The Columbus Crew left Sunday’s 0-0 season-opening draw against the Philadelphia Union disappointed. In previous years, getting a point against last season’s Supporters’ Shield winners with most of its pieces back to begin a new campaign may have felt like a positive, but most previous years the Crew wasn’t the defending MLS Cup champion.
“A draw is a disappointment at home, it always is, even when you’re playing last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners,” Black & Gold head coach Caleb Porter said after the game. “If we’re disappointed drawing the Supporters’ Shield winners last year then that means that we’ve raised the bar and our standards are very high.