Have Columbus Crew found their next right back? Steven Moreira given a chance to earn it
Jacob Myers
The Crew looked for Harrison Afful's replacement at right back before the 2020 season, renewed the search before the start of the 2021 season, and finally landed on French defender Steven Moreira after other options didn't materialize during the summer transfer window.
It took the Crew more than a year and a half to get a player whom they hope can be the long-term fixture at right back. As Afful’s production, quality and pace on the outside has noticeably declined this season, at age 35, the need for the successor became essential.
In the final six games, the Crew should be able to determine whether Moreira will be that guy. Afful is out for a couple of weeks with a minor knee sprain.
Given his contract situation, it doesn’t appear the Crew are yet convinced Moreira will be their long-term option. The Crew signed Moreira as a free agent, announcing he was under contract for the rest of the 2021 season with an option for 2022 and 2023.
But coach Caleb Porter insists he has liked what he's seen.
"I think he's done a very good job actually of integrating quickly,” Porter said. “He's a good pro. He's a good guy, has a nice energy about him, a big smile. That always helps when you're a positive guy and a team guy. The players have quickly grown to like him and see his quality..”
Caleb Porter: Why Columbus Crew hasn’t created enough scoring chances, and what has to change
On top of that, Moreira appears to have the characteristics of the player that Porter, general manager Tim Bezbatchenko, technical director Pat Onstad and the rest of the technical staff were looking for. At 27, Moreira is considerably younger than Afful, has good speed and can get down the right flank to deliver crosses, and has experience playing in Ligue 1, the top French division.
The Crew were looking for Afful’s successor for a while. The club signed Scottish right back Chris Cadden — who was 23 at the time — before the 2020 season, but he wasn’t the solution. The Crew then signed Marlon Hairston as an experimental right back in the offseason, but he hasn’t played that position this year.
After signing in late August, Moreira didn’t arrive in Columbus until mid-September. He then had to go through a couple of weeks of training to be game-ready because he hadn’t played since May when his Ligue 2 season with Toulouse finished.
He started in his first two appearances against Cruz Azul in a Campeones Cup victory and a loss to Philadelphia Union.
Michael Arace: Defending title was once well within Crew's power, and now it's beyond them
“I haven't played for a while, but I had a good feeling on the field,” Moreira said through a club interpreter. “Then on Sunday, I'm feeling better and better despite the bad result. But I think I'm just going to get better and perform better.”
Moreira said he had options to stay in Europe, but he wanted to go outside of France and take on a different challenge. After speaking with Porter, Bezbatchenko, Onstad and director of player personnel Issa Tall — a French national — Moreira said he was convinced this opportunity was for him.
"What I liked about our discussions was that I felt like I was going to join a club that was very family-oriented,” Moreira said. “At the end of the day it's the MLS Cup champion and I knew I was choosing the best club in MLS.”
Moreira appears to have seized the starting role. In the final six games, he will prove whether or not he deserves it long-term.
"Regardless where I was going, I always want to play. But it's on me to perform and then earn my spot,” Moreira said. “But no matter where I go, I always work that way.”
jmyers@dispatch.com
@_jcmyers