The Columbus Crew Are Building a DYNASTY in MLS!

hello everyone welcome back to moves please make sure you like this video down below and subscribe to the channel if you are new Ty welcome to the show my friend very exciting stuff to talk about today uh you know that that team in Ohio not the one in South Ohio South Southwest Ohio but the one kind of in the middle of the state they're they're pretty good man they're pretty good I I I think I'm spoiled by the way of how good they are apparently uh they're on track to uh win a supporter Shield so I've heard yeah exactly um well real quick just to just to talk about the the elephant in the room or or like how great of a manager you guys have it's not a surprise to anybody who follows um the league closely right even people who don't follow League closely have heard the name Wilfred Nazi um as of late because he was a hot name for the usmnt job a lot of people wanted him to get a CH a crack at that job are you surprised by not that he's a good manager but just the success he's had since he came here I mean he's done it all in a short not even uh full two seasons it's only been a year and a half and here you are with two major trophies yeah um I I would say I'm not surprised because if you take a look at his two years in Montreal third place and second place respectively just missing out on the supporter Shield by one point in his last year I think more so so I'm surprised at the fact that it's Columbus right you look at 2017 Anthony precour wanted to move the team to to Austin Texas everything that this club has been through from 2017 up until you know 2020 when Caleb Porter won the MLS Cup in in his second year it was kind of a okay now can we keep it up obviously not because we missed out on the playoffs two years later but the success that Nas had from Montreal in 21 and 22 to carry it over to Columbus in 23 and right now in 24 I think it's more so now the Columbus Crew are becoming relevant than what we were in the past and that's why I think I'm more surprised that it's Columbus uh being consistent and not just uh Nazi because we know we know already know how good he is yeah and this is one of the things I've been kind of wrestling with because I believe any small Market team which I don't think you would even disagree that Columbus is considered a small Market with just you know obviously the size um but a very good team still like it Market Size Doesn't Matter with results right winning is winning um I I kind of wrestle back and forth about the model because while they have good players I also think that Nazi really ties it all together so even though they they have made some really good signings I think he kind of like elevates them to to a level we haven't seen before but I do like what they've done and I believe that any team who might not be able to get the mess's or Neymar's ronaldos beckhams HR this is what they need to do this is the key to success and I think a lot of teams are taking a page out of the crew book uh shout out to the goat Tim B penko guy is a mastermind with building teams uh sad that he left uh this past season because he's an architect at building uh great MLS teams did that in Toronto and he did in Columbus uh but I think that Columbus has proven that you can be a force be reckon with even in a small market and a lot of that has to do not just with Nazi but that number nine you guys have cooo Hernandez now when he was signed I was like you know hopefully he'll be pretty good man he has been way better than I have expected and I expect him to be good but he's he's on another level yeah I think nobody knew really about how good he was um they knew he had he had some spells when he was at Watford going out on loan and whatnot um but I think when he made the move to MLS under Caleb Porter I think Porter kind of uh unlocked a an ability of cooo um I think with in his first year uh year or two I think 16 goals but I think under nzi I think he's just been a whole different animal right he's I think tied for fourth or fifth in the Golden Boot with 13 goals in League Play um so he's GNA obviously add on to that now that we have games in hand and heading into the latter portion of the season but man cooo Hernandez is just a different different animal I think you compare him to I would say uh I would say let's go banga right I think banga has more of the the speed and the the technicality to get goals whenever he wants like in any different way but I think cooo has a certain ability of how he gets goals I don't think any other five nine Strikers can rise to get a a header like he did against LFC in the in the leagues Cup Final um but he's he's a person under n obviously he had the suspension uh early on in the season uh imposed by the club um and then comes back first game back gets a red card I asked n one one game after uh a couple weeks ago has he learned a little bit and has he grown as a player and he said he's definitely grown as a player as a human so he's kind of away from whatever the suspension was we still don't know we think we'll never know um but I I think if you're talking about one of the best Nines in the league I think coo Hernandez is probably the the top one up there yeah I I in the episode I did the other day we were talking about who is going to be in that mvp contention um and I think that if Columbus gets closer and closer to that supporter Shield level or at least finishes in the top two of the um Eastern Conference I think that I think that he will probably you know depending on how many more goals he scores and assists he scores he's going to be right there in that conversation um and that's that's Inc um now another player that I wanted to talk about as well is Diego Rossi Rossi was uh a replace I kind of a replacement for Lucas zon last year um which I was a little um I wasn't skeptical about how good Diego Rossy was because he was really good with lafc throughout his years but Lucas Alon was very very good for Columbus and I think he was the most important piece to their 2020 MLS Cup championship right uh he was another great signing from uh from T Grace so I uh if I'm not mistaken it was T Grace right I'm pretty sure that's where they signed him from it's been been a while um I was I was shocked to see I thought that would be a huge loss especially because him and z and cooo had a really good relationship at least in the short term they were together but man they did it's like they didn't even skip a beat when they replaced Rossy or replaced him with Rossi were you surprised by that I think I I had no idea about the zel rayion rumors until the day of the club America game that he was going to be sold to to a Saudi team and I'm not gonna lie to you I kind of shed a tear on his goodbye in the Press Box I I kind of shed a tear I just seeing him from him from when he joined Columbus in 2020 to to then I mean he honestly put the put the club on his back he put the city city right back on the map as they should be I think a lot of people wanted um when it was rumored that we were signing Diego Rossi people wanted Rossi to replicate what Lucas had and what he was doing and the biggest pet peeve of mine was oh if Rossy missed a goal oh zelion makes that D D D D and I'm like there's no way that you can take zelion Tendencies and put him put them into Diego Rossi because they're both two different players I mean we saw Diego Rossi in lafc in 2019 when the Golden Boot I think Rossi has his own capabilities and he's proved that the latter portion of last season and obviously throughout this season right now that yes he can do what Lucas did but he does it in a certain way that fits the system in which Nazi has that 343 or 3421 where as opposed to Lucas is a traditional 10 kind of moving around from a left wing spot to a to a seven or an 11 it didn't really fit him as much yes he still produced but as a natural 10 he likes being in the center he likes being uh the Maestro the the Midfield Maestro as I like to call 10 but Rossi is more so of a attacking forward 10 than Lucas was and I think with Rossy and nanzi it allows Rossy to have a little bit more freedom and allows him to you know playmake at his gener at his discretion depending on the opposition as opposed to Lucas where he wanted to playmake no matter what but we see oppositions have you know scattering reports on on the Columbus Crew and you have to adjust to each one I think Diego adjust more comfortably under Nazi than Lucas did yeah for sure and so let's let's backtrack a little bit it's just very exciting just be with all the success they've had they're um you know just a great example of what a team can do we talked a little bit about this before the stream you know uh how impressive everything has been so they win that 2023 MLS cup with Wilfred Nazi Montreal obviously didn't give him enough resources but he had a lot success uh they beat lafc who would have repeated if they had won that game um and then the following season they their first uh I think their second trophy they played for was the Camp Champions Cup if I'm not mistaken that was the second trophy that they now they had a very impressive lead up to the final uh they I'm trying to remember what MLS teams they beat but I know they obviously beat Monterey and T Grace on the road which is unheard of for an MLS team and I believe that that is a testament to Wi for Nazi having this team always prepared to play a tough gritty smart team uh that I don't think is afraid to play anyone anywhere then they play pichuka for that final man diarrhea Gates what we call it right everybody was everybody was sick um now I I think that that's not really fair to say uh you know Columbus is bad or they choked or anything like that I believe that it's there's context is key right yeah was one game it was away and I do believe that these players were sick I mean I don't think that's a lie I think that actually was true that they they had something going on um what was your reaction to that to that game or just you know I'm sorry to dig up uh you know the past but what was your reaction to that game well I can tell you we only played one MLS team throughout our run and I was the Houston Dynamo so I think going on the road to tigis to Manor I think that's more of a success than than anything in especially Columbus's history in in cona Champions Cup or as I still call it cona champions league as as it was back in the day but that game man I I was flabbergasted honestly because it yeah we started off great we had a chance within I think the first 20 seconds to score a goal and then it was just downhill from there I thought maybe it was they left the day before the game the I think the morning or the morning before and got down there so obviously you're also playing in Mexico I think that one is at elevation um above above it's like 7,000 above sea level or something like that so I'm thinking elevation got to them um you know you body has to adjust normally when you play that high above sea level uh I can't remember where I saw that teams leave days before a game so their body can get acclimated to uh to the um uh elevation um but I I was watching I was like this is not the Columbus Crew this is not who we are um obviously credit Solomon rondone he took advantage of everything that uh we were throwing at them even though it wasn't the our best um but I I still remember saying that even though we lost it's not a failure because for us to get to that particular point for the first time in club history is a success in itself now okay it's a one-off we can focus back on the league and control what we can control that's what Wilford Nazi saying we can just control what we can control and that's our positioning in the standings and points that we can get um on the road at home Etc but I was with friends and we were like this is not good at all and actually um I'm I'm not g to say who who told me but apparently there are three traces of E coli within the team wow so there there there was a sickness going around diara right yeah yeah so there there was a a sickness going around um but you know at the end of the day credit to puka um they had our number um obviously after we beat TIG and montere uh they were not going to let anything get by them and they didn't but I was hoping we would have gotten a second chance to crack at him in the leagues cup uh semis but you know beating Philadelphia is better too well you know honestly I don't think that one game defines the the incredible run they had obviously they played some really good teams and only and this is one thing it's important t i and this is like I think a lot of people lose sight of this only one team wins a championship like in the tournament it's not like you have four Champions like MLS an MLS team made it to the final they unfortunately lost but they were the runner up like it wasn't like you know none MLS team none no MLS team made to the semi finals or the quarterfinals like they made it to the championship game and unfortunately they lost and I believe if that game was played three times I believe clus probably would have won it two out of three times I believe that they just played that one game where they you know obviously had some Unfortunate Events and Pepto Bismol wasn't enough that day and I you know it just didn't go their way man it just didn't go their way um but even with that happening I feel like this team didn't detract or lose focus they've been pretty consistently good all season long I think especially when cooo has played uh and and leading up to leagues cup which was this is crazy to believe uh or hard to believe that leagues cup was only a month and a half after that conap Champions Cup Champions League final feels like way long like a lot longer than that but it was only a month and a half later and what happened man Columbus Crew Prevail and they win League's cup yep and who did they beat by the way who was who was that team they beat some some team from the some black and gold team from from The Good Old State of California yeah Wilfred Nazi I think uh you know he's got a a habit of of beating up on this guy from uh who is also in contention for the usmnt job uh from the West Coast but yeah man it just feels like the Columbus Crew has lfc's number I bet anytime you play them you're probably not even sweating it at this point I Funny Story I was supposed to be out in La um the weekend that Columbus played lafc my buddy uh is moving out there soon um so we were going to go to the game little did I know that if we were going to go to the game we were going to go to a five1 shellacking of lafc um and then obviously you know leagues Cup Final comes around uh I think uh I I wrote an article about it too um where Ila Sanchez after Colorado game said right that Columbus are the favorites Danny Monga said that there's a sense of Revenge uh happening in this gonna happen in this game I was at the game I didn't see a sense of Revenge or a sense of urgency from from LFC but I mean I think to get outscored what five seven 10 103 I think it is after these these these three games uh yeah I think to say think it's safe to say there's only one black and gold team in MLS well you know what's awesome too Ty is this feels like it's um you know how MLS has like a a problem where they try to force these rivalries it just feels they just feel unnatural they they're you know just they feel very cringe honestly they're just not it yeah you know um I feel like this is the type of rivalry that is organically being formed just because even though the crew has lfc's number they just the teams meet up so many times uh and they've met up in two big games at the leagues cup and MLS Cup in the last um you know just year and they could even meet up again possibly in the MLS Cup again there could be a repeat of the MLS Cup Final in the leagues Cup Final so I believe that this is a rivalry forming which is good to see and it's organic and nobody's pushing it I I I like it I think even though you know Wilford Nazi seems to have stelo's number uh who knows maybe he could get a win eventually I I mean maybe he could now the shellacking you talked about the 51 I I actually it's funny you say that I actually heard that that really hurt Steve's case for his usmn chances because of how badly he was out coached at his own home stadium I mean it was that's not just the oh it it could have went either way that I mean that was embarrassing to get beat that badly five to one and then hearing that Wilfred Nazi which I know you are relieved by this um but Wilfred Nazi to not even get a call from the from the US soccer Federation they didn't even interview him they had no they didn't even make contact with him that it's just completely baffling they they wouldn't even call him yeah I think when you know L's name was being thrown around everybody's like no you can't have him you can't have him I Adit I was one of those people because I think what we're witnessing here in Columbus is greatness i' I think I said this after leagues cup uh I was like cherish what we have because this is uh this is the Golden Era this is a great day and time in columc history and we know that it's not going to last long but if I personally would not have wanted Nazi as us MN manager only because the way that he plays his style is so intricate and you need a lot of time to develop players into these positions and into certain roles and give them certain directions uh on a on a day-to-day basis like how they're how the team practices all week and not just for two weeks out every four months or every six months out of a year because at that point in time you're going to forget things you're going to go back to Club so used to playing with your club team you have to come back wait I don't remember how to do this and it's going to take some time but it's shocking to hear that he didn't get a call because for us ussf to contact uh Jurgen klopp after he said in his exit interview at Liverpool I'm done coaching I don't want to coach anymore I'm exhausted um it's it's one of those okay let's go for a big name knowing that he doesn't want to coach anymore as opposed to okay let's go to an MLs coach where the last MLS coach did okay in my opinion but he's also from the Columbus Crew and Greg burh halter so we will allow Greg berhalter slander we will we will allow that okay we will allow that I I he didn't do bad he didn't do good honestly but I I think and more so these guys need somebody as I as I said uh off off air before we started a team like us MNT needs a coach with a certain pedigree that knows how to instill a winning system mentality Etc whatever you want to call it as opposed to somebody who's just done MLS through years and years so that that's just my take on it but I'm happy well for Nazi still here it's a win for you yeah well and also too I I think that Nazi kind of like what you said about him being so um he him loving the day-to-day aspect and like really hitting home of like what you're supposed to do I think maybe um he might just be a better suited Club coach maybe maybe the national team game really isn't for him not to say he'd be bad but he just thrives better when he's really Hands-On with his players and involved from the day-to-day basis yeah um now this is one of the one of the last things I want to transition to and I want to spend a little bit of time on this yeah definitely is willfred Nazi uh well I think the trajectory is saying this but is he in that discussion of being the best MLS coach of all time man uh I was on uh battered fans with uh Daniel from The Battered Harens on Tuesday night and I was getting absolutely cooked in the comments um I think he is honestly because I don't know any besides Pat Nunan um who's kind of having a little trip up now with injuries and and whatnot I don't know if any other manager in MLS that since I've started watching MLS that has been so consist IST in winning and getting points and valuable um trophies then wif freed nzi has Within These last nine 10 months I think we're reaching 10 months now I think he has a a certain way of viewing this game that no other coach has or had I should say it's like a uh a prime example the uh the chess picture of Ronaldo and Messi um they kind of recreated that when nzi was hired he was sitting sitting down playing chess by himself on uh during his photo shoot but the way that he has certain uh I want say his nuances in this game um and certain ways that he sees how the game is different analogies that he compares to it's so mindblowing to to figure out that okay what is he going to do now is he going to do this is he going to do this and then he'll do like the complete opposite and it'll work and I'm just like this is mindboggling I've never seen anything like this I guess you can make a a case for uh Brian schmetzer um in Seattle after uh was that 16 17 and 18 that they made back to back to back finals um they see so they've won two and they've been to four so yeah 16 17 18 and they lost to the crew in 2020 yeah you can I you can make a CO you can make a case for Brian schmetzer because going that many Finals within a four or five year span it's pretty pretty dang impressive yeah but sure yeah I think just the way that he has these players all on one consistent page day in and day out you can't find that any anywhere else in MLS like I said except for maybe Cincinnati because supporter Shield last year good chance of winning supporter Shield again this year if they can catch Miami but I don't think any other coach in MLS has this consistent basis and buy in from his players than Wilfred Nazi I I am in the belief of Nazi is the best manager of this league has ever seen now his trophy cabinet isn't as rich as maybe some other coaches like maybe Bruce Arena you can make an argument but one thing about Bruce who I have a lot of respect for I think he's the OG goat he's the old head goat right he coached when there was 12 14 teams 16 teams the last time he won a championship there was only I think 19 teams in the league Wilfred won a championship when there was 29 teams in the league right and then there's 18 teams that make the playoffs more than half the league he prevailed and you know he took down a giant lafc where the Galaxy at that in that era were the Giants right they were the team to beat he slayed the Giant and also too when you another guy you mentioned is Brian schmetzer just because he has two MLS cups he has he's the first modern MLS coach to win the cap Champions League yep now he is very I respect Brian schmetzer for what he's done but I think Brian schmetzer is is limited like I think that what he does it works to a certain degree in MLS and he's had a lot of a lot of good luck but Nazi is the coach where people say that guy might not be long for this league I don't know if Pat Nunan or or Brian schmetzer's ever anyone's ever regarded them in that way like hey this guy could go to Europe and Thrive and be a really good manager in maybe a top five League where Nazi people think he's only scratching the surface and maybe we haven't even seen the best of what he has the best to come there like the best is still yet to come for him um so I think that if he stays in NLS which I you know I for selfish reasons I'd like to see him stay in them L just to see what he can do over a long term like if he stays with Columbus for 10 years right and I'm talking about since la like starting last year on the clock I think he'll probably have he'll probably have three or four mless cups in my opinion just because he's that good of a manager and he'll probably have at least one Champions League at least one Champions League Maybe more um what other manager could do that hell some managers don't win a single championship in 10 years Pat Nan's a good manager like you point out I just think he I think he's like good for what the a for what the traditional domestic coaches wolf for Nazi is different like he he has a different background so like he's kind of new to the equation which I think is what makes him unique and why he's so special I think he's the go I think he's if if he wins Zess Cup this year I'd say he's the goat that's just my opinion I I I still find it hard to believe and I can I can see the argument uh for any St Louis fans that that are gonna that are going to watch this of how close nzi was to uh being second place for uh MLS manager of the year last year Broadley Carnell took St Louis first year great job Pat nun and EM uh supporter Shield Eastern Conference Final great job nany I I'm baffled at how he came in third place to Bradley Carnell and I'm just like this is insane because you everybody was I will say crew van were kind of on edge about uh about his style of play because he plays three in the back we're so used to 42 31 we had it with Greg burh halter we had it with Caleb Porter everybody's so used to the 4231 formation that playing three in the back is very very risky however I think nzi has set up a good structure and he did so bringing in Rudy kamacho from Montreal who he's played who R kamacho has played under I think Rudy kamacho has been a a very good Center back because yeah nzi can coach from the side but obviously can't step onto the field and be on the field with the players that's why he brought in kamacho because kamacho is played in the system before you have players who've never played in the system before so having kamacho as one of the uh other beat riters say having a a mini miniature Wilfred Nazi on the pitch being able to direct players and and whatnot is has been a GameChanger because yeah there's some slip UPS we saw that with NY CFC and Miami and I think Philadelphia in the leagues cup mishaps happen in the back but the one thing with Nazi and I don't know if you know this he wants players to make mistakes he wants them to make mistakes he wants them to learn because the only way that they're going to learn is they make mistakes that's the only way you can learn and where I'm just like this guy is likeo I like it revolutionary right yes exactly I if if Columbus were to win MLS Cup this year um yeah I think he's he's the greatest manager of all time no I I listen man I agree and so I would say that you and I are both the same page that he's building a dynasty in Columbus and so this leads to my final question for you how do you feel about their chances of repeating this year it's hard to even make it to another MLS Cup uh in a backtack years like let win it but just making it to the to the final and they just won leagues cup which we won't get we won't debate of like how people feel about you know there's a lot of people on the fence about one way or another with the tournament but either way they won it right that you can't take it away from them they won the tournament they were the last team standing what how are you feeling about year two the Columbus crw chances of repeating and making it to the MLS Cup Final I think I I want to say my my faith in them is is High I I believe that they can um as I mentioned before couple minor mistakes just need tweaked a little bit especially in the in the defensive half but as I mentioned before the the Buy in from the players is is so good um I think the biggest problem that we'll have La in the latter portion of this season and I don't even know if he's gonna if he's going to come that's Miami obviously they have Leno Messi Suarez buett Alba they also have player good players like uh Ben hogman kosi uh Leo Campana um Thomas Ailes they have great players and tto Martino has done so good obviously we know from his time in Atlanta um has done so well with with Miami but I I want to say if if they can play the crew can play that how they did um last year obviously they as you said they haven't missed a beat at all um I I do think that we have a great chance of repeating I think just if we can get over the hump of Miami possibly Cincinnati um I I like our chances of repeating I hope we get lafc again if that were the case so we can uh win you and then man it's guaranteed it's guaranteed if it's if it's LFC four four times two three times being major uh major trophy I I have faith in this team that we can repeat if not I don't see it being an unsuccessful year because we had a successful year we won a trophy we have a chance to win another trophy 26 days from now uh and campones cup against Club America um but this team can definitely go all the way and I'm I'm so excited uh because then I might have to travel hey man that's that's always a good time and and I agree with you 100% about ENT Miami that's the only team that scares me because well I'm neutral but I mean like for if I was putting myself in like a Columbus Crew fan shoe put myself in your shoes tataa Martino is the only coach in the entire league in my opinion that's even remotely on Nazis level tactically as a manager he's the only one I would even put in that same in that class of of tactics um so that's what makes a little interesting and like you said they also have the Barca boys uh uh for the sequel right um so it it's kind of a weird weird sit situation but I feel like the Columbus Crew are built different we're watching history right now I love watching them play it's nice to see more than just two clubs be really good it's nice to see a small Market team be arguably the best team in the league just makes things interesting and spicy right um so I think it's going to be a great playoffs I feel very good about you guys making it to the cup um and it's going to be interesting to see what happens if you guys win the Cup who's going to be call who's going to call and is Nazi G to pick up uh it's going to be a fun remainder of the Season man I can't wait I I will say I there was one there was one point in time where I kind of did not want us to advance in leagues cup because obviously we had a game against Philadelphia this past Wednesday they got rescheduled from the 24th so we're back to playing two games a week a little bit um but the comeback against Miami uh in the I think it was the quarterfinals um I was like oh this yeah I'm this team's winning MLS Cup uh down two nothing I was like okay we're we're down and out they had the same mindset last year in the Eastern Conference Final when we went down to two nothing to Cincinnati okay yeah we're down and out maybe it just wasn't meant to be and then all of a sudden it's just a master class and I'm like yeah we're winning the cup that's it that's all there is too we're winning the cup 100% man no I can't I can't wait time man it's going to be interesting to see what happens yeah um I'm gonna it's going to be a good playoffs we only have less than two months man until we start the ml Cup playoffs and it's going to be a very exciting ride I feel like this is the most contenders we've ever had uh that that I I put it at like six teams I think that can legitimately win the Cup this year uh so I think that that's going to be exciting to see who prevails and wins elma's cup I I'm very excited man and Hey listen I appreciate you coming on today where can people follow you at where can they read read your great uh uh writings and your great journalistic work where where can they follow you at yeah I'm I'm on Twitter or X as it's called now uh Fisher Tyler uncore uh and if you guys like reading work uh you guys can find my stuff on massport.com make sure you check Ty out he writes great articles go to guy for anything crew related appreciate him having appreciate having him on uh or him coming on and joining us we'll definitely have him on again if he if he'd like especially with the crew looking like they're going to be a series Contender the rest of the season uh so I appreciate it Ty uh until next time guys I will see you all soon