Ghana defender Harrison Afful has revealed that the togetherness and support for each other has been key to Columbus Crew's form at the MLS is Back tournament.
The Gold and Blacks have been flawless in Group E of the competition, winning all three games and not conceding any goal.
On Tuesday evening, Columbus Crew defeated former MLS champions Atlanta United to finish top of the group and will be awaiting the runners up from Group D in the round of 16.
"I think we are always confident initially. We stay compact, we don’t want to take any risk on the ball. I mean, we are always good on the ball, and also, we listen to what the coaches have for us, then we deliver on the pitch," he said after the game.
"I think that is keeping us going. We learn and we improve. And Jonathan as our leader, as our captain, we always try to help each other and encourage each other. I think that is keeping us going," he added.
Afful was returning to the starting line up after missing the win against FC Cincinnati last week, and was key in the build up to the winner which saw Crew thread 19 passes before the end product. Younnes Mokthar scored the only goal in the 18th minute.
The 33-year old also disclosed how important it is for them to close out games as early as possible.
"I think the first thing is we came into the game with the right mentality. We always listen to the coaches. Talking about goals, whenever we get a goal initially, we go out there and try and also get another one, but if it doesn’t happen initially, we stay compact and we keep the ball moving," said Afful.
By Lukman Abdul Mumin