What We Learned: Crew vs. Los Angeles Galaxy

1. Execution, not personnel, is the issue
Having lost 4 of their last 5, the Crew are at a loss for how to turn things around. Saturday's game against the Galaxy proved that the Crew have enough talent to be playing better than they have been. Andres Mendoza, Robbie Rogers and Emilio Renteria all created dangerous chances as the game wore on, but the Crew struggled with their finishing. Those three attackers, combined with the solid play of Emmanuel Ekpo and Chad Marshall, looked to be just a step away from giving the Crew a major advantage over LA. If they can regain some of their rhythm from earlier in the season, the Crew should be able to right the ship

2. The Crew need a full game from Andres Mendoza and Emilio Renteria
Mendoza and Renteria have combined for 17 of the Crew's 35 goals on the season. When nearly half of a team's offensive output comes from one dynamic duo, it becomes necessary for those two to step it up in crunch time. If the Crew are going to hang on to a playoff spot in the last few weeks of the season, they'll need Renteria and Mendoza (both scoreless in the run of play in 3 straight) to carry the offensive load. Renteria has been suffering from injury, but his play in 25 minutes against Los Angeles suggested that he's ready to go - something the Crew desperately need in the homestretch.

3. There's no such thing as easy points this late in the season
It looked as if the Crew might catch a break on Saturday by facing an LA side that had to field reserves due to CONCACAF Champions League fatigue, but the Galaxy matched their intensity throughout and came away with all 3 points at the end. Whether the motivation is simply to improve a clinched playoff position (like the Galaxy), to save face at the end of a disappointing season (like one of the Crew's final opponents, New England) or to fight with a rival for a spot at the dance (like 3 of the Crew's next 4 foes, Kansas City, DC, and Chicago), no one is backing down at the season's close. This Crew team has to come out more focused than they did on Saturday if they hope to hang on to their playoff spot. It might help them to realize that the other team won't just let them impose their will.

4. Now we can see how this group will work with their back to the wall
The Crew, by all metrics, have had a tremendous amount of success over the past 4 seasons. They've made the playoffs the last 3 seasons, won 2 Supporter's Shields and of course, took their first MLS Cup. This season, despite something of a roster overhaul (parting ways with Guillermo Barros Schelotto, of course) has looked like much of the same up until now, where the Crew have to look at the very real possibility of missing out on the playoffs.

Over the last two seasons, the Crew were criticized for a perceived complacency and not showing up in the clutch by making early postseason exits. This group hasn't yet been in a position to fight for their playoff lives until now. Can the sting of getting upset in the playoffs the last two years be enough to motivate Columbus or will they prove the naysayers right by folding when the going gets tough? The Crew are able to control their destiny, so we stand to learn a lot about the makeup of this team over the next four weeks.