. Diaz or the new guy on the right for width, speed and availability to have lots of space when defenses shift to limit Lucas. But, that goes back to the trouble with our central midfield. Who the hell do we have to count on to make that midfield 3? Defense might be better than last year. The fear there is that that they'll have to be because the midfield isn't improved. The season hinges for me on what we do in the middle of the park and at this point I'm very concerned that it won't be good enough to improve us on both sides of the ball to the point where we can be a playoff team.
Defenders: Degenek, Anibaba, Mensah, Williams, Moreira, Sands, Quninton, Erlandson Harder to say things individual since defense can often be a lot of a "team" effort. Degenek - I imagine he is coming as a lock starter and should make a solid partner with Mensah. I expect he will play as much as possible when healthy. I expect him to be the best partner with Mensah that we have had. Mensah - Seems to have regressed a tad bit last season but can be a top 5 CB in the league when "in form". I expect him to be a little better than last season but perhaps not in the conversation for defender of the year. Moreira - Lock starter and should be one of the better full backs in the league. I think a full season of him will show what he is capable of. I expect him to play 2,000+ minutes this season assuming we play enough of a back 4. Sands - I think could be a good back up left back and a Crew 2 starter and continue to develop. I am curious as to how he develops over time but he is more of one for the future but we are soooo thin a leftback that we shouldn't be shocked if he sees the field. Anibaba - Another versatile defender who provides some backup and rotational playing. If we play with 3 CB's he could see the field more. Seems like a good depth piece but we wouldn't want him starting more than a handful of games. I can see him appearing in a lot of games but not a ton of minutes as he comes in late to help secure points. Williams - Similar Anibaba but its time for him to fade into a lesser role and more of a mentorship role. I expect him to get spot starts/minutes but if we see a lot of Josh then things have gone wrong for the team. Quninton/Erlandson - Should not make an appearance for the main team . Overall: I like our center back options and I am happy with Moreira as a right back starter. We should all have concerns about depth at both full back positions and that is where this group could have some serious issues. Porter's comments about different formations may lead to seeing 3 centerbacks which changes this scenario. I expect this to be the strongest area of our team in 2022.
It is never too late to jump on the MLS Cup 2023 bandwagon. As for 2022, keep in mind that our offense is much improved. The addition of Degenek and Moreira is going to be enough to spark creativity at the point of attack. Moving Santos into an attacking position should play well into Porter's scheme as well.
I'm ready to jump on that bandwagon. I wish I weren't ready to write of the 2022 season though. I have no idea how you can say that our offense is much improved. Our "best" winger from 2021 is now our best left back. None of the new signings for the attack has enough statistical evidence to say that they'd be any better than what we expected to get out of Molino last year. Defense might be improved. No doubt Moreira is better than Afful. I'd hope Degenek can bring more than Vito. But without a decent #6 it might not matter. We're either weak, unknown, or injured (or a combination of those things) for every guy at the 6.
One thing I didn't think about, Diaz does not fit in a 3 CB formation unless he's playing second striker where he'll shoot the ball into orbit. We bought all this potential wing talent and now want to play a back 3. Im having trouble seeing how the formation would look. The only capable wingbacks are really Santos, Etienne, Sands, Hairston, and Frenchie. The projected WB starters also play inverted, taking up midfield spaces of Nagbe and Lucas. Three wingers (Matan, Yaw, Molino) typically play inverted as well though Matan and Molino can play on the right. Matan can probably play WB the best out out the more attacking wingers, but wingers don't typically like playing like that (see Chelsea's locker room troubles). I think speed of play remains the biggest issue rather than formation. Was it the artur and Valenzuela injury that forced them to play slow or was it porter. Some players like nagbe and Lucas can also slow things down way too much. But there is hope, the teams preseason thus far is going better than last years. Let's hope they live stream a game.
Donovan is gonovan. https://www.brotherlygame.com/2022/2/1/22912110/chris-donovan-signed-philadelphia-union-ii-contract
This is the simplest way. https://www.buildlineup.com/shared/6202f160d998900ebe44ac61 3-4-3 with WBs. Means only 2 CMs, but the wingers would be inverted wingers/inside forwards along with the main striker. WB provide width. Tough part with this formation is the midfield could get bossed and outnumbered.
This is what we did at times last year but with Lucas at LW. I'm not quite sure it works the same way with pedro at LB. He would need to be disciplined at cutting inside. If lucas is at the LW then only 1/5 wingers can play. If Lucas plays CM, then we need to just outscore opponents by scoring tons of goals.
I could see a 3-4-3 with Santos and Moeira as wing backs/wide mids. Then Lucas on the left of attack, dropping off and to the middle as Santos comes forward while Diaz uses his speed along the touchline on the right. Another reason I really think this team needs a solid #6. Hairston and the walking wounded are just not going to cut as lone DMs. Lucas loves to clown guys on the dribble. In the middle he clowns one but 2 other guys are there to stop the play. If we can get him more time and space on the wing, I think good things happen. I think him in that wide left role of a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 would be ideal. I just don't know who we can count on to form that midfield with Nagbe in either a 2 man or 3 man middle.
I don't have expectations... I HAVE FACTS! Gyasi - 20+ G Zelarayan - 10+ G, 5+ A Matan - 3+ G, 5+ A Yeboah - 5+ G, 3+ A Nagbe - 2+ G, 3+ A Morris* - 2+ A Mensah - 3+ G Degenek - 2+ G Pedro - 2+ G, 5+ A Moreira - 5+ A Room - 12+ CS Carolina Challenge Cup - YOU'LL HAVE TO PRY IT FROM OUR COLD, DEAD HANDS MLS Next Pro Cup - PRINT THE T-SHIRTS Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - IN THE BAG Supporters' Shield - OF COURSE MLS Cup - YOU KNOW IT eMLS Cup - okay you can't win 'em all I'm drunk on love! Get on my level! *Artur - 9 games played!!
If I've learned anything about soccer since last July, it is that the offense is best played out of the back line. Making the back line better is the best way to make our offense better. The excitement is palpable.
Also, I pulled that image from the MLSOCCERSOCCER.COM announcement of his re-signing. I don't recall ever seeing an announcement during the off-season illustrating inevitable defeat like this one.
Well... it's not. But honestly, I don't know if it needs to be. If we just perform reasonably offensively, we can do some damage if we stop handing out goals like Halloween candy. In 2020, our Championship Season, we were on pace (adjusted for the shortened schedule) to score 53 goals. Last year, we scored 46. So even with the rash of injuries, including not having Aidan Morris for the entire season, we still scored 85% of what we did the year before. Now, I know most of those injuries were in the back half of the park, but having that many holes defensively hamstrings your ability to press the attack effectively. Nagbe looked lost at times, but that had a lot to do with the fact that he had to do more defensive work. Not to mention, we gave up so many more goals that we found ourselves chasing a lot of the time, affording opponents the opportunity to sit back. Am I happy with the fact that we didn't upgrade our wing play? Heck no. I think the best we can hope for at this point is that someone steps into the LB role so Pedro Santos can play on the wing where he actually belongs. Even then, this offense isn't going to set records and knock people's socks off. Still, just getting back to normal levels of defensive production will take care of most of our problems. Don't forget -- our defense was comically bad for large stretches of the season last year, but we still managed to finish +1. It's not like we weren't scoring; it just didn't feel like it because our defense was so bad that one goal wasn't enough to win most of our games.
The X factor with mighty mouse is the fiancee/quickly turned into wife. I'm assuming she'll be coming over her to live. They are quite the trendy little couple. she seems like a bright lights big city kind of girl. If she doesn't like it here, does it affect his play or does he asked to be moved back to europe or a big city team (NY, LA, Miami)? Does her being here take his focus off practice & game prep? Or does having her here help him feel more comfortable? I just feel like she will be a factor in his production one way or another.
Well, you gotta draft somebody. The Crew took a look and said no thanks, so he went home, moved back in with the 'rents and started working towards a long and distinguished career as a youth coach.