Who's staying and who's going? A closer look at Columbus Crew's roster decisions
The Crew, by and large, believes it has the right mix of players to repeat as MLS Cup champions in 2024.
That much was made evident when the team shared numerous roster decisions Tuesday, and all but one player (Julian Gressel) from the club's postseason run was announced as returning next year.
"There's a lot of belief within the team," said goalkeeper Patrick Schulte. "The club's got a vision, and you’ve started to see it take off over the last two months. So, I'm just excited with the vision that they have going into next year and years to come.”
When asked about keeping a majority of this group together, Crew president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko explained they are looking to maintain a deep roster.
"I think consistency is one of the competitive advantages in MLS," he said. "I think with the number of matches that will be required of this team in probably the most congested schedule in the history of Major League Soccer, it will require players who know the system and know the club values. It's gonna take probably a full 30 (players), maybe dipping down into Crew 2, calling players up for these competitions.”
As the roster currently stands, there are 21 players who were either brought back, had their options exercised or were already under contract for 2024.
'Columbus, it was short and sweet'
Those were the words of Gressel via Instagram following the Crew's roster decisions.
The 29-year-old's contract expired and he is officially a free agent. This comes just months after Gressel was brought to Columbus in a trade with the Vancouver Whitecaps for $500,000 in Guaranteed Allocation Money.
"Whatever we gave up will not hurt anything that we need to do to evolve the roster," Bezbatchenko said.
Both Bezbatchenko and coach Wilfried Nancy credit Gressel for what he was able to bring to the team (such as his contributions to their Eastern Conference championship win) despite not starting for most of the playoffs.
And while Bezbatchenko was unwilling to rule out re-signing Gressel during the offseason, he did reference the player's goodbye message, saying, "I'll let him give the answer."
$750k and zero starts
MLS veteran Kevin Molino, who signed with the club in free agency back in 2021, had a rough season. It started with an injury that kept him on the shelf from March to June. When Molino did return, he saw limited action off the bench. Despite that, the club decided to pick up his $750k contract for the 2024 season.
"The way this league is evolved, (it's important) to have a player who has a game-changing ability come on ... and come in different roles," Bezbatchenko said. "Kevin's an ultimate pro, he's a great person. Where the roster is now, we'll see where it is at the beginning of the year, let's put it that way.”
Bringing back the Crew's backline
The first news dropped by the club this offseason regarded the re-signing of Steven Moriera, who played the most minutes for the club during the regular season. He is now signed to stay in Columbus until 2025, with a club option for 2026.
"It’s funny because when I was in Montreal and I played against Columbus, I said, ‘This player is something," Nancy recalled of Moreira. "When I signed, I was really happy because I knew that we were able to modify his game on the pitch, but also off the pitch, and this is what happened. He’s been a really good leader because he’s able to connect with everyone."
Nancy has high expectations for Moreira in 2024 due to the defender's impressive performance this season, specifically against the 2023 Golden Boot winner, LAFC's Denis Bouanga, in the MLS Cup final.
Shortly after announcing Moreira's re-signing, Rudy Camacho's new deal was made public. A late-season addition to the club from CF Montreal, Camacho has quickly become a leader and is contracted to stay until 2025.
'He's vital to me'
Goalkeeper Evan Bush logged a limited number of minutes this season, but his impact was immeasurable. A veteran in the league for more than a decade, Bush took the rookie Schulte, under his wing.
"He's vital to me, to the goalie group, to this team," Schulte said. "He's just a leader in the locker room. For me, he's someone that's gonna push me to be better and that wants me to be better."
With his prior contract running out at the end of the 2023 season, Bush was told that his role would remain as more of a mentor to the 22-year-old Schulte. Nancy made this clear to him, and when he asked Bush about returning in 2024, he told him to take some time to think about it.
"After two minutes, he told me 'No, I'm going to be here,'" Nancy said. Bush's new contract was announced by the club following the Moreira and Camacho re-signings.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew make a statement with their 2024 roster decisions
