Which Columbus Crew gamers could make an influence in Recreation 3 vs FC Cincinnati – The Columbus Dispatch

The Crew stored their postseason marketing campaign alive with a 4-0 victory over rival FC Cincinnati in Game 2 of their first-round MLS playoff sequence and have an opportunity to advance to the Japanese Convention semifinals in Recreation 3 on Nov. 8.
Forward of Recreation 2, coach Wilfried Nancy made only one change to the beginning lineup from the Crew’s 1-0 loss in Game 1.
As an alternative of veteran Lassi Lappalainen, 19-year-old Taha Habroune began on the frontline alongside Diego Rossi and Hugo Picard.
“Taha Habroune has been excellent,” Nancy mentioned. “We all know his qualities. We all know what he is in a position to do. To have the ability to have a efficiency like this at a younger age like that in a do-or-die recreation, that is fascinating for the long run. Now he’ll should be constant.”
Although Habroune had no targets in Recreation 2, he made an influence together with his passing.
Habroune’s 55 accomplished passes for a 90.2% cross accuracy, along with two pictures on objective, helped create house to seek out scoring alternatives with Cincinnati down a person attributable to a crimson card violation.
“I used to be sort of simply floating behind their midfield line,” Habroune mentioned. “And so they have been struggling to select up me, Hugo and Diego, and I feel we simply exploited that very properly. … There wasn’t actually particular positions and I feel that is what actually helped us as a result of I really feel prefer it sort of threw them off.”
Going into Recreation 3, Habroune can be leaning on the event and expertise he is had all through the season. Habroune was signed to a first-team contract in 2024 however began enjoying persistently solely halfway by way of this season.
On July 12, Habroune scored his first MLS objective in a 4-2 victory over Cincinnati at TQL Stadium, the place the Crew can be preventing to remain alive in Recreation 3.
“It is a new recreation,” Habroune mentioned. “It is 0-0, and something may occur within the subsequent recreation.”
Listed here are two different gamers who could be key components for the Crew in Recreation 3:
Midfielder Andres Herrera has picked up a number of the offensive load as striker Wessam Abou Ali continues to be recovering from an ankle damage and team-leading scorer Rossi has been restricted with a hamstring damage.
Herrera has scored three goals in the past four games, his newest being a one-touch shot from immediately in entrance of Cincinnati’s proper objective submit throughout the sixty fifth minute.
“I’m very glad about that,” Herrera mentioned by way of a translator. “The type of play of the group is supposed for the wingbacks. I’m simply very glad to attain targets.”
Earlier than Herrera scored the Crew’s third objective, it was Herrera that Cincinnati midfielder Yuya Kubo was making an attempt to cease when he committed the red-card violation that put Cincinnati down a participant for over half the matchup.
Since defender Sean Zawadzki returned from a knee damage, the Crew have allowed solely three targets throughout 4 video games. With out Zawadzki, the Crew conceded 10 targets in 4 video games.
Whereas Zawadzki has supplied a way of cohesiveness on the backline, the Crew noticed how one second of dysfunction led to the lone objective from striker Kevin Denkey in Game 1.
The protection’s efficiency in Recreation 2 helped maintain Cincinnati to only one shot, which was off track within the 18th minute, and 37.6% possession.
“It is (about) at all times organizing issues after we can,” Zawadzki mentioned. “Going into Recreation 3, we all know what they’re able to. So, utilizing that second half (of Recreation 2) to sort of actually give attention to that and honing in on that.”
The Crew kick off against Cincinnati at 6 p.m. at TQL Stadium on Nov. 8.
bmackay@dispatch.com
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