The Crew needs to make changes for Game 2 against FC Cincinnati | OneFootball

Showing little firepower in their attack, the Crew’s loss in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series with FC Cincinnati was painful to watch. I don’t claim to be any kind of soccer expert and no amount of stays in a certain hotel chain is going to turn me into one. But here are a few suggestions on what needs to happen for the Crew to keep alive their season.

Front and Center

Let me start by saying I’m a fan of Hugo Picard. He brings needed energy to the team when he’s on the field, but too many times in the opening game he was outrun to balls down the wing by Cincinnati defenders. Starting Ibrahim Aliyu in place of Picard would give the Crew offense a needed jolt of speed. Another change to the starting lineup I’d like to see is Taha Habroune at forward instead of Lassi Lappalainen. The Columbus native has shown himself to be an adept passer in tight spaces and might be able to create good chances. Pair these two with a good finisher like Diego Rossi (if his hamstring is healthy) and see what happens.

Max Should Be Mad

Max Arfsten picked a bad night to have a bad night. If the Crew is going to extend the series to a deciding game, Arfsten is going to have to bounce back from a subpar performance in Game 1. In Game 2, he needs to show everyone why he’s on track to be on the USMNT World Cup roster and assert himself in all phases of the game.

Make Up Your Mind!

One of the complaints I saw about the first game was that Daniel Gazdag and Jacen Russell-Rowe were not in the starting lineup. Yeah, the same two guys fans and media alike complained about constantly and wanted out of the lineup, are the same two guys they complained were not in the lineup. If it wasn’t working during the regular season, it probably isn’t going to work in the playoffs.