Columbus Crew v Orlando City FC: Competitive spirit key to success, says Nancy

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.”

That +3 Feeling #Crew96 @WhiteClaw pic.twitter.com/7QDJsONc81

— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) September 19, 2024

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.”

On the road again pic.twitter.com/8cB8I1i035

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) September 20, 2024

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%