All remains quiet on Crew SC transfer pursuits, but the reeling club might be adding a difference maker to its lineup as soon as next week.

Federico Higuain, sidelined since early last month with a sports hernia, is taking part in individual drills and starting to shoot the ball again. Coach Gregg Berhalter said the 31-year-old playmaker won't be fit for Saturday's home game against DC United, but didn't rule him out for July 23 versus Orlando.

All remains quiet on Crew SC transfer pursuits, but the reeling club might be adding a difference maker to its lineup as soon as next week.

Federico Higuain, sidelined since early last month with a sports hernia, is taking part in individual drills and starting to shoot the ball again. Coach Gregg Berhalter said the 31-year-old playmaker won�t be fit for Saturday�s home game against DC United, but didn�t rule him out for July 23 versus Orlando.

�He�s coming along, he�s doing a little something,� Berhalter said.

Higuain last played June 1, a match which began the club�s six-game winless streak that has seen the Crew (3-7-8) plummet to the bottom of the MLS standings. The Designated Player was subbed out in that game against the Union and underwent surgery June 16. The club estimated a five- to seven-week recovery.

The Crew hasn�t scored more than two goals during its slide (0-3-3) and managed only one in a 1-1 home draw Wednesday night against a depleted Toronto FC.

�It would be big,� Berhalter said about Higuain�s potential return. �We�re missing two quality guys right now (Higuain and defender Gaston Sauro) and it shows a little. Federico is a guy who makes people around him better. He gives other people the opportunity to score and puts them in good positions and we have been lacking a little bit of that to be honest.�

Higuain has three goals and three assists in 13 games. He�s been one of the club�s top performers since his 2012 arrival and helped the Crew reach the MLS Cup Final a year ago. It�s been a trying season for the Argentine even before the injury, however. His on-field dustup with Kei Kamara over a penalty kick in a 4-4 draw against Montreal on May 7 made national headlines. Kamara ripped Higuain in the media before being traded to New England.

Controversy aside, there�s little question the Crew need his playmaking in the lineup. On Wednesday, Dilly Duka became the third player to start in his place in a league match since the injury.

�Normally, you can compensate when everyone is firing on all cylinders and everyone is at the top of their game because we get a lot of production from our other guys as well,� Berhalter said. �Now, it�s been more difficult to compensate and it shows we are lacking in creativity in that area a little bit.�

Other quick hitters from Thursday�s practice in Obetz:.

--- Berhalter acknowledged the club met with free agent forward Marcus Haber, but offered no details. The 27-year-old Canadian international most recently played for Crewe Alexandria, a fourth-tier English side, scoring 16 goals in 61 appearances.

--- Berhalter on Duka�s first start: �I think he did OK. It was just getting him comfortable in the positioning and the movement and when he had opportunities to take advantage of them. I think he did fine.�

--- The coach downplayed the club�s drop into last place – shocking, right? – after Wednesday�s results, focusing instead on inching closer to a playoff spot. The Crew remains five points behind sixth-place New England. Beyond the points, however, Columbus needs to leapfrog four Eastern Conference teams to place itself in playoff position.

The Crew has nine games remaining against New England, DC United, Orlando and Chicago, the clubs directly ahead of it. Columbus is 0-1-3 against Chicago, Toronto and New England.

�This is a real struggle we�re going through relatively speaking,� Berhalter said. �I�m not going to compare this to fighting disease or fighting famine, but from our perspective this is going to define who we are as a group.

�Of course there�s concern. It�s not like I�m saying I�m thrilled where we�re at. That�s not the case of all.�

-- treed@dispatch.com

Twitter: @treed1919