Columbus Happy To Be Criticized

• Columbus Dispatch, Friday, May 23, 2008 11:45 AM

After missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for three consecutive seasons, the Columbus Crew is happy to be on the receiving end of scathing attacks from opposition coaches. It means that it's finally being taken seriously again.
 
After last weekend's scoreless tie at Toronto FC, the TFC coach John Carver said that Columbus came "to spoil the game [and]... to take their time." Schmid's bemused response? "I watched the Toronto-D.C. game [Wednesday] night," he told Michael Arace, "and Toronto was bunkered down pretty good. Maybe Mr. Carver understands how the momentum of games can change."
 
"The majority of coaches attempt to win with defense," writes Arace. "Those who succeed are criticized more harshly because, well, they're beating everyone else. At its best, the Crew has the greater share of possession, moves in a smooth transition through the midfield and strikes with ferocity. At its worst, it adapts and finds a way to get a point, as it did in Toronto." One of the ironies of Carver's comments, he adds, is that the Crew is ranked among the top goal-scoring teams in MLS.

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