"I hope this game will work like a wake-up call. It's amazing with football that you can prepare, and you can be aware of things, but then, for some reasons you forget about it, or you don't do it. The problem we had was, mentally, we didn't take a step against them. The counter-attacks were a little bit the same."
"I saw some very good moments from the team, but the feeling myself and the staff had after the game is that we beat ourselves. There were too many easy turnovers, too many easy balls given away, and then gives a momentum shift when we're in control. Those things need to be cleaned up."
Columbus Crew lost their opening match 3-2 to Portland Timbers despite taking an early lead, with a late Ariel Lassiter goal proving decisive. Manager Henrik Rydstrom, in his first competitive MLS game, identified mental lapses and counter-attack vulnerabilities as key problems. He hopes the defeat serves as a wake-up call for his players to improve before facing Sporting Kansas City. Sporting also suffered a heavy 3-0 opening loss to San Jose Earthquakes under new head coach Raphael Wicky, who acknowledged excessive turnovers and poor defensive organization. Both teams seek redemption in their second-week matchup.
Read at Soccer News
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