Wilfried Nancy was not happy with how his Columbus Crew side entered the break following a 5-1 defeat to Inter Miami, and wants to see a response against Vancouver Whitecaps.
Although Columbus are on a six-game winless run in the league, five of those matches ended in draws before their loss in Miami.
Nancy’s side are fifth in the Eastern Conference and just six points off the top spot despite their recent form.
The head coach said the break came at a frustrating time for the Crew, but the result does not define their season.
“When there is a break like this, this is the last game of the cycle, so I don’t want a break. I want to go back and to work,” Nancy said after the loss to Miami.
“At the same time, they need a break, and everybody needs a break. That’s why we’re going to take the time to analyse this game. It won’t be difficult to analyse this game because we got punished on the same situation, I would say. At the same time, I think that, yes, we haven’t won, but the performances were good.
“First time that we have a bad game this season. It comes at the end of a cycle with a lot of games and so on. Yes, but not a good performance.
“We have to, after that, come back and go back to work. When we win or when we lose, this is the same. Now, we need to go back and work with that.”
Progressing through the Player Pathway
The Columbus Crew have signed midfielder Tristan Brown as a Homegrown Player through the 2028 season with Club options for 2029 and 2030.https://t.co/HWV8vjqHXl
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) June 10, 2025
Getting back to winning form will not be straightforward for Columbus as they face Western Conference leaders Vancouver next.
The Whitecaps have not lost in the league since March and returned from their Champions Cup heartbreak with an emphatic 3-0 win over the Seattle Sounders last time out.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi
Diego Rossi has been a key player for Columbus this season, leading the way with eight goals and three assists in the league.
Rossi has scored six career regular-season goals against Vancouver, equalling his most against any opponent.
Vancouver Whitecaps – Daniel Rios
There were 30 passes in the build-up to Daniel Rios’ 70th-minute goal in Vancouver’s win over Seattle on Sunday, the longest passing build-up to a goal in the Whitecaps’ MLS history and tied for the longest by any team in MLS this season.
It was just his second goal of the campaign, and with Brian White included in the United States’ Gold Cup squad, he has big boots to fill.
MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN
Despite their winless run, the Crew are expected to make the most of their home advantage in this game.
Columbus have not lost back-to-back regular-season matches in over two years, since defeats to FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC in May 2023.
However, Vancouver are unbeaten in 11 straight regular-season matches (W6 D5), the longest active streak in MLS and the longest in club history.
The Whitecaps could become the fourth team since MLS expanded to a 34-match schedule in 2011 to have just one loss at the midway point of a full season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Columbus Crew – 49.6%
Draw – 25.4%
Vancouver Whitecaps – 25%
