1: I get why Caleb took the position he did to cut off incoming balls to Gressel but when those balls find Jullian, good grief. Gressel only needs half a yard to cross in a quality ball and Caleb gave him more than that. 

2: We attempted to apply pressures in Columbus’ half we just didn’t win the ball off of them nearly enough and the few times we did, we didn’t launch into a meaningful attack after. 

3: It’s a little jarring to play a team like Columbus only a few days after a team like Philly and it showed. Columbus passed at 91% and won 8 corners in the first half alone. That should tell you everything you need to know about how effective we let them be. They kept the ball on the ground and moved it around effectively and we didn’t do enough to break up their rhythm. Credit to our defense for a few good moments and some key tackles because without those, it’s 2-0 Columbus at the half. 

4: Even with Miles scoring the winner and even with the goal we conceded I think MOTM goes to Guz for me. Maybe his distribution wasn’t the best at times, but his gloves kept us in this one. 

5: This was billed as a an exciting match where both teams wanted the ball. Well it was exciting (and frustrating in equal measure) but I only saw one team that wanted the ball. Try as we might, we just could not get the ball off their feet. I give Columbus a lot of credit. They did not change their approach one bit at any time. Even kicking off directly after our equalizer, they were quick, aggressive and progressed the ball quickly on the ground. They basically played the type of game we like to play. They looked a contender for MLS cup and we looked like maybe we’ll get out of the first round.