Football Season Guide

Columbus Crew finished well short of their pre-season expectations of qualifying for the playoffs last season as injuries to key players and an inconsistent attack meant they failed to hit double figures in the win column. Columbus will need to rebuild their midfield before the new season kicks off with their creative lynchpin Federico Higuain ending an eight-year stay at the club while captain Wil Trapp has been traded to Miami. Ricardo Clark, David Guzman and David Accam played a rotational role last season but have also left the club With regards to arrivals, Lucas Zelarayan is their biggest signing with the Argentine midfielder brought in to replace Higuain's creativity. Darlington Nagbe has also been signed from Atlanta United and is expected to partner Artur in the midfield while Axel Sjoberg and Fanendo Adi will provide depth in the attack and defense. Columbus do have a fairly strong and deep roster heading into the campaign but much will depend on how quickly will their new signings settle and whether their front line will be more consistent compared to the last season. They should make it to the playoffs barring any serious injuries, especially in the center of the midfield where they are a bit light beyond the first choice pairing of Nagbe and Artur.