Monday, April 3, 2017

Rd 5. Crew Navigate to 3 in a Row

Columbus Crew SC moves past Orlando City SC to notch a third win in a row. A brace from Justin Meram, who is in incredible form, was the difference this week.

The overriding story this week is the simple fact that Columbus finally achieved a third win in a row. Two in a row was a hurdle that the Crew hadn't jumped over since the end of the 2014 season.

Between 2013-2016 MLS seasons, three wins were the high water mark for teams 25 times (most frequent). Columbus and Portland, 2015 MLS Cup finalists, are the only teams thus far in 2017 to have reached that mark.

The achievement is something I've been looking for this season. It might not be much of an indicator of success later in the season, it does show me that the team is putting forth the extra effort this year to right the many wrongs of last year.

One asterisk to this streak is that it occurred over a swiss cheese like MLS schedule due to an important international break. While that might tarnish it a bit, it isn't much. Navigating a lumpy competition is part of the deal with this league.

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