A year ago, 11 of 16 Columbus Crew SC defeats came by a single goal. And while some of that came down to being unlucky, a number of times — like against D.C. United in late April or Toronto FC in the final game of the year — it came from “a bit of magic,” as head coach Caleb Porter put it, from the opposition.
The Crew, due to injuries, player turnover, a coaching change and other reasons, didn’t have that magic when it mattered. There wasn’t enough top-level quality in the team and it cost the Black & Gold during one of the team’s most disappointing seasons in recent memory.