Columbus Crew and New York City FC just played to a 0-0 stalemate at Lower.com Field on Matchday 5 of the Major League Soccer season. Keaton Parks was lost to an early injury, and both teams were extremely shorthanded due to international call-ups, injuries, and suspensions.
The game had a weird feel from the get-go because of the different-looking lineups the teams were forced to deploy, with NYCFC turning to its youngsters to provide depth – Máximo Carrizo and Seymour Reid, both 17-year-olds, made their MLS debuts late in the second half.
All that said, there are some big takeaways to discuss coming out of this 0-0, a game that was dominated by the home team. Here are five thoughts on this scoreless draw in Ohio.
1. A struggle, but a point
This match was not one to remember for New York City FC. They created little to nothing in attack, taking five shots but putting none of them on target. The field completely tilted in the direction of the Crew in terms of possession, chances created, shots on target, and dangerous moments.
It's still a valuable point gained on the road for NYCFC, in a fixture – Columbus away – that they haven't won since April 2017. The Crew will be the more disappointed team to not have won this game, given how they dominated and had a goal waived off by VAR in the 84th minute, when a Columbus player was offside in the build-up. Both teams played with severely depleted rosters and didn't put on a clinic of the sport, but NYCFC is probably the happier of the two to leave Lower.com Field with a point.
2. USMNT needs Freese
MATTYYYYY 🥶 pic.twitter.com/sITDamLAYm
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) March 23, 2025
The New York City goalkeeper hadn't put up the big stats of his 2024 season through the first four matches of 2025, but he had his best game of the year to date in Columbus. Matt Freese made five saves and was the difference in NYCFC walking out with one point. It's his first clean sheet of 2025, with those something of a rarity even last season during the goalkeeper’s great year. NYCFC needed him to get something from this game, and you know who else needed Freese this week?
The United States men's national team. The USMNT, in case you missed it, got knocked out of the Concacaf Nations League Finals in the semis when goalkeeper Matt Turner got caught out of position and beaten with a far-post strike from distance by Panama's Cecilio Waterman right at the end of the match. Zack Steffen probably saves it, Patrick Schulte likely saves it, and Matt Freese definitely saves it. Hopefully Mauricio Pochettino reconsiders and gives Freese another look soon in his USMNT goalkeeper group.
3. The Mounsef Bakrar game
A start at striker in place of Alonso Martínez vs the Crew represented a golden opportunity for Mounsef Bakrar. He played a part in every game this season, two starts now with this game in Columbus, but his last goal came 13 appearances ago, even if many of those came late in matches and only amounted to a handful of minutes. On the Apple broadcast, Steve Cangialosi said "No player in the league needs a goal more tonight" while discussing Bakrar's big chance.
He did little to distinguish himself. Bakrar did his usual pressing and made his aggressive runs at defenders, but remained quiet, managing just one shot through 73 minutes while losing lots of aerial and ground duels (eight total) with Columbus players. He was trying to make things happen but not succeeding while NYCFC was struggling to get a hold of the game for much of the 90 minutes.
Bakrar could have raised Pascal Jansen's eyebrows by putting in a sharp performance away against Columbus, but instead, it was more like his usual largely ineffective work from the 2024 season.
Hudson River Blue Staff
4. Thinnest bench ever?
Hours before this game, NYCFC had to give three players from the MLS Next Pro squad Short-Term contracts so they could occupy spots on the bench. That trio included two under-18 teenagers, plus a Homegrown goalkeeper yet to make his MLS debut. The international call-ups, injuries to a handful of players, and the striking lack of new senior-level signings made it slim pickings for Pascal Jansen. The early injury to his rock in the midfield, Keaton Parks, also didn't help when it came to one of Jansen's stated goals for his team, controlling more of the ball.
Columbus was missing more of its usual starters for this game, each team with a lengthy list of absentees nearing double figures. The absences of Alonso Martínez and then Parks 35 minutes in pushed NYCFC to its roster limits. Youngsters Seymour Reid and Máximo Carrizo made their MLS debuts late in the second half while Jansen tried to jumpstart his attack, but that was a tough first assignment for a pair of teenagers on the road against recent MLS Cup and Leagues Cup winners.
5. Short-lived Haak-Parks pivot
Pascal Jansen opted for more experience in his midfield in this game, starting Justin Haak next to Keaton Parks, with Birk Risa coming into the back line to fill Haak's spot next to Thiago Martins. Keaton looked amazing again in his first 30 minutes vs. the Crew, continuing what was looking like one of his best runs of games in recent memory. Instead of another complete midfield performance, Parks picked up an injury and needed to be removed in the 35th minute, replaced by 17-year-old Jonny Shore.
Shore and Haak held their own but any hope for matching Darlington Nagbe in possession and in controlling the ball in the midfield was lost when Parks limped out of the match. If Parks faces an absence of any length due to the injury, it will be extremely interesting to see how the midfield shapes up. Andrés Perea has been out with a hip injury, and Jonny Shore has been asked to do a lot within his first four MLS games ever.
