COLUMBUS CREW SC v. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Sounders travel to the Hunt Way ground to face Leagues Cup champions Columbus Crew in a battle of stagger– scratch that. It’s a battle of who is least shorthanded from the current slate of international fixtures. MLS football, catch the magic.

What: MLS league match, Columbus Crew SC v. Seattle Sounders FC.

Where: Hunt Way, Columbus, Ohio.

When: 4:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Saturday 7 September, 2024 CE.

At Stake: Seeding for MLS Cup and not much else. If you’ve got a really long memory, a bit of revenge for Columbus beating us in the 2020 MLS Cup Final.

Where to Watch: MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Where to Listen: KJR 950 AM and El Rey 1360 AM.

This promises to be a difficult away match. These are the times when support is the most vital. Gather your mates out there in the Heartland, and in Ohio proper, and turn up in what we hope will be a robust away presence at Hunt Way.

Regardless of the league being out of reach to win, we support the lads as best as we can no matter what, come what may.

Sure, Columbus has a spanking new football ground that they don’t have to share with an NFL team, amazing coaching, quality players (many of whom are quite young and have many good footballing years left in them), a shiny if somewhat beat-to-shit, bent-up trophy they’ve just won, and have four trophies to our one in the last five seasons………

But fuck all that to pieces, our lot are going to Ohio to try and take three points off these gits and make their big salty tears sweeten up our biscuits. That’s the end of it.

It’s MLS league football, such as it is, under the Saturday night lights in Columbus. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

Faced with the reality of losing Raul, and the looming possibility of losing Joao Paulo and Rusnak

in the off-season, it looks like uncharted waters ahead for Sounders FC.

The Good News

Per Rave Green TV: Columbus players “Cucho” Hernandez, Amundsen, Hagen, Schulte, Moreira, Russel-Rowe, and Farsi will not be available for selection this match. For this we can be grateful.

Columbus have had an astonishing level of success this season, winning the Leagues Cup, currently sitting 4th place in the MLS league table, and were runners-up to Pachuca in the CONCACAF Champions [insert word of choice here, and then claim your club were the first to win it…in the “modern era”]. This success is statistically mitigated though, in that nearly half their team is unavailable for this match through national team selection or suspension. That’s a big break for Sounders FC, because Columbus haven’t lost a match since July 20th and have compiled a record of 6-1-0 in all competitions from 28 August to now. In fact, Columbus has only lost five times this season in all competitions, compiling an overall record of 21-11-5.

At press, the only injured player for us was Stefan Frei, who has yet to clear concussion protocol. The rest of the squad is healthy, though we are missing Vargas and Nouhou due to national team commitments. All in all, we’ve got a squad that has a decent chance to get a result at Hunt Way on Saturday.

With the league championship out of reach and only MLS Cup to play for, the silver lining is that these last fixtures are an excellent chance to see how good some of our youth players are that are waiting in the wings. Players have to play at the highest level in competitive matches to develop. We should perhaps see to that.

The Bad News

Raul has announced he isn’t coming back when his contract expires at the end of this season. It is understandable, though, that he might want to finish his career at Universitario in Peru, where his footballing journey began.

Joao Paulo and Rusnak will be out of contract at season’s end. I can’t help but wonder if we’ll be able to retain them. If both players leave Longacres, who will replace them?

Nouhou and Vargas will be unavailable for selection, as they have been called up by the Cameroon and Mexico U-23s. Vargas and Nouhou are mainstays in the team for Sounders, and their absences will be keenly felt. Can their understudies play up and seize the day?

If Columbus without half their first-choice players is just as good as with them, Saturday’s match could become a very long afternoon indeed for Sounders FC.

The Side I Would Select

Stef’s in concussion protocol currently. Nouhou and Vargas are with Cameroon and Mexico U-23s. That’s a chunk of quality that will be unavailable to us for our trip to Hunt Way. This makes an already difficult task even harder. Silver lining: We have an opportunity to see what we have in the cupboard against one of the elite teams in the league.

Rationale: Thomas is most likely to start between the sticks, though I’d like to see young Jacob Castro in a meaningful and challenging match. Baker-Whiting for the absent Nouhou, although Baker could also play in this role. Cristian is a #6, not a forward. With Vargas called into Mexico U-23s, it’s even more important that Cristian provide cover for the defence. De La Vega needs to get as many matches as possible.

GK     Thomas

LB     Baker-Whiting

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM    Atencio

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     De La Vega

CF     Morris

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

There are other possibilities, sure. But this seems like a good prediction. It’s also possible that Schmetzer goes to a back-five against a superior opponent, something like a 5-2-2-1. Also possible De La Vega is in the team instead of Rothrock. Pedro is a big-ticket player and needs to integrate into the team now that he’s fully fit.

GK     Thomas

LB     Baker-Whiting

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM    Leyva

RDM   Atencio

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Cristian

CF     Morris

Intangibles

The Referee for Saturday afternoon’s match will be Rosendo Mendoza.

Columbus record with Mendoza as Ref: 1-3-1

Sounders FC record with Mendoza as Ref: 4-1-4

General notes on personnel

Columbus transfers IN:

Hagen

Derrick Jones (Charlotte FC) free

Hinestroza (Pachuca) €2.9M

Habroune - reserves

Mrowka - reserves

Chambost (Saint-Etienne) undisclosed fee

Jackson (St. Louis City SC) €606,000

DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution) €550,000

Herrera (River Plate) loan fee €275,000

Romero (Los Angeles FC) €45,000

Columbus transfers OUT:
Medranda (Deportivo Cali) free

Jake Morris (Louisville City) free

Parente (Los Angeles Galaxy) free

Scott (Los Angeles Galaxy) free

Gressel (Inter Miami CF) free

Williams - retired

Vallecilla (Universidad Catolica) free

Molino - released

Hughes (Loudoun United) loan

Quinton (Real Salt Lake) €188,000

Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough) €3.73M

Hinestroza (Atletico Nacional) loan

Sands (New England Revolution) free

Comparison against common opponents

MIN 1:1 CLB

SEA 2:0 MIN

SEA 2:0 MIN LC

MIN 2:3 SEA

(against MIN: CLB 0-1-0 0, SEA 3-0-0 +5) edge SEA

CLB 2:1 CHI

CHI 1:3 CLB

SEA 2:1 CHI

(against CHI: CLB 2-0-0 +3, SEA 1-0-0 +1) edge CLB

CLB 1:1 DC

DC 2:1 SEA

(against DC: CLB 0-1-0 0, SEA 0-0-1 -1) edge CLB

RSL 0:0 CLB

RSL 2:0 SEA

SEA 1:1 RSL

(against RSL: CLB 0-1-0 0, SEA 0-1-1 -2) edge CLB

CLB 2:2 POR

POR 1:2 SEA

POR 1:0 SEA

(against POR: CLB 0-1-0 0, SEA 1-0-1 0) edge SEA

CLB 0:0 MTL

MTL 1:3 CLB

SEA 5:0 MTL

(against MTL: CLB 1-1-0 +2, SEA 1-0-0 +5) edge SEA

CLB 4:0 SKC

CLB 4:0 SKC LC

SKC 2:1 SEA

(against SKC: CLB 2-0-0 +8, SEA 0-0-1 -1) edge CLB

NE 1:5 CLB

SEA 2:0 NE

(against NE: CLB 1-0-0 +4, SEA 1-0-0 +2) edge CLB

LAFC 1:5 CLB

CLB 3:1 LAFC LC

LAFC 2:1 SEA

SEA 0:3 LAFC

SEA 0:3 LAFC LC

SEA 0:1 LAFC USOC

(against LAFC: CLB 2-0-0 +6, SEA 0-0-4 -8) edge CLB

PHI 0:1 CLB

CLB 3:1 PHI LC

PHI 2:3 SEA

(against PHI: CLB 2-0-0 +3, SEA 1-0-0 +1) edge CLB

HOU 0:1 CLB CCC

CLB 1:1 HOU CCC

HOU 2:2 SEA

(against HOU: CLB 1-1-0 +1, SEA 0-1-0 0) edge CLB

Know Thine Enemy

Columbus as they lined up in their 4:2 victory over New York City FC at Hunt Way on 31 August.

GOALKEEPER

Patrick Schulte, 23

United States (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Columbus Crew SC (52/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Developed by St. Louis FC and St. Louis Scott Gallagher. Played his university football for St. Louis (51/0). Won an MLS Cup and a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC. Named CONCACAF Champions Cup Best Goalkeeper and to CONCACAF Champions Cup Best XI 2024.

DEFENCE

Malte Amundsen, 26

Denmark

Notable Clubs: HB Koge (60/1), Eintracht Braunschweig (12/1), Vejle (53/2), New York City FC (59/1), Columbus Crew SC (45/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3M

Notes: Developed by Naestved and HB Koge. Won a Danish Mesterfinalen (SuperCup) with Rosenborg. Won an MLS Cup with New York City FC. Won an MLS Cup and Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC.

Rudy Camacho, 33

France

Notable Clubs: Waasland-Beveren (56/2), CF Montreal (128/7), Columbus Crew SC (32/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €400,000

Notes: Developed by Lyon Quest Sporting Club, CAS Cheminots d’Oullins, and Nancy. Won two Canadian Championships with CF Montreal. Won an MLS Cup and a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC.

Steven Moreira, 30

Cape Verde (6/0)

Notable Clubs: Rennes (58/0), Lorient (63/1), Toulouse (58/1), Columbus Crew SC (96/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by AS Champs-sur-Marne, US Torcy, and Rennes. Won a Campeones Cup, an MLS Cup, and a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC.

MIDFIELD

Maximilian Arfsten, 23

United States

Notable Clubs: Columbus Crew SC (34/6)

Estimated Transfer Value: €400,000

Notes: Developed by California Odyssey. Played his university football for UC Davis (39/9). Won an MLS Cup and a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC.

Darlington Nagbe, 34

United States (25/1)

Notable Clubs: Portland Timbers (214/27), Atlanta United (56/2), Columbus Crew SC (138/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.8M

Notes: Developed by Internationals SC. Played his university football for Akron (73/19). Won the 2015 MLS Cup with Portland. Won the 2018 MLS Cup with Atlanta United. Won a 2019 Campeones Cup and US Open Cup double with Atlanta United. Won two MLS Cups, a Campeones Cup, and a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC. Won the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup with United States. Won 2011 and 2020 MLS Goal of the Year. Won three MLS Fair Play Awards (2013, 2015, 2019). Named to 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI.

Sean Zawadski, 24

United States (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Columbus Crew SC (58/5)

Estimated Transfer Value: €500,000

Notes: Developed by Team Challenger FC and Columbus Crew. Won an MLS Cup and a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC.

Mohamed Farsi, 24

Canada

Notable Clubs: Cavalry FC (35/2), Columbus Crew SC (60/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Developed by CS Boucaniers, CS Notre-Dame-de Grace, and CS Panellinios. Played his university football for College Ahuntsic. Won an MLS Cup and a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC. Named Canadian Premier League Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year 2020.

FORWARD

Diego Rossi, 26

Uruguay (7/1)

Notable Clubs: Penarol (46/13), Los Angeles FC (104/48), Fenerbahce (64/10), Columbus Crew SC (35/13)

Estimated Transfer Value: €7M

Notes: Developed by Uruguay Solymar and Penarol. Won two Uruguayan league titles with Penarol. Won an MLS league championship with LAFC in 2019. Won a Turkish Cup with Fenerbahce. Won an MLS Cup and a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC. Won 2020 MLS Golden Boot, scoring 14 goals. Named MLS Young Player of the Year 2020. Named to MLS Best XI 2020. Twice named to CONCACAF Champions League Team of the Tournament 2020 and 2024.

Juan “Cucho” Hernandez, 25

Colombia (4/2)

Notable Clubs: Deportivo Pereira (55/23), America de Cali (17/1), Watford (25/5), Huesca (69/20), Mallorca (22/5), Getafe (23/2), Columbus Crew SC (63/38)

Estimated Transfer Value: €13M

Notes: Developed by Indubolsas FC and Deportivo Pereira. Won an MLS Cup and a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC. Named to MLS Best XI 2023. Named MLS Cup MVP 2023. Named Leagues Cup Best Player 2024.

Christian Ramirez, 33

United States (2/1)

Notable Clubs: Minnesota United FC (138/71), Los Angeles FC (24/6), Houston Dynamo (31/8), Aberdeen (45/10), Columbus Crew SC (48/15)

Estimated Transfer Value: €500,000

Notes: Played his university football for UC Santa Barbara (24/1) and Concordia (NCAA II) (42/41). Won North America Supporters Trophy and an NASL league title with Minnesota United FC. Won an MLS Cup and a Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC. Named three times to NASL Best XI. Won two NASL Golden Boots, scoring 20 and 18 goals for Minnesota United. Named NASL Young Player of the Year 2014.

Familiar Faces

Columbus Goalkeeper Evan Bush was a trialist for Sounders FC but failed to secure a contract.

Squads

Columbus from:

Romero, Johnson, Camacho, Derrick Jones, Cheberko, Herrera, Nagbe, DeJuan Jones, Matan, Jackson, Yeboah, Zawadski, Chambost, Ramirez, Rossi, Arfsten, Habroune.

Sounders FC from:

Thomas, Castro, Baker, Bell, Gomez Andrade, Hawkins, Nathan, Ragen, Alex, Atencio, Baker-Whiting, De la Vega, Kitahara, Leyva, Rusnak, Morris, Cristian, Leo Chu, Minoungou, Musovski, Rodrigues, Rothrock, Teves.

International Call-ups

Columbus: “Cucho” Hernandez (Colombia), Farsi (Algeria), Moreira (Cape Verde), Hagen (Guatemala), Schulte (United States).

Sounders FC: Nouhou (Cameroon), Vargas (Mexico U-23).

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Columbus -

OUT: Bush (arm).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Sounders FC -

OUT: Frei (concussion protocol), Joao Paulo (calf), Ruidiaz (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Columbus: Amundsen is suspended and will serve a one-match ban for accumulated bookings.

Sounders FC: No players suspended.

Fun Fact

Sounders FC Reserves extracted a bit of revenge in the senior team’s name by defeating LAFC Reserves 1:2 at Titan Stadium last Friday. Chris Aquino scored both goals for the reserves including a penalty kick on 53’. In the team for the Reserves: Castro, Kossa-Rienzi, Lopez, Hawkins, Sousa, Brunell, Kitahara, Aquino, Bowen, Tsukanome, Miglietti. Substitutes: Hassan, Fahling, O’Malley, De Rosario. Substitutes not used: Veillard, Rodrigues, Helleren, Brun. Well done, lads!!!

Sounders FC Reserves are currently in 9th place in the MLS Next Pro league table on 39 points, nine points adrift of leaders FC Dallas Reserves. Chris Aquino leads the reserves with 10 goals, with Brunell and Sousa tied for most assists with four each. Sounders FC Reserves next square off in the Reserve team Pacific Northwest Derby against Portland Timbers 2 with the kick-off scheduled for Sunday 8 September at 7 p.m. PDT at Starfire. With 23 matches played, there are only five fixtures left in the MLS Next Pro season. GO ON, LADS!!! GET IN!!! BUILD A VIRTUAL BONFIRE!!!