The Crew this offseason will have to come to terms with losing Zach Steffen. Steffen has been a solid keeper this season and was a stable force amidst turmoil on and off the field. His presence was first felt after he stonewalled Atlanta in the playoffs. The Crew will have to learn to live without him next season and his reliability will have to be found elsewhere.
Steffen is headed to the premier league as he joins Manchester city for a reported $10 million transfer fee. Steffen won the 2018 MLS goalkeeper of the year and certainly was a main reason the Crew were able to go as far in the postseason as they did.
The Crew will need to first find a replacement between the posts and then find a replacement in the locker room for the stable leader he was. It will be interesting to see how the crew adjust to a new roster as new management begins the transition into power. If the Crew of 2019 are to emulate the success of 2018 they will certainly need to find the resolve that Steffen provided. While Columbus never appeared to be the final landing place for Zach, it sure was a great stop on what will be a great career.
Columbus only currently has one goalie on their roster with Jon Kempin because Ben Lundgaard was also on loan this season before Steffen was targeted by Manchester City. This offseason will be sure to be active as the Crew will need to retain as many of its core players as it can and will hopefully not see their coach Gregg Berhalter leave as well. Time will tell but this offseason could be significant for the Crew heading into next season. One positive is that FC Cincinnati’s expansion draft will not require the Crew to make any players available.