In a 15-minute span Tuesday night, CrewSC fans saw Ethan Finlay at his undervalued best and maddening worst in a 1-0 win at Minnesota United.

The right winger’s diagonal run in the 58th minute occupied two defenders, preventing them from stepping up and providing Kekuta Manneh time and an open shooting lane to score. Finlay’s speed and work rate sometimes go unnoticed in helping create offense for others.

Minutes later, Finlay whiffed on a wide-open attempt inside the box off a perfect feed from Jukka Raitala. In fairness, teammates Ola Kamara and Justin Meram also failed on glorious chances to kill the game. Yet Finlay’s missed opportunity was indicative of the struggles that have plagued him over the past two years. He’s recorded a goal and an assist in 17 games (13 starts), while registering just four shots on target this season.

As the summer transfer window opens Monday, coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter must decide if Finlay’s hustle and athleticism are enough to justify his place in the starting lineup. Otherwise, Berhalter needs to either upgrade the position or alter his formation, allowing Finlay to be more of a box-to-box midfielder.

No one move is likely to cure what ails the Crew, which entered the Gold Cup break sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 9-10-1 mark. The club is yielding 1.60 goals per match, the sixth-worst total in the league. The center-back position remains disturbingly unsettled and, as Dispatch columnist Michael Arace observed, a case can be made that the problem is as much the system as the personnel.

Berhalter has used ample resources over the past 12 months to correct the problem, adding Nico Naess, Jonathan Mensah, Alex Crognale, Lalas Abubaker and Josh Williams. The Crew would be better served tweaking the system and/or finding the right combination at center-back rather than investing more of Anthony Precourt’s money to strengthen a weakness.

Which brings us back to right wing. The fact Berhalter remains true to Finlay – seven goals over his last 51 appearances dating to the start of last season – shows how much respect the coach has for the industrious player. It also points to the lack of a viable alternative.

Manneh is better on the left side. Berhalter could move Meram to the right, but does he want to mess with a player who’s in such great form?

Meram has eight goals and six assists. The combination of Meram, Kamara and Federico Higuain has combined for 26 goals and 14 assists. The Crew is getting almost nothing from the right side in a season fullback Harrison Afful also has regressed. If the club wants to ensure a playoff spot, there needs to be more offensive balance.

Can the Crew afford to wait on Finlay in hopes he regains his 2015 MLS Best XI form when he contributed 12 goals and 13 assists? His downturn in production is not a lack of effort or desire. Teammates appreciate his dedication and selfless approach. Finlay’s 1-v-1 performance against Montreal defender Kyle Fisher on June 24 played an important role in a 4-1 win over Montreal at Mapfre Stadium.

But the sixth-year pro hasn’t scored since the opener. He went 18 matches between shots on target. The winger has never been a technically gifted player, and the shortcoming appears to have caught up with him. His touches are erratic at times and his miscues have become more noticeable since last season’s trade of Kei Kamara. The former Crew striker created time and space for teammates around him. While the technically sound Higuain and Meram have adapted, Finlay misses what Kei Kamara afforded him.

If Berhalter committed to a different alignment, say a 4-4-2, Finlay’s athleticism and speed might be better employed as a box-to-box midfielder. The coach prefers his 4-2-3-1 structure, however. It’s his default setting.

The popular Finlay slowly improved as last season unfurled. Maybe he returns from the Gold Cup break and finds his game. Berhalter’s patience and loyalty are not infinite, though. The summer transfer window remains open until Aug. 9.

If Finlay cannot rediscover his touch, a change on the right side might be necessary.

treed@dispatch.com

@treed1919