LAFC at Columbus Crew SC
Saturday, May 21, 2022
12:30pm PT
Lower.com Field - Columbus, Ohio
TV: UniMás, TUDN, Twitter
Radio: 710 AM ESPN, ESPN LA App, 980 AM La Mera Mera
The Black & Gold are back on the road after a tough home loss to Austin FC on May 18. LAFC is set to make their first ever visit to Lower.com Field in Columbus and just their second trip ever to face the Crew on Saturday, May 21 in a nationally televised matchup at 12:30 p.m. PT (UniMás, TUDN, Twitter, 710 AM ESPN, ESPN LA App, 980 AM La Mera Mera).
LAFC (7-3-2, 23 points) is currently tied for the league-lead in points with Austin FC, but the Black & Gold has now lost consecutive matches for the first time since a three-game losing streak in September of 2021.
The Columbus Crew (3-4-4 record, 13 points) is a quick attack team that strategically knows how to get numbers up field in a hurry. It is a change of style for LAFC, who have recently played a string of teams looking to press them high on defense. The Crew has earned just one win in their last eight MLS matches, but they are dangerous, with one of the best attackers in the MLS in Lucas Zelarayan.
Historically, LAFC has won both of its meetings with the Crew, at Banc of California Stadium and at the Historic Crew Stadium, and has not allowed Columbus to score a goal yet.
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COLUMBUS CREW IN-DEPTH
The Crew builds their attack strategically and effectively through the middle and then pushing outside from a 4-2-3-1 formation. Lucas Zelarayan, Derrick Etienne, Miguel Berry, and Darlington Nagbe carry the load for this group. The Crew sometimes like to directly into the wide channels to their quick wingers or outside backs, creating dangerous crosses to generate chances for the team. Defensively, they are not a high-press team, as they usually drop off and set back defensively, which they use to trigger their attack in critical moments.
LAFC WILL WIN IF:
Continue to play the Black and Gold way: Start the game quickly with set pieces while capitalizing on opportunities to score. For LAFC to build effectively against the Crew, they will need to pin them in their own half and attack quickly in transition – pushing their wingers and outside backs high.
COLUMBUS CREW CAN WIN IF:
They attack quickly down the wings and get numbers in the box. If they can possess the ball against LAFC for long periods of time, they will create chances to score. Also, if Zelarayan is able to get going as their focal point of attack, LAFC could have another long day.
Inspired by Fallout 76, a 2018 online action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.
