The appointment of Wilfried Nancy as manager did not simply mean a tactical overhaul of the Columbus Crew; It meant a philosophical shift.
Club president Tim Bezbatchenko was pleased to be able to employ Nancy away from FC Montreal. He had high hopes and expectations for this new era and the early signs were good. The players performed better in training, especially those who had struggled in recent years, but he was still not sure: Are we? truly good?
Next, the Crew played a pre-season match against the Houston Dynamo, led by former Crew front office executive Pat Onstad and longtime MLS coach Ben Olsen.
“Benny came up and said, ‘You guys are too goodBezbatchenko said The athlete. “Awesome. I think that’s the moment when you hear that from people you trust, you know you have a chance.
The Crew has evolved from pre-season, through the busy summer transfer window all the way to hosting the MLS Cup on Saturday.
The Crew’s opponents on Saturday underwent a different kind of transformation. LAFC shuffled its lineup after winning the MLS Cup in 2022, a natural side effect of winning a title in high-salary-cap American sports, and immediately returned to the big game again. They attribute it to a combination of necessary change and continuity.
“Depending on where we stand with our players, our salary cap and all the elements we need to manage, we came away from last year with some really tough decisions we had to make,” Thorrington said. “It’s just a necessary evil — I guess you could say — for our league.”
This is the anatomy of how to build two MLS Cup rosters.
Columbus Crew
DP: Cucho Hernandez, Diego Rossi, Darlington Nagbe
Under 22 initiative: Alexandro Mattan
Key additions within MLS: Rudy Camacho, Julian Gressel, Malte Amundsen
Main international additions: Stephen Moreira, Yaw Yeboah
Key Local Players/Second Team: Aidan Morris, Patrick Schulte, Sean Zawadzki, Mo Farsi, Jacen Russell Rowe
The origins of the Crew’s current roster can be traced back to the 2020 MLS Cup winning roster, particularly with club captain Darlington Nagbe. But after missing the playoffs the next two seasons, the staff wanted a change and hired Nancy as head coach.
It was a perfect fit.
Starting at the top of the list, Cucho Hernandez was named to the best squad of the season. The Colombia international was acquired in 2022 for a club record transfer fee of north of $10 million from Watford. He led a talented group with Nagbe, Morris and Steven Moreira returning to form the nucleus.
Following Nancy’s hiring, the coach met with the club’s front office staff – led by Bezbatchenko but including Assistant General Manager Issa Tull, Assistant General Manager/Second Team GM Corey Wray, Director of Scouting Neil McGuinness and Head Coach Mark Nicholls. The front office insisted there was a lot of quality on the team. Nancy agreed.
The Crew brought in just three seniors (Cristian Ramirez, Malte Amundsen and Jimmy Midranda) in the winter offseason, and one of them (Midranda) did not start a single regular season.
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“I think some people were surprised that we didn’t make a lot of moves in the offseason, coming off a non-break year,” Bezbatchenko said. “It’s a cheat code, but it’s not a secret. Everyone knows that’s the way forward. … If you want something sustainable and have players who care about the logo right away, you have to look inside first.
In fact, last summer’s transfer window really changed the team. The club agreed a deal to allow Lucas Zelarayan to head to Saudi Arabia and he immediately signed Uruguayan striker Diego Rossi. They have also added full-back Julian Gressel, centre-backs Rudy Camacho and Jahvin Chibirko.
“By the summer, we had played a good portion of the season, so we had a clear idea of what we needed,” Tal said. “It was a combination of need and opportunity. Rudy was a clear need, it was obvious. Gressel was a combination of need and opportunity, and we didn’t think it was even possible to get him. For Rossi, we were ready. We had Rossi on our scouting list in January.
Zelarayan, the MLS Cup Player of the Year and an excellent performer, had some flaws in his game. His individual style produced stunning and unrepeatable moments, but it also produced mistakes. Rossi ended up making the group a little better. His vertical movement supported Cucho well, giving the Colombian more freedom to move but also the responsibility to create chances for others.
“We were hoping that Kucho would be unleashed more, and it happened,” Bezbatchenko said. “You’ve already seen Kocho step up and stand out. You’ve seen him take his game to a whole new level.
Columbus has been the best offensive team in the league this year, ranking first in MLS in goals scored (67), first in xG (57.7) and first in possession (57%).
“Sometimes it’s too simplistic to just look at Lucas and Diego, it’s broader than that,” Tal said. “What Rossi did with Kucho, Matane and Yeboah. What Rossi does in training on a daily basis is fantastic. If he runs, I better run.”
Bezbatchenko added that Zelarayan would get the ring if the Crew won on Saturday because he was an integral part of the group.
The Crew’s second team won the inaugural MLS Next Pro Championship in 2022. Several players on the first team graduated and won key roles, including starting goalkeeper Patrik Schulte, fullback Mo Farsi, midfielder/defender Sean Zawadzki and forward Jacen Russell Rowe.
“Sometimes, when I talk about our club, it sounds like I’m talking about La La Land or Disney World,” Tal said with a laugh. “But honestly, this year has been a blast because of the communication and clarity and vision here.”
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LAFC
DP: Carlos Vela, Denis Bouanga
Under 22 initiative: Step Buick, Kiki Oliveira
Key additions within MLS: Killeen Acosta, Eli Sanchez, Aaron Long, Max Crepeau, Ryan Hollingshead
Main international additions: Timothy Tillman, Jesus Murillo, Giorgio Chiellini, Diego Palacios, Mateus Bogos, Mario Gonzalez, Filip Krastev
Key Local Players/Second Team: Nathan Ordaz, Eric Duenas
After the confetti was removed from the field after the 2022 MLS Cup, the reality of professional sports began. LAFC had to make its roster decisions. Keeping a title team together in a salary cap league is extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Top scorer Chicho Arango, midfielder Latif Blessing, MLS Cup-winning fullback Franco Escobar and MLS Cup player Sebastian Ibiaga exited, while MLS Cup champion Gareth Bale retired. In the summer, key players Mahala Opoku and Jose Cifuentes also left.
“It’s a constant balancing act between what your team needs and what resources you have available to create a group that is as competitive as possible,” Thorington said. “That’s what we did last year and that’s what we have to do again this year.”
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Despite the aforementioned departures, LAFC has managed to maintain strong continuity. Nine of the 11 starters in the 2023 Western Conference Final Four were on last year’s American League Cup-winning team, with only Timothy Tillman and Quique Oliveira newcomers to the lineup. Tillman joined in the winter and Oliveira in the summer. Defender Aaron Long was on the bench, but was a key part of the team. As did Mateusz Bogosz, and they both came in the winter as well.
The summer period revitalized the team more, especially in attack. Oliveira was signed from Almería and is now a regular in the Uruguay national team. Midfielder Mario Gonzalez has arrived, as has midfielder Filip Krastev.
“We wanted variety and flexibility in how we attack,” Thorrington said. “We knew we had Denis (Boanga), and we had Carlos (Vela) who can play on the right or in the middle. If Carlos was to play as a midfielder, we needed more verticality on the right, which Kiki provides. If Carlos played on the right flank, so we felt we needed a more traditional number 9, which is the role that Mario plays.
The biggest change since 2022 wasn’t even just a move. It has been a full pre-season for Bouanga, who was acquired in the summer of 2022 and has won the MLS Golden Boot as well as the CONCACAF Champions League Golden Boot. He currently has 37 goals and 15 assists in 47 matches in all competitions.
Heading into the 2022 season, LAFC has focused heavily on the domestic market to bring in MLS players like Kellen Acosta, Maxime Crepeau, Ryan Hollingshead and Eli Sanchez. All four have been instrumental in the team’s success.
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What’s next for both?
There is a lot up in the air for both Columbus and LAFC heading into the offseason.
As for LAFC, Villa, Chiellini, Acosta, and Palacios are all out of contract. Villa have repeatedly spoken about how happy he is at the club and his desire to stay, but nothing has been decided yet on that front. Chiellini must decide whether he wants to retire or not. Acosta is perhaps the most sought-after MLS agent on the market this winter while Palacios is at a stage in his career where he could head to Europe or one of the biggest clubs in South America.
If he leaves Villa, the club would earn a place in second place, giving them two to work with over the winter period. Midfielder Filip Krastev is on loan over the summer with a $7 million option to buy, which would almost certainly make him a DP if he stays. Krastev was not a regular but showed talent in his appearances.
“We’re very honest and direct with the players about everyone’s situation,” Thorrington said. “Once we have all the information, we will determine our priorities and what we can do.”
Columbus has the core of their roster, but has some ability to add pieces around it.
Club captain Nagbe signed a new contract this autumn, eliminating any speculation of a departure this winter. They could buy out his new deal to add another DP if they wanted to, or Columbus could add two players from the U-22 initiative. Morris signed a new contract this year and Rossi arrived just a few months ago. Camacho’s contract expires this winter and he is likely to be one of the club’s priorities to keep.
Gressel’s contract is up and after falling out of the starting lineup in the playoffs, he appears to be headed to free agency as well. Like Acosta, Grissel will be among the most coveted free agents in the league.
With Cucho excelling and returning to the Colombian national team, clubs in Europe are taking notice. Whether that interest turns into real offers over the next 12 months is something the club is preparing for.
“We are prepared for all scenarios – what if offers come for Kocho? What about Aidan? Or Persian?” “We all want Kocho to stay,” the tall man said. “It’s difficult, but we’re trying to be ready.”
(Top images: Getty Images)
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