The infusion of Lucas Zelarayan and Youness Mokhtar back into the lineup on Saturday night at Nipper Stadium against FC Cincinnati improved the Crews possession, but it didnt give the club the offensive lift it needed to come away with three points.

A scoreless draw with its top lineup against FC Cincinnati, less than two months after a 4-0 win against the same team, wasn't so much a regression for the Crew offense as it was a reflection of the new normal the team is navigating as it tries to reestablish what made the offense successful in the MLS is Back tournament.

Like New York City FC in the previous game, FC Cincinnati deployed its defense deep and the Crew struggled to break it down and create opportunities. Future opponents will likely see that as a recipe for success against the team in second place in the Eastern Conference through eight games.

To break down compact defenses such as Cincinnati used, chemistry between attacking players must be sublime. And with playmakers Zelarayan and Mokhtar having missed multiple games and weeks of training, the Crew can only now begin to rebuild what was lost in the offense.

"Those little connections, that little bit of sharpness and, for sure, that chemistry in the final third with our front players we need to get back where we were at early in Orlando," Crew coach Caleb Porter said after Saturdays match.

"I'm confident we'll be back where we were and even better. Tonight, I think you saw we had some good moments, but we need to keep working on it and we just need time. It's that simple."

Zelarayan had his best scoring chance Saturday night in the 51st minute with a ball from Milton Valenzuela at the top of the box. With just enough space to get a clean shot off, Zelarayan hit the side netting just wide of the left post.

Whenever Zelarayan, Mokhtar or winger Pedro Santos had possession and tried to play through the middle from a wide position, the Cincinnati defense blocked passing lanes and pressured the ball. With a back line of five defenders, the Crew was often outnumbered in the box, and crosses from the outside backs or wingers were cleared away consistently.

Zelarayan had the most pressure on him as soon as a pass was directed his way and was uncharacteristically dispossessed multiple times. Defender Josh Williams said that was evidence to him that it takes time coming back from injury because the speed, physicality and sharpness of decision making required in a game cant truly be replicated in training.

"Even a guy like Lucas who, to me, I watch him in training and I don't think he ever loses the ball," Williams said. "As those guys get going, I think you're going to see their play rise and rise, and eventually they'll be back to their old selves and causing havoc for upcoming defenses."

The Crew offense hasnt been completely absent, and theres no reason to panic. Theres time for the Crews execution in the final third to improve with the team being at full strength again and two more days in this upcoming three-game window starting Wednesday at home against Philadelphia compared to the previous window.

"We'll get better with time and more games where we'll play the same group and dig into some of those little final third details," Porter said.

jmyers@dispatch.com

@_jcmyers

Originally posted here:
Crews top playmakers Lucas Zelarayan and Youness Mokhtar working on their chemistry - The Columbus Dispatch