The Columbus Crew can complete one of the most improbable late-season climbs in Major League Soccer on Saturday, Oct. 31, when they host D.C. United with a playoff berth within reach, according to reporting by The Columbus Dispatch.
Two months ago the scenario looked out of reach. The Dispatch reported the Crew (12-15-5, 41 points) sat last among the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference on Sept. 1, five points behind Orlando City for the ninth and final postseason berth and 11 points back of sixth-place FC Cincinnati.
Since then, Columbus has put together a four-match winning streak as part of six victories in seven matches, climbing to ninth place, two points behind Cincinnati and Orlando with two matches left in the regular season, The Dispatch reported.
The clinching math for Saturday is specific. According to The Dispatch, the Crew clinch if they beat D.C. United while Toronto FC loses or draws against Atlanta United and the New York Red Bulls lose or draw at Nashville SC, with both of those matches played Sunday, Nov. 1.
Columbus carries real momentum into the match. Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte made seven saves for his seventh shutout of the season in a 2-0 win at FC Dallas on Wednesday, The Dispatch reported.
The opponent arrives short-handed. D.C. United (7-13-12, 33 points) was eliminated from playoff contention on Oct. 28 in a 2-1 loss to Toronto, and leading scorer Tai Baribo, who has 16 of the club’s 39 goals, will be unavailable because of an injury, according to The Dispatch.
Columbus also got good news on the injury front Friday. Head coach Laurent Courtois said Brais Mendez, who has five goals and four assists in 13 matches, will be available after missing the past two matches with an injury, The Dispatch reported.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What is confirmed is the Crew’s position: ninth place, 41 points, and a path that starts with three points at home on Saturday. What remains unknown until Sunday is whether Toronto and the Red Bulls cooperate — a Crew win alone does not finish the job this weekend.
The turnaround itself is the story of the fall in Columbus soccer. A team that was last in the conference on Sept. 1 has won six of seven, leaned on a goalkeeper in form, and turned its final home stretch into meaningful matches.
Ohio soccer fans can follow the state’s other late-season runs in our coverage of No. 3 Ohio State women’s ninth straight win over Michigan.
What happens next is straightforward: the Crew host D.C. United on Saturday, Oct. 31, and then watch Sunday’s Toronto and New York results. A win plus help puts Columbus in the postseason; anything less sends the race to the final matchday.
The standings squeeze explains the urgency. With Orlando City and FC Cincinnati both two points ahead of Columbus and only two matches left, the Crew cannot afford to drop points at home against an eliminated opponent — a draw or loss on Saturday would leave the final matchday needing far more help.
Home form is the Crew’s lever. Saturday’s match is in Columbus, against a D.C. side playing out its season after Wednesday’s elimination loss, and the Dispatch’s account of the clinching scenarios makes the Crew the only party in the equation that controls its own result this weekend.
There is also a rivalry layer to the standings: Cincinnati, the Crew’s Hell is Real rival, is one of the two clubs Columbus is chasing, which gives Saturday’s result a second scoreboard for Crew fans to watch when the Sunday matches finish the weekend.
How the Crew got here — a short timeline
Sept. 1: Columbus sits last in the Eastern Conference, five points out of the final playoff spot, according to The Dispatch. Early October through this week: six wins in seven matches, including a four-match winning streak and Wednesday’s 2-0 shutout at FC Dallas, pull the Crew to ninth. Saturday, Oct. 31: D.C. United visits Columbus. Sunday, Nov. 1: Toronto hosts Atlanta and Nashville hosts the Red Bulls — the two results that decide whether Saturday’s work finishes the climb.
Photo: Nova Crystallis, CC BY-SA 4.0
[…] is not the only Columbus team playing a season-shaping game this weekend. On the soccer field, the Columbus Crew can clinch a playoff berth Saturday against D.C. United, and earlier this week the No. 3 Ohio State women beat Michigan 3-1 for a ninth straight […]