At the end of each Columbus Crew season, president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko meets with head coach Caleb Porter to discuss what needs to be done to improve the team. While these two get together consistently throughout the season, the postseason meeting is a debrief, identifying lingering issues and to see how they can be corrected.
After the Black & Gold’s 2020 MLS Cup Final victory, reinforcing an already strong team was the goal. When Columbus’ 2021 fizzled out without securing a spot in the 2021 MLS Cup playoffs, the focus landed on three areas: getting younger, improving flexibility and increasing winger production.