Columbus' 'B' team making the difference in MLS Cup defense

Defending Major League Soccer champion Columbus beat the New England Revolution, 4-0, on Saturday to secure second place in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference . The win put the Crew one step closer to clinching home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Columbus winning isn't special — the team has 18 wins, more than any team except Inter Miami and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Columbus, however, won without any of its star players, as goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, striker Cucho Hernandez, winger Mo Farsi and utility player Sean Zawadzki were away on international duty. Yet the Crew dominated with mostly second-stringers.

To hear Columbus coach Wilfried Nancy tell it, that was the plan all along.

"This is not easy, but this is the challenge," Nancy said of working with his bench, per Charlie Hatch of the team's website . "...The performance for me is really important. I'm really happy when I can see any kind of player that I can put in and they bring something. For me, this is the key point."

The depth of Nancy's team is a huge benefit as the MLS season ticks closer to the playoffs. As postseason matches come in thick and fast and injuries pile up, it's often the background players who wind up making the difference in the fight for the MLS Cup. Last season, it was Christian Ramirez — a late Nancy substitute — who scored Columbus' decisive goal in the conference finals.

Ramirez has since gone on to become a key starter for Columbus. But who does Nancy have in the pipeline this season who could do the same? The New England victory suggests he has plenty of options:

Alex Matan | Midfielder

Matan came to Columbus in 2022 with high expectations but quickly fell out of favor with coach Caleb Porter. When Nancy took over in 2023, Matan was nowhere.

What a difference a year makes. It was Matan who stepped up Saturday in Cucho's absence, scoring a hat trick. He may not always fit into Nancy's starting 11, but he's more than capable of delivering goals when he takes the field.

AZ Jackson | Midfielder

Jackson, one of the breakout stars of the 2024 MLS season, is also one of the fastest, trickiest and more creative midfielders in the league. Jackson's strength comes from his positioning. He excels at drawing defenders from his Columbus teammates to free space for them to score.

His efforts split New England open on Saturday. Expect him to do the same in the playoffs.

DeJuan Jones | Defender

MLS teams need a good utility player — look at FC Cincinnati, whose spot in the playoffs this season is largely thanks to multi-position wonder Yuya Kubo. Columbus got one in 2024 when it signed Jones from the New England Revolution.

Jones is best known as a fearsome defender who can play all over the back line and is equally adept at shutting down opposition attacks and creating ones for his own team. But his gorgeous volley in the first five minutes against New England proves he should be known as an attacker, too. He operated as a pseudo-winger and looked comfortable in that role from the jump.

Columbus will close the MLS regular season Saturday with a Decision-Day matchup against the New York Red Bulls. It is expected to face the Red Bulls again in the opening round of the MLS playoffs.