Mate, Everything sets up for Columbus here.
[h=2]2. Yesterday's Enterprise[/h]
The Red Bulls are about to play their sixth game in the last 18 days. That time span has included two derbies, a season-ending injury to their starting right back, an incredible double-PK-miss, and Matt Miazga returning to the starting lineup basically wearing a superhero's cape. It's been a wild two-and-a-half weeks.
And on Saturday night in Columbus (7:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE), I kind of feel like it has to come to an end. The starters have logged incredibly heavy minutes (Dax McCarty hasn't gotten so much as a second of rest during this run), and they're doing so while playing a high pressure, high-energy style that is tough to keep up game after game after game. And did I mention it's summer?
If you can spread a tired team out, you can get chances. And spreading you out is pretty much the Crew's entire reason for existing:
[TABLE="width: 588"]
<tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none; background: transparent;">[TR]
[TD]Team[/TD]
[TD]Crosses Open[/TD]
[TD]Crossing Open Accuracy[/TD]
[TD]Chances Created from Open Play[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Columbus Crew SC[/TD]
[TD]370[/TD]
[TD]28.92[/TD]
[TD]167[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]LA Galaxy[/TD]
[TD]302[/TD]
[TD]24.17[/TD]
[TD]147[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Portland Timbers[/TD]
[TD]301[/TD]
[TD]21.26[/TD]
[TD]165[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]New England Revolution[/TD]
[TD]290[/TD]
[TD]20[/TD]
[TD]144[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]D.C. United[/TD]
[TD]277[/TD]
[TD]24.55[/TD]
[TD]118[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Philadelphia Union[/TD]
[TD]277[/TD]
[TD]21.3[/TD]
[TD]130[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Orlando City SC[/TD]
[TD]275[/TD]
[TD]20[/TD]
[TD]138[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]New York Red Bulls[/TD]
[TD]271[/TD]
[TD]18.45[/TD]
[TD]135[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Seattle Sounders FC[/TD]
[TD]242[/TD]
[TD]23.55[/TD]
[TD]115[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Chicago Fire[/TD]
[TD]235[/TD]
[TD]24.68[/TD]
[TD]144[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Houston Dynamo[/TD]
[TD]227[/TD]
[TD]15.86[/TD]
[TD]119[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Real Salt Lake[/TD]
[TD]223[/TD]
[TD]19.73[/TD]
[TD]107[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]San Jose Earthquakes[/TD]
[TD]215[/TD]
[TD]19.53[/TD]
[TD]98[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Colorado Rapids[/TD]
[TD]209[/TD]
[TD]16.27[/TD]
[TD]151[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]New York City FC[/TD]
[TD]204[/TD]
[TD]14.71[/TD]
[TD]154[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sporting Kansas City[/TD]
[TD]189[/TD]
[TD]25.93[/TD]
[TD]130[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Vancouver Whitecaps FC[/TD]
[TD]184[/TD]
[TD]21.2[/TD]
[TD]165[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Toronto FC[/TD]
[TD]180[/TD]
[TD]22.22[/TD]
[TD]133[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]FC Dallas[/TD]
[TD]154[/TD]
[TD]25.97[/TD]
[TD]121[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Montreal Impact[/TD]
[TD]110[/TD]
[TD]21.82[/TD]
[TD]95[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]
RBNY have been clicking recently, but it feels like Saturday night could be a little "Charge of the Light Brigade"-ish. They're going to have to switch from "enterprising" to "opportunistic" for this one, an adjustment they've so far been mostly unwilling to make.
I'll also be watching... Wil Trapp made his return to the lineup for a midweek US Open Cup cameo. He is perhaps the most gifted defensive midfielder in the league at spreading possession to the flanks, so... yeah.