(Title image screen grab from San Diego FC)

The Crew was a Hugo Lloris hand away from one of the great comebacks in CONCACAF Champions Cup history on Tuesday. Despite winning 2-1 on Tuesday, the Crew were eliminated from CCC by LAFC falling by a 4-2 aggregate scoreline. Despite the disappointment of not being able to make another CCC run for the team and fans, the Crew can now fully shift their attention to MLS play until Leagues Cup later this summer. This will be an important stretch for the Crew as they look to keep pace in the East while awaiting new summer signings.

Next up for Columbus is their first-ever meeting with MLS’s newest club, San Diego FC.

San Diego has played only three matches in their short history, but have yet to lose. With wins over LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, as well as a tie against St. Louis. The Crew will be the first Eastern Conference team to get a taste of the new kids on the block. As the Crew travels to California, here is everything you need to know about their Saturday matinee with San Diego.

San Diego FC at a Glance:

Record: 2-0-1

Form: W-D-W

Leading Scorer: Anders Dreyer (3)

Assist Leader: Tomas Angel (2)

Player to Watch: Anders Dreyer

Dreyer may not have been the most heralded San Diego signing (Chucky Lozano takes that award) but so far he has been the most impactful. With three goals in three games, the 26-year-old Danish international has made a splash in MLS so far. Playing on the right wing, Dreyer has shown an excellent ability to both create and finish attacks for San Diego. Dreyer’s ability on the ball as a dribbler and passer has been impactful in creating attacking opportunities for his side. Similarly, his movement and clinical finishing in front of goal has allowed him to capitalize on the opportunities he and his teammates create. Dreyer is also a hard working defender from the front line, making it hard for his opponents to build out from the back. Crew fans and players alike will need to keep a close eye on Dreyer on Saturday, especially with an undermanned Crew backline. 

How San Diego Plays:

San Diego Head Coach Mikey Varas is in his first year as a head coach at the senior level. Varas cut his teeth as an assistant to Gregg Berhalter with the national team as well as with the USA U20 national team. In just three matches at the helm, Varas has developed a clear identity and style with San Diego FC that is hard to achieve with an expansion team. Varas has exclusively used a 4-3-3 formation thus far and appears to plan on using that as exclusively as the USMNT did under Berhalter.

San Diego, similar to Columbus, wants to dominate possession as much as possible. In fact, San Diego are second in MLS in possession percentage, behind the Crew, with a rate of 58.6%. When San Diego has the ball, their 4-3-3 shape moves into more of a 4-4-2 with a box in midfield. Most often, the outside backs will push higher up the flank into the midfield line. When this happens, both San Diego wingers will move in towards the center of the pitch. One winger (usually Dreyer) will drop more into the midfield, while the other pushes into the forward line to accompany the central striker. This formation allows them to both keep possession and create overloads in central areas. San Diego will also often have interchanging runs when possible. For example, when the wingers move central, they may make opposite runs from their starting positions (i.e. the winger in the midfield runs in behind and the winger on the forward line checks back towards the ball) to create confusion for their opponents. This movement allows San Diego to play direct balls in behind their opponents to attack a disorganized back line. San Diego’s attacking shape allows them the ability to take advantage of different spaces and matchups against different opponents, making them consistently dangerous. 

Defensively, San Diego are in a more defined, compact 4-3-3 formation. In this shape, they will look to apply pressure high up the field to make their opponents uncomfortable in possession and create turnovers. San Diego does an excellent job of limiting space between their defensive lines to keep their opponents from being able to play in space. When their opponents are able to break their pressure, San Diego will retreat as a unit to get behind the ball, limit space, and force their opponents to play backward towards their own goal. This shape, structure, and understanding is a huge reason why San Diego has only conceded one goal in their history. 

How the Crew can win:

1. Dominate the Ball: For all of San Diego’s defensive merits, they haven’t had to do a lot of defending over three matches thanks to their ability to keep the ball. Thus, if the Crew can keep possession for much of the match, they may well be able to exploit some undiscovered weaknesses in San Diego’s defense. Additionally, it will allow the Crew to keep the San Diego home fans from becoming too raucous. This will be San Diego’s second-ever home match and the crowd will surely be looking to get involved early.
2. Play through the Pressure: The Crew are at their best when they are able to play through opponents’ pressure. In their last three matches ( 2 against LAFC and one vs Houston) the Crew have faced very little pressure in their own half. They will likely face pressure in their own half early and often in this match. Look for the Crew to play through (or over) San Diego’s pressure to be able to create swift attacking movements.
3. Defend the Midfield: San Diego will look to create an overload in the midfield when they have the ball. In fact, it could very easily become a 4 versus 2 in central midfield for San Diego. The Crew will need their midfield two players to work hard to cover this space. In addition, the Crew’s backline will need to be organized and willing to step into the midfield when necessary. The Crew are normally good at this, but with Steven Moreira out, Rudy Camacho’s status unclear, and heavy legs from their CCC exploits the Crew will likely lack experience on the backline. If the Crew are unorganized without the ball San Diego has the tactical flexibility and players to make them pay.