Crew 2 enter MLS Next Pro playoffs with 'extreme validation' from inaugural season success
Six months ago, Sean Zawadzki was hesitant.
As the midfielder prepared for his first professional season after signing with the Crew in January, he knew he would likely spend most of his time with Crew 2 in MLS's developmental league, MLS Next Pro. Zawadzki had little idea what to expect of the brand-new team as it found its footing in the league's first year.
It went better than Zawadzki, Crew 2 general manager Corey Wray and coach Laurent Courtois could've imagined. Crew 2 found success almost immediately and finished the regular season with a 16-3-5 record, winning the Eastern Conference and securing the best overall record in Next Pro, which gives them home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
"At the start, I was kind of a little skeptical," Zawadzki said. "But I think the guys have just been so mentally focused on everything throughout the whole season. I think there isn’t a more deserving group of guys."
Columbus Crew:Aidan Morris, Sean Zawadzki and more lead wave of Crew young talent
Crew 2 open the playoffs Saturday at Historic Crew Stadium against Rochester New York FC, the lone independent team in Next Pro. The other 20 teams are owned and operated by MLS clubs, similar to how Triple-A teams are run in baseball.
Several Next Pro clubs transferred over from the United Soccer League, where some MLS organizations had teams before an official MLS developmental league was launched.
Crew general manager Tim Bezbatchenko hired Wray from Toronto FC in July 2020 with the intention for Wray to run Crew 2, which at the time was expected to begin play in the USL in 2021. That was pushed back due to the pandemic, which allowed the team's first season to instead coincide with the introduction of Next Pro.
"There (were) questions about the makeup of the league (and) how teams were gonna run it, so those were real unknowns," Wray said, "but we were pretty laser-focused on creating an excellent environment and putting something together that allowed the players to reach their potential. If that goes well, then you expect the team to do well."
Even with that expectation, Crew 2's success has exceeded Wray's hopes.
"Winning the league and all that were not necessarily on our goals when we started the year," Wray said. "But knowing and validating what we think when we come to player development and the process and the vision we had, certainly there’s extreme validation that when we put that together, it worked probably better than anyone could’ve ever imagined."
The success hasn't been limited to just games with Crew 2. Jacen Russell-Rowe, who won the inaugural Next Pro Golden Boot with 21 goals in 19 games, was the first Crew 2 player to sign with the senior team and tallied two assists in his first MLS start in June. Mo Farsi signed to the first team a month later.
Other players, like Will Sands and Aidan Morris, spent time with Crew 2 to stay fresh when their role on the senior team diminished. Sands, in particular, credited his ability to step in at the MLS level when Pedro Santos was injured to his minutes with Crew 2. It was music to Wray's ears.
"Our ability to give that platform, it’s definitely been validated because the guys have done well, and that’s the question," Wray said. "When they do contribute at the first team level, what do they look like? Are they prepared? Are they even influencing the game? There’s been plenty of key moments where these guys have actually contributed to wins, draws, goals, assists. That is the feather in the cap for the whole staff on Crew 2 and everybody in the club, that we’ve been able to do that so quickly."
Now, as the Next Pro playoffs begin, Crew 2 has an opportunity to cap their historic first season with a championship.
"We wanted everything to run through Columbus and to have our fans here to support us on a run to the MLS Next Pro Cup final," Zawadzki said. "... I think to be the first club to win MLS Next Pro is a huge accomplishment, but to be the most consistent team and to win the regular season is also something that we really value. But I would say winning the Cup is kind of more important."
Get more Columbus Crew news by listening to our podcasts
Crew 2 vs. Rochester New York FC
When: 3:00 p.m. SaturdayStream: MLSNextPro.comTickets: General admission, $20
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Crew 2 in MLS Next Pro playoffs after successful first season
