Issa Tall knew in the spring that a busy summer was ahead for the Crew.
What Tall, the Crew’s general manager, couldn't anticipate was just how frenetic it would be with nine players heading elsewhere and 10 joining his roster, all in the span of two-plus months. MLS doesn't keep official stats on the number of transfers made in a season or during a particular window, but the Crew's crazy summer was certainly one of the most active in franchise history.
“We didn’t enter the window saying, ‘Hey, let’s break a record and let’s sign as many players as possible,’” Tall said. “It’s just that we didn’t see 2026 as, ‘OK, you know what? We're not getting a good spot. Let’s just give up and think of next year or summer 2027.’ It’s wanting to compete this
year and compete in the spring season. So, that was the mindset.”
Topping the Crew’s outgoing list were transfers that sent star forward Diego Rossi, a designated player, to Monterrey FC of Mexico’s Liga MX and star midfielder Max Arfsten to Middlesbrough FC of England’s EFL Championship division. Tall also worked out a contract buyout with midfielder Daniel Gazdag, an ill-fitting designated player who then signed with the New England Revolution.
On the incoming side, Tall’s biggest additions were attacking midfielders Brais Mendez (Real Sociedad/La Liga) and Santiago Rodriguez (Botafogo/Brazil Serie A); veteran free agents Josef Martinez (forward), Eric Bailly (defender) and Brooks Lennon (defender); plus a last-minute loan acquisition of winger Anass Zaroury (Panathinaikos/Greece).
“I told our scouting department [in the spring], ‘Please be mindful of discarding your vacation during the summer,’ just because it will be busy,” Tall said. “I didn’t anticipate that many players [moving], to be honest with you, because as much as you plan for Max [Arfsten] to leave, you hope that he doesn't. Same thing with Diego [Rossi]. It’s a possibility because we discussed it in December [2025], but you hope that he doesn't. But you have to be ready, and we were ready once those guys left.”
The result was a tumultuous shakeup that still has the Crew looking to its interim head coach, Laurent Courtois, plus a small core of established leaders, including captain Sean Zawadzki and defender Steven Moreira, to re-establish a foothold in a largely frustrating season.
Fans are now focused on the Crew’s upcoming matchup against Orlando City FC on Sept. 16 in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, which still holds hope for winning a trophy of some sort. Players still believe a rally in the last nine MLS matches can get them into the playoffs, but that's a tall order following a gutting 1-0 loss to Red Bull New York on a goal in the 89th minute Sept. 12 at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.
There's now seven points to make up and four teams to pass in the Eastern Conference.
Players have come to Courtois’ defense despite enduring a five-game losing streak across all competitions in August, saying the Crew's fate is ultimately up to them, but Tall took it a step further.
“Yeah, it’s on the players, but it’s also on Laurent, it’s also on me, it’s also on our staff,” he said. “It’s not just one individual. It’s collectively. If we don't have the results we hope to have, we all fail collectively. It’s been challenging with the [August] schedule congestion [and] with many other reasons. It doesn’t matter. It’s ... the Crew has to win."
Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew GM Issa Tall is not rebuilding: 'The Crew has to win'
