Post-match: Why Can't They All Be Richmond Kickers? - Crew @ New England - Match 8 - 4/18/26 7:30 PM

Captains most assuredly matter. A good captain can pull a team together. Right now we look like we have no unity. Players sub on and we look even more disjointed. We are not cohesive enough. The whole reason that the players were cohesive under Sigi is i heard that he was such an asshole that they banded together because of that. I never saw it but I wouldn't doubt it knowing the other coaches of that generation.

 

We've seen definitively now that this team can't bunker. They have to have possession. Yet once again, Rydström played the entire second half conceding possession until New England could beat them. It's not defensible. Go out and play the style that you play best for 90 minutes and live with the result. Continuing to lose by reverting to a system that is incompatible with the personnel is the definition of insanity. It's poor coaching.

 

Cheberko for Camacho next match. Make it happen.
Just not good enough from the Columbus Crew.

 

If you want to feel better about our defense, go watch the Diego Luna goal vs SDFC

 

And when Camacho’s tired, his decision making goes out the window and he’s handsy.

 

Well Joao Klauss will be out on Wednesday and all future Wednesdays in 2026

(Miguel plays for Charleston and Ramirez for austin so they wont be replacing him)

 

Which if the goalie would have waited, RSL would have had to get out of the penalty area, making an interception like that basically impossible.

 

Grouchy point.

I feel like I watched a different game compared to everyone else. The Crew didn't control shit in this game. NE was beyond disinterested in the first half, they weren't even trying. Zero defensive pressure. That is why we had 'more' possession in the first half (it was still just 53/47 at halftime).

In the second half, once NE scored their first goal, it felt like they had 90% possession from then until their second goal. Coincidentally, after that we had all the possession as they went back to bunkering.

NE controlled where the game was played tonight, for the full 100 minutes, not the Crew. And to be clear, I didn't think NE looked good. In fact, they kinda sucked IMO. Thankfully for them, they were playing Henrik Rydstrom's Columbus Crew.

 

Wish we gave The Bull lots of money in december but good for him that he took that La Liga job. He could have the US job come September too

 

He doesn't want the US job.

 

Mediocre team , mediocre roster but it feels like we are trash when we lose

 

The Head Nerd at American Soccer Analysis has spoken

 

Yeah, we have 7 MLS games and 1 USOC game until the WC break. I'm not sure I can take another 8 games of this. Tonight's game legitimately felt 4 hours long it was so boring.

 

Paraphrasing Guldan, the crew's problems run deep but the coaching ain't helping.

The 4-4-2 block is so stretched, opposing players have acres between the lines. It isnt compact. We are trying to press and sit deep. It doesnt work.

Tonight, the first half kind of worked because the whole front 6 kinda can all hold onto the ball and play centrally. New England let us have the ball, and we had players who can do different things with it (with questionable execution).

When you put Thiare and Herrara on, you are pretty much saying you are going to play direct and long. There was no control, and no one to play the ball to out of the back who could hold onto it. I dont know how we lost the ability to play out. Even without Nagbe last year we still managed somewhat.

 

We've played 8 league games.

In 4 games vs current playoff teams, we have 0 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw with a -3 GD.

In 4 games vs current non-playoff teams, we have 1 win, 1 loss, and 2 draws with a +1 GD.

6 points total in 8 games (.075 ppg). For shits and giggles, if we play at this pace all year, compared to last year's standings, we'd finish dead last in the league (DC had 0.76 ppg).

 

Mid-block defending is the soccer equivalent of a NFL prevent defense late in the game. It's terrible.

 

Well, and I'm gonna keep hammering this point home, NE didn't try the first hour of the game. We struggled in the second half because NE realized they could still win, especially once the equalizer went in.

 

Things are so dire that even Tall Chris can't muster a single "and a good time was had by all" after matches anymore.

 

Well, it was a road game after all....

 

It's gonna be a long year.

 

Our “kids” would lose 5 nil or worse. This league has grown beyond that. Is Tristan Brown any worse than Herrera? Maybe not. Is Chase Adams any worse than Triare? Probably not either. I just don’t like the idea of giving up on the season.