The Columbus Crew won the 2020 MLS Cup not because of the team’s elite offense, but rather because the Black & Gold had one of the best defenses in the league. Head coach Caleb Porter admitted that the Crew isn’t likely to be one of the highest-scoring teams in the league any year, given the club’s mid-market stature and the money needed to have top-level finishers in MLS.
But that doesn’t mean Columbus shouldn’t be a productive offense in any given season and it’s largely the lack of offensive production that has the team sitting six points below the MLS Cup playoff line with six games remaining and putting any chance of defending the team’s second league title in jeopardy.