It is no surprise to the Crew that when they face D.C. United , Christian Benteke is a difference marker.
On Saturday, the Crew tied D.C. United 2-2 on the road , their second draw against D.C. this season. Benteke scored all three of D.C. United's goals in those games.
"Benteke is Benteke," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "Benteke is going to be good. This, for me, is the best player in terms of No. 9. To be as a pivot and to do the lay outs and to set for his teammate and to make the run blind side and to score, he's really good at that. We knew that he's a really good player. We try to do the best as we can."
After making a name for himself in the English Premier League and on Belgium's national team, Benteke signed with D.C. United during the 2022 season. Playing in his second full season in the league, Benteke is leading the MLS with 21 goals.
During the first half on Saturday, Benteke scored goal No. 20 off an assist from defender Aaron Herrera for a 1-0 lead.
Replay: Columbus Crew tie DC United 2-2; Christian Benteke scores 2 for DC United
The Crew struggled in the first half with finishing on opportunities in the final third of the field. A majority of the time, they were unable to get a shot off inside D.C. United's box.
Momentum flipped early in the second half when Cucho Hernandez recorded his team-leading 16th goal of the regular season in the 54th minute to tie the game 1-1. This was followed by an assist from Hernandez on Jacen Russell-Rowe's goal that gave Columbus a 2-1 lead.
The assist was Hernandez's team-leading 13th.
The Crew held the lead for 24 minutes until Benteke evened the score.
"He is a world-class player," Crew midfielder Mo Farsi said. "His career talks for him. He’s a good player, good finishing, good back to goal. He has everything so it’s always hard to play against him.”
Columbus Crew struggle with execution and attitude in first half vs D.C. United
The Crew's problem in the first half came down to execution, according to Nancy.
The Crew's inability to capitalize with the ball led to the plays falling apart and D.C. United gaining possession. One moment in particular that stood out to Nancy was the offensive play the Crew gave away, allowing Herrera to counter and set up Benteke's first goal.
"The best example is the goal that we conceded, the first goal, because we had exactly the right position," Nancy said. "We wanted to all go through the middle or have a plus-one on the side. After that, the ball was supposed to go to Diego (Rossi). Max (Arfsten) touched the ball, he didn’t do it on purpose, and after that, they counter. This is the action in terms of why we struggle a bit in terms of execution at certain moments."
Farsi said he felt a shift in attitude from the whole team in the second half.
After the long week the Crew had leading up to the match, starting with the Campeones Cup loss on Wednesday and then traveling to make a visit to the White House on Friday , Farsi understood why it took time for the attitude to flip.
"It's hard. You finish a final, and a day after you go to D.C.," Farsi said. "But we're professionals. So, I think we need to have a good mindset, and today I don’t think in the first half we were there 100%. I don't think we did such a bad half, but I think we could be better. Most important is the game, and I think when we came back to the second half, it was way better."
Columbus Crew remain in race for 1st place despite draw vs D.C. United
There is still a chance for the Crew to catch Eastern Conference leader Inter Miami .
The Crew are 16-5-9 and have 57 points. Cincinnati is 17-9-5 with 56 points. Inter Miami is 19-4-8 with 65 points. The Crew have four matches to play while Miami and Cincinnati each have three.
The Crew say they are managing to keep the standings out of their minds.
"Our goal was always to win the game," Farsi said. "For me personally, I didn't have this in mind, it was a game away that we wanted to win. So, now I don't think we had any pressure, but it's unfortunate we drew today. ... So, we're just going to go out again and, whether we finish first or second, focus on the playoffs and we're going to do whatever to win the playoffs.”
The Crew's next match is against Miami at Lower.com Field on Wednesday.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew fail to overcome efforts of D.C. United's Christian Benteke, record 2-2 draw
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