Football Season Guide

Columbus will look to build on a fairly successful campaign last season that saw them overcome some early hiccups to achieve their minimum aim of making it to the playoffs before losing out to MLS Cup winners Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference finals. Coach Gregg Berhalter experimented with a three-man defense system midway through the campaign but ultimately had to revert back to the tried and tested 4231 formation to ensure there were no late setbacks in their quest to make it to the postseason. The upcoming season promises to be a campaign of transition for Columbus. While the future of the franchise continues to be under a cloud, Berhalter will be more concerned with Columbus' immediate future on the pitch where they have lost two of their biggest players during the off-season with top scorer Ola Kamara and Justin Meram both leaving the club. With Jukka Raitala also gone in Expansion Draft and the likes of Waylon Francis and Kekuta Manneh not being resigned, there are some sizable holes in the Columbus roster ahead of the season. The club has acquired Gyasi Zardes in the deal that saw Kamara go to LA Galaxy but it remains to be seen whether the attacker will be able to replace Kamara as a reliable goal scorer, having struggled since his breakthrough season a few years ago though he has largely been played out of position. The arrivals of Ricardo Clark and Mike Grella will boost experienced options for Berhalter while Eduardo Sosa and Milton Valenzuela could prove to be acceptable gambles with an eye on the future. Columbus do have enough quality in their first 11 to once again finish above the red line though much will depend on how soon the new signings settle down and whether Federico Higuain will be able to remain fit for large portions of the campaign.