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Just three days before a road matchup against D.C. United, Crew coach Wilfried Nancy ensured the goals would come for forward Diego Rossi.
With the departure of striker Cucho Hernandez during the offseason, Rossi is Columbus' top returning scorer from 2024. He recorded 12 goals and 11 assists in the regular season.
Rossi opened the season with two goals against the Chicago Fire on Feb. 22 but had little production in the following six games. The only other goal Rossi scored was on a penalty kick in the CONCACAF Champions Cup series against Los Angeles FC on March 11.
That was until Rossi recorded his second two-goal performance of the season in Columbus' 2-1 victory over D.C. United on Saturday.
"I gave him a task specifically how to be available to move between the lines," Nancy said. "He did it well. ... The players, when they see a player like (Rossi), they are coming to fight for him. I’m really happy for him."
Replay: Columbus Crew remain undefeated in MLS play, defeating D.C. United on the road
Rossi found the back of the net at the 16-minute mark, evening the 1-0 lead D.C. United took three minutes prior. In the second half, Rossi secured the victory for Columbus with a shot from distance in the 65th minute.
"We pushed after they scored," Rossi said. "We had a few chances before they scored, but we didn’t do it. They put it in, and then we needed to come back from 1-0. I think that was really good from the team, that we kept playing our football, and we kept calm and confident in our team."
Rossi first goal was a two-touch shot off a pass from defender Andres Herrera inside D.C. United's box. Rossi was far outside the box when he scored his second goal, with the assist coming from midfielder Max Arfsten.
"They were pretty different," Rossi said. "But I think both of them were good plays from the team. I think, especially the first one, we got to the box with good passes, and we attacked so I could play the ball, then I could finish."
Arfsten, who was back with the Crew after missing the scoreless draw against New York City FC on March 22 while called up to the United States men's national team, almost made a different decision on the pass.
Already ahead of Rossi inside the box, Arfsten debated taking the shot himself.
"Initially I had the ball out wide and I wanted to go one-v-one," Arfsten said. "Then I saw two guys come over to me, and I just saw Diego open, so I passed him the ball and then a little bit of luck on our side, but he did the rest. That was a good goal."
Columbus went down 1-0 early against D.C. United, with the reigning MLS Golden Boot winner Christian Benteke scoring in the 13th minute. Benteke earned the honor for most goals scored in the 2024 regular season with 23, three recorded against Columbus.
D.C. United (2-2-2) is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings following the loss to Columbus, who at 3-0-3 in third place, but the combination of Benteke and D.C. United's physicality still makes the in-conference rival a difficult opponent for the Crew.
Last year, Columbus finished its two-game series in the regular season against D.C. United with two draws, making the victory on Saturday the Crew's first victory over D.C. United since April 2023.
"Against this team, this is always difficult," Nancy said. "They were really, really aggressive. They raise the intensity when we had the ball. ... The grit that we had tonight, not only tonight but since the beginning, that's why we are able to have a good outcome."
In the 81st minute, Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe went down after being fouled by D.C United midfielder Boris Enow near midfield.
Nagbe, who is the most fouled player on the Crew, remained on the ground in pain and needed help from Columbus' medical staff to get off the field. As Nagbe exited, the 34-year-old looked like his right knee was causing him pain.
Nancy had no update on Nagbe's status following the game. He had pointed out that teams tend to play Nagbe physically after Columbus' 1-1 draw against San Diego FC on March 15, and he reiterated that message on Saturday.
"It's frustrating," Nancy said. "It frustrating and also, I'm a bit upset because this is all of the time the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you cannot play with contact, you have to play with contact, but again, they (the officials) have to be a little better to anticipate that."
The Crew return to Lower.com Field Saturday for their next game, facing CF Montreal at 7:30 p.m.
bmackay@dispatch.com
@brimackay15
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew defeat D.C. United behind Diego Rossi: Takeaways
Continue reading...
With the departure of striker Cucho Hernandez during the offseason, Rossi is Columbus' top returning scorer from 2024. He recorded 12 goals and 11 assists in the regular season.
Rossi opened the season with two goals against the Chicago Fire on Feb. 22 but had little production in the following six games. The only other goal Rossi scored was on a penalty kick in the CONCACAF Champions Cup series against Los Angeles FC on March 11.
That was until Rossi recorded his second two-goal performance of the season in Columbus' 2-1 victory over D.C. United on Saturday.
"I gave him a task specifically how to be available to move between the lines," Nancy said. "He did it well. ... The players, when they see a player like (Rossi), they are coming to fight for him. I’m really happy for him."
Replay: Columbus Crew remain undefeated in MLS play, defeating D.C. United on the road
Rossi found the back of the net at the 16-minute mark, evening the 1-0 lead D.C. United took three minutes prior. In the second half, Rossi secured the victory for Columbus with a shot from distance in the 65th minute.
"We pushed after they scored," Rossi said. "We had a few chances before they scored, but we didn’t do it. They put it in, and then we needed to come back from 1-0. I think that was really good from the team, that we kept playing our football, and we kept calm and confident in our team."
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Diego Rossi displays offensive versatility on two goals, credits the passes leading to his shots
Rossi first goal was a two-touch shot off a pass from defender Andres Herrera inside D.C. United's box. Rossi was far outside the box when he scored his second goal, with the assist coming from midfielder Max Arfsten.
"They were pretty different," Rossi said. "But I think both of them were good plays from the team. I think, especially the first one, we got to the box with good passes, and we attacked so I could play the ball, then I could finish."
Arfsten, who was back with the Crew after missing the scoreless draw against New York City FC on March 22 while called up to the United States men's national team, almost made a different decision on the pass.
Already ahead of Rossi inside the box, Arfsten debated taking the shot himself.
"Initially I had the ball out wide and I wanted to go one-v-one," Arfsten said. "Then I saw two guys come over to me, and I just saw Diego open, so I passed him the ball and then a little bit of luck on our side, but he did the rest. That was a good goal."
Columbus Crew view D.C. United victory difficult to capture, despite being ahead nine spots in Eastern Conference standings
Columbus went down 1-0 early against D.C. United, with the reigning MLS Golden Boot winner Christian Benteke scoring in the 13th minute. Benteke earned the honor for most goals scored in the 2024 regular season with 23, three recorded against Columbus.
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D.C. United (2-2-2) is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings following the loss to Columbus, who at 3-0-3 in third place, but the combination of Benteke and D.C. United's physicality still makes the in-conference rival a difficult opponent for the Crew.
Last year, Columbus finished its two-game series in the regular season against D.C. United with two draws, making the victory on Saturday the Crew's first victory over D.C. United since April 2023.
"Against this team, this is always difficult," Nancy said. "They were really, really aggressive. They raise the intensity when we had the ball. ... The grit that we had tonight, not only tonight but since the beginning, that's why we are able to have a good outcome."
Darlington Nagbe leaves D.C. United game with lower-body injury, no update on the status of the Columbus Crew midfielder
In the 81st minute, Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe went down after being fouled by D.C United midfielder Boris Enow near midfield.
Nagbe, who is the most fouled player on the Crew, remained on the ground in pain and needed help from Columbus' medical staff to get off the field. As Nagbe exited, the 34-year-old looked like his right knee was causing him pain.
You must be registered for see images
Nancy had no update on Nagbe's status following the game. He had pointed out that teams tend to play Nagbe physically after Columbus' 1-1 draw against San Diego FC on March 15, and he reiterated that message on Saturday.
"It's frustrating," Nancy said. "It frustrating and also, I'm a bit upset because this is all of the time the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you cannot play with contact, you have to play with contact, but again, they (the officials) have to be a little better to anticipate that."
The Crew return to Lower.com Field Saturday for their next game, facing CF Montreal at 7:30 p.m.
bmackay@dispatch.com
@brimackay15
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew defeat D.C. United behind Diego Rossi: Takeaways
Continue reading...
