Written By: Devin Weisbarth
The last two seasons have been a roller-coaster ride for Crew fans. From winning MLS Cup in 2020 to missing the playoffs the next two seasons. A new head coach, a trade that sent the club captain away, and key losses in free agency. The Crew will be drastically different in 2023 than in past years, so let’s uncover it all.
New Man in Charge
There is no other way to start a season preview than talking about the Black and Gold’s new head coach. Just days after the 2022 MLS season ended, the Crew parted ways with previous head coach Caleb Porter, to almost no one’s surprise. They had an in-depth search for a new man to lead the team, and in December, they hired CF Montreal’s Wilfried Nancy as the new head coach of the Black and Gold.
Nancy brings his tactical and soccer IQ with him to Columbus, where he will be asked to lead the Black & Gold back to where they should be: competing for MLS Cup.
New Season, New Faces, But Also Not The Same Faces
Columbus encountered some team turnover this season. They lost fan-favorite Pedro Santos to D.C. United in free agency, and also lost winger Derrick Etienne Jr. to Atlanta United. They also traded away club captain Jonathan Mensah to the San Jose Earthquakes.
Columbus brought in Christian Ramirez, who most recently played in Scotland for Aberdeen, to partner Cucho Hernandez up top. Ramirez racked up 35 goals in 105 games played throughout his MLS career.
MLS journeyman Jimmy Medranda also joined the Black and Gold this offseason to provide depth in the left-back position.
Columbus also signed multiple homegrowns to first-team contracts. They signed Superdraft pick Max Arfsten to a first-team contract on Tuesday. Arfsten played with Quakes 2 last season, the MLS Next Pro team of the San Jose Earthquakes.
They also signed defender Philip Quinton, who led a Crew 2 defense to the inaugural MLS Next Pro Cup last season. With all these departures and arrivals, where will everyone play?
Who Will Start at Center back?
Perhaps the biggest question to Crew fans is who will be playing center back with the departure of Mensah? Nancy is happy with the pieces the team has defensively.
With that, expect Steven Moreira to play as the third center-back if Nancy so chooses to play three at the back. Moreira played a majority of his pre-season minutes as a center-back, and I expect him to play there this season.
He will most likely be accompanied by Milôs Degenek and Josh Williams on the back line.
A New Club Captain?
With the departure of Mensah comes the need for a new club captain. But don’t expect it to be the same week in and week out, as Nancy stated he would like to have three captains. Who could they be?
Midfielder Darlington Nagbe seems to be the most obvious answer. Nagbe has been with the Crew, his hometown team, since 2020 and is a fan favorite. But there are others in the running like Milôs Degenek, Josh Williams, or even Lucas Zelerayan.
Cucho’s First Full MLS Season
The last big item to note is the fact that this will be Cucho Hernandez, the black and gold’s biggest signing, first full season in the league.
Everyone remembers him exploding into the league with eight goals in his first eight games, including a brace in the Crew’s 2-2 draw to D.C. United. Cucho is one of the favorites for the Golden Boot, and if last season has anything to do with it, he should win it this year.
The Crew kicks off their regular season against the defending Eastern Conference Champions Philadelphia Union on Saturday at Subaru Park, before the black & gold’s home opener against D.C. United on March 4th.
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