Higuain Out, TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL

Columbus must not have thought Higuain would go down with an injury because they've never really had a true backup to him, but here the team is. Higuain out with an ACL injury for the rest of the season (and beyond, possibly).

What this means is we'll probably see David Guzman or Eduardo Sosa move up into that role? Guzman is a very... deliberate player. He'd sooner give you a nudge than make a great pass and he offers little to nothing in attack, but he is Porter's "guy" and his vision seems okay. Sosa is more a black box. I'm not terribly sure what to expect out of him. He can be dangerous, but that was in Gregg Berhalter's system.

Last on the list is maybe just stick ol' Ricardo Clark in there. He could hold that role down. As a matter of fact, let's just rank it:

1. Clark
2. Sosa
3. Guzman
x. Santos

Another option for Porter is to just go with a 442 with Guzman and Trapp the two in the middle and Zardes and Mullins up top. The outside backs would have to bomb forward often, so maybe not the best option. How about a 4132 with one of the three guys I mentioned in the middle.

One positive out of this is that the team will have to change radically because of the injury. Something that should have been done a while ago is now forced on them.

ERA OVER

This team has kept bits and pieces together through three investment groups. Wil Trapp, Josh Williams, Federico Higuain fall into that group, specifically. All three of them, one could say, make up a sort of moral and cultural center of the team. They've practically seen it all. Also, this is why they probably should have kept Justin Meram - precisely things like this. These guys know how to work through it because they have been through it.

Looking up and down the roster, I don't see anyone else to step up and hold this sucker together. Afful and Mensah maybe? Just nothing there. Perhaps it's an opportunity for someone to step up. Maybe it's just time for Trapp and Williams to take the team by the scruff and see this team through the rest of the season. I'd like to see that actually.

SEASON PERHAPS LOST

For all intents and purposes, it was probably over a month ago. We may never know why the team jumped the tracks and went careening down a cliff, but it has. Higuain suffering a season-ending just makes the situation much worse (like, falling off a cliff and landing in a pit of snakes). THAT SAID! Despite being a great player, it doesn't mean that someone else can't take hold of the opportunity.

If I'm Trapp or Williams I drive down to the local NBC affiliate or 10TV, pound on the door until someone answers and then shout "I'VE GOT ALOTTA GODDAMN STUFF TO SAY ABOUT HOW WE ARE GOING TO BATTLE THE REST OF THIS SEASON."

Anyhow, darkest before dawn and all of that. Ever wonder where and when that opportunity to become a legend comes from? Well, it's here. Sitting right on your face. I'd like to see intense passion from the guys. Nothing to lose.