When Caleb Porter took over Columbus Crew SC at the start of the 2019 Major League Soccer season, it seemed it would be a smooth transition from his predecessor Gregg Berhalter. After some early success with the same lineup and a very similar playing style, however, the team’s performance dropped and the head coach needed to make some changes in an attempt to right the ship.
The most noticeable of them, perhaps, involved Artur, a centerpiece of Berhalter’s system. After starting 12 of the team’s 13 first matches in the season, the Brazilian midfielder was subbed off at halftime during the 3-0 loss to Los Angeles Football Club at the start of May and never returned to the team’s starting lineup, playing a meaningless seven minutes in the team’s last three matches.