Picture Credits: Columbus Crew
Columbus, although only has one win on the road this season, has also only lost TWICE on the road this season, with Saturday night's result being the Black and Gold's fifth road draw of the season.
For those of you that decided not to stay up for this game, you did not miss much. It was pretty much a snooze fest for the majority of the match.
Columbus though did have a few guys return from injury for this match, including captain Johnathan Mensah and left-back Pedro Santos.
With that, Columbus also played some of the young guys. Sean Zawadzki, who came up through the Black and Gold Academy, earned his first MLS start in his MLS debut. Crew 2's Jacen Russell-Rowe and Mohamed Farsi both get extended minutes, as injuries depleted the roster for the trip to Salt Lake.
"In total, we had three home-grown players and two Crew 2 guys, and they all played excellent. Sean Zawadzki I thought was extremely comfortable for his league debut."
After the game, head coach Caleb Porter discussed his thoughts on the team's performance. "We will take the point. We will take the point because the perspective is we are playing a very good team, whos unbeaten at home, and this is the only second time they haven't won in eight games at home."
Coming into the match, Real Salt Lake has only not won one game at home this season, with that coming back on April 9th with a 2-2 draw against Toronto FC.
Columbus now heads into a difficult stretch of games, as three of the next four matches are on the road, including a midweek game against Toronto FC.
Takeaways
Defensively Solid
The Crew, though it may not seem like it, boast one of the best defensive records in all of Major League Soccer. Columbus is tied for third with a host of other teams for fewest goals conceded with 17. Eloy Room has played an immense part in that, having four clean sheets so far this season. The return of Mensah and Santos was a huge spark and one that hopefully allows the Black and Gold to go into Toronto with some key players back.
Still Struggle To Score
Perhaps the biggest downfall for Columbus the past few seasons is being able to put the ball in the back of the net. With the arrival of Cucho Hernandez on the horizon, that should help fix some of the scoring issues. But, in the meantime, and without Lucas Zelerayan, the Black and Gold need to figure out a way to score goals.
Whats Next
Columbus heads into a tough stretch of the schedule with three of the next four games away from home. Next up for the Black and Gold is a trip across the border, where Toronto FC will be waiting for a midweek matchup. The Crew travel to a 2026 FIFA World Cup host city Toronto and BMO Field for a Wednesday night eastern conference battle in the second part of the Trillium Cup. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.