With new ownership, management and coaching staff now in place, there are plenty of questions regarding the expectations for Crew SC this season.

Few, however, will be wondering about what the Crew will get from Federico Higuain, even as the midfielder continues on the back nine of his career.

The 34-year-old designated player has been a model of consistency since he arrived in Columbus in July 2012. He enters his eighth season with the club after another productive year in which he recorded six goals and nine assists — good for second and first on the team, respectively.

Even as Higuain — known as “Pipa” to most — begins to creep toward the end of his career, it remains clear he still is one of the Crew’s most valuable assets entering the 2019 MLS season.

“You can learn so much from the guy,” forward Gyasi Zardes said. “Every single time we play, he’s looking for me. And vice versa, I’m constantly analyzing the field and scanning the field seeing where Pipa is.”

Higuain has finished either first, second or third on the team in goals in all but one season with the Crew, and he has led the team in assists in five seasons, including the past two. He is a stable presence in the middle of the attack and see the field as well as anyone on the team.

He won’t ever be the quickest player who will make a long run to the box, but that’s not really his central role, he said.

“Sometimes I have to play a little bit slower, sometimes I try to attack the box. That's only when I sprint,” Higuain said. “Most of the time I’m trained to find the right pocket to get the ball in and make the next play."

Playing slower isn’t Higuain’s way of managing his durability, given his age — he turns 35 in October. But there is no doubt he is conscious of how to perform some self-maintenance to continue to play at the level he has.

“I take care of myself,” he said. “I’m not a very explosive player, so I believe the risks are a little bit lower."

Zardes was the beneficiary of several great plays out of the midfield from Higuain last season on the way to a career-high 19 goals.

In a preseason scrimmage during training on Tuesday, Higuain made another of his signature plays. Sensing that the defense was playing on its heels, he lofted a pass at least 30 yards in the air to Niko Hansen, who finished it with his left foot.

“I think you saw exactly what he is as a player and what he means to us in that play,” forward Patrick Mullins said. “It really came in a sequence where the game was very even and there needed to be a spark of quality. Pipa’s got that in an abundance.”

Coach Caleb Porter has said he wants more across the board from his front four, and when asked about Higuain, he mentioned he wanted someone as “our Xavi, our fulcrum of the entire offense.”

“The No. 1 thing I want on the field is a playmaker,” Porter said. “I see Pipa as a really good fit for the way I like to play.”

More scoring from the wingers in the midfield might have been the missing element that would have lifted the Crew from a middle-tier playoff team to a championship contender last season. It still remains one of the team’s biggest question marks entering 2019.

That makes Higuain’s role even more important, and he has given no reason to think he can’t deliver.

“To have him back and looking like he’s training and hungry for a new season,” Mullins said, “I think it gives us all a big push to see one of our leaders and best players playing at that level."

jmyers@dispatch.com

@Jacob_Myers_25