The Columbus Crew have become a staple team in MLS history, one of the original founding 10, the Crew were the first to many things. The first team to build a soccer specific stadium, the first team to make a high profile transfer abroad, and the first team to tear down their SSS and build a new one.
The Crew have been there and done that in MLS with 3 MLS Cups, 3 Supporters Shields, 1 US Open Cup, and 1 Campeones Cup. Now Wilfried Nancy’s side has another accolade they can hold their hat on, being one of the best teams in the world at holding on to a ball when being under defensive pressure.
The study was done by CIES, Football Observatory, and indicated that their study dealt with a “player is considered to be under pressure when he is in possession of the ball and has at least one opponent close to him trying to recover it or limit his playing options…. SkillCorner determines the intensity of the pressure by taking into account the speed of the players exerting it, their distance from the player in possession and the angle of their movement. In this report, we will focus on high-intensity pressure, i.e. pressure exerted with the greatest speed and at the greatest proximity to the opponent.”
Columbus Crew ranked sixth in retaining the ball under high-intensity pressure
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The report places the Columbus Crew in sixth place, at 80.5% retention rate when under pressure. The best team in the world under pressure is Manchester City with 84.2%, second is Real Madrid at 81.2%, PSG at 80.8%, and Arsenal at 80.8% round out the top 4.
Columbus Crew midfielder Yaw Yeboah (14) handles the ball against New York Red Bulls defender Kyle Duncan (6) in their match in Columbus, Ohio.
Other teams that may surprise on the list include Southampton at 80.1%, Leicester City at 80.1%, and Bayern Munich in 9th place at 79.9%. You can view the full report here.
The Columbus Crew are tied with Inter Miami in first place of the MLS East with 10 points and next play on the road against Charlotte FC on Saturday evening.
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