​After a rocky 15 months since joining the Crew, Daniel Gazdag has a chance to turn things around.Expectations were high when the Crew made a $4 million trade with the Philadelphia Union to sign Gazdag as a designated player in April 2025. During Gazdag’s five seasons in Philadelphia, he set the franchise record for goals, scoring 72 in 161 games, 38 off penalty kicks.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRelated Daniel Gazdag article: Columbus Crew officially acquire designated player Daniel Gazdag from Philadelphia UnionGazdag failed to carry his success from Philadelphia to Columbus, going scoreless through his first 16 games with the Crew, while taking 10 games to record an assist.The Crew underwent a coaching change following Wilfried Nancy’s departure in November 2025, and Henrik Rydstrom took over, though little changed for Gazdag.The 30-year-old struggled to break into Rydstrom’s lineup. He was limited to eight minutes off the bench in the season opener against the Portland Timbers, and in 10 games and six regular-season starts under Rydstrom, Gazdag recorded one goal.Columbus Crew forward Daniel Gazdag (8) reacts to scoring a goal during the weather-delayed MLS match against the LA Galaxy at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus on April 22, 2026.But with the Crew entering the second half without injured striker Wessam Abou Ali and forward Diego Rossi, who departed for CF Monterrey, Gazdag sees one more opportunity to meet the expectations set when he arrived in Columbus.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”Somebody needs to step up,” Gazdag said. “And, obviously, because I’m the third DP, I’m the one who has to step up and take the team on my back.”More: Columbus Crew continue to ‘freshen up’ roster for second half of MLS seasonWhen assistant coach Laurent Courtois was promoted to interim head coach following Rydstrom’s firing on May 17, the Crew had already been without Abou Ali for over a month. The 27-year-old suffered a season-ending ACL tear after scoring five goals across the opening seven games.Courtois’ options for building an attacking core became even more limited on July 3, when Rossi departed for Liga MX’s CF Monterrey. Rossi finished his three seasons in Columbus with 37 goals, including a team-leading six goals in 2026.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCourtois has a vision for where to play Gazdag, knowing the forward’s strengths.”Daniel has a way to link us, I would say,” Courtois said. “He has a way to get to the space that the teammate freed, then recognize the phase of play. When we want to accelerate, or just find the moment to put a foot on the ball and slow down. His IQ is something that I really value. The thing with Danny is we need him to find himself in those positions every game.”Columbus Crew midfielder Dániel Gazdag (8) races upfield during the first half of the Leagues Cup match against Toluca FC at Lower.com Field in Columbus on July 29, 2025.But given his lack of production since joining the Cr