Columbus Crew offer Sounders an excellent test

Ari Liljenwall -

It was a successful return to MLS play for the Seattle Sounders in Matchday 21, with a pretty comfortable 2-0 victory over Austin FC at Lumen Field.

While it was a good win and the goals both counted, this next Sunday Night Soccer matchup with the Columbus Crew offers a different test entirely.

This Crew side has been one of the league’s best over the past few years, not just in terms of their consistent results, which included an MLS Cup title in 2023. Under head coach Wilfried Nancy, Columbus seemingly always play some of the league's most aesthetically pleasing soccer. They don't just score a bunch of goals. They look really good while doing it.

It’s hard to look at the Crew’s ascent into one of the league’s elite clubs and figure that Nancy hasn’t played a massive role in it. The Frenchman has earned a reputation as one of the few managers who truly raise their club’s season. If you needed any more evidence than he’s already provided, just look at how Columbus have still produced this year despite transferring former superstar forward Cucho Hernández to Real Betis in La Liga before the start of the season.

The Crew certainly have missed Cucho, but they’ve still been one of the better attacking sides in the league. It’s a testament to guys like Diego Rossi and Jacen Russell-Rowe, who have each helped offset Cucho’s absence, but I think also to Nancy’s tactics and his ability to get his players to execute them. Whatever his secret sauce, it appears to produce relatively stable results regardless of who he has on the roster. They'll arrive to Seattle this weekend with a 10W-3L-7D record (1.85 points per game).

For Seattle, it’s one of those measuring-stick type matches. If they can outplay and beat this Columbus side, it’d be a nice positive data point as far as their ability to compete with the true trophy contenders in this league.

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