Wilfried Nancy said Columbus Crew s club-record win tally achieved in their last game is something he is looking to extend before they start their playoff campaign.
The Crews’ 4-0 win over New England Revolution before the international break was their 18th of the season, while also setting a new best of 69 goals scored in regular-season play.
Nancy’s side are guaranteed second in the Eastern Conference and will play this weekend’s opponents, New York Red Bulls, in the first round of the playoffs.
The Crew head coach lauded his players for their contribution to the season, saying: “Listen, this is not easy, but this is the challenge. The challenge is, yes, we have few players who played a lot, it s normal, but everybody knows their role, I would say.
“The idea is also to be honest with the players. After that, in terms of results, I don t know, but the performance for me is really important. I m really happy when I can see any kind of player that I can put in and they bring something. For me, this is the key point.
“[Saturday], this is not about New England, this is not about the opposition this is about the fans. This is about the people who try to fight to keep the club. I m really pleased for that.”
Setting A New Standard
After securing three points tonight against the New England Revolution, the Crew have set a new club record for wins in an MLS regular season with 18.
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew)
NYRB, meanwhile, come into the encounter off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Atlanta United, but have already guaranteed their spot in the postseason.
Despite the loss, head coach Sandro Schwarz was pleased with his side’s display, but acknowledged they must be more clinical in the final third.
We had the penalty situation then, and we scored two times, Schwarz said. But for me, the behaviour after that was good, the behaviour that we are fighting together, that we have the energy, but we need this energy at the beginning, directly in the game.
And Red Bulls defender Sean Nealis is relishing the opportunity of facing Columbus, believing a win will give the group positive momentum moving forward.
That s what you want as a player, as a competitor, you want to go up against the best, Nealis said. And they re defending champs. They had a great year last year. They had some great games this year, earlier in the year, they beat us, so we want to kind of avenge that.
“And I think if we end up playing them, we re looking forward to that. They re a great team but we re confident in ourselves, and we ll be ready for the challenge when the time comes.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
NYRB – Lewis Morgan
Morgan enters the final match of the season with 18 goal contributions in 2024 (13 goals, five assists).
No Red Bulls player has tallied 20 goal contributions in a single regular season since Bradley Wright-Phillips (28) and Kaku (20) did so in 2018.
Columbus Crew – Alexandru Matan
Matan scored his first hat-trick with Columbus on Saturday, the second Crew player with a hat-trick this season after Cucho Hernandez.
This is the second time in team history that two Crew players have scored a hat-trick in a single season (Edson Buddle and Ross Paule in 2004).
MATAN HAT TRICK |
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew)
MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN
While the Crew are favoured by Opta’s data-led simulations, The Red Bulls have lost only four of their last 27 home matches against Columbus in all competitions (W17 D6) dating back to September 2003.
NYRB have scored at least once in 26 of those 27 matches, including in 21 straight, last failing to score at home against the Crew in 2006, while they have also lost only eight times all season, with only four teams having fewer defeats in 2024.
However, Schwarz’s side face a tough task stopping the Crew. Columbus’ win over New England on Saturday was the team’s seventh game with at least four goals this season. Only three teams in MLS history have scored at least four goals in more matches in a single season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
NYRB – 26.3%
Draw – 23.6%
Columbus Crew – 50.1%
