The Columbus Crew have returned to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in their first year under head coach Wilfried Nancy.
Columbus' ticket, punched in Matchday 33, puts them on a path towards a possible second MLS Cup title in four years after lifting the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy in 2020.
The Crew, in the buildup to Decision Day on Oct. 21, are hoping to clinch a top-four Eastern Conference spot (and secure home-field advantage).
Key pieces
Columbus' star player is striker Cucho Hernández, who has 13 goals and 11 assists on the year. The club-record signing is a dark-horse candidate in the Golden Boot presented by Audi and Landon Donovan MLS MVP races.
Aside from Cucho, the Crew count on Christian Ramirez, Alexandru Matan and Diego Rossi in the final third. Rossi is their de-facto replacement for Lucas Zelarayán, who left midseason via transfer to the Saudi Pro League.
Beyond their attacking stars, Columbus' key players include US international midfielders Aidan Morris and Julian Gressel, as well as box-to-box midfielder Darlington Nagbe.
Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs
MLS Cup presented by Audi is set for Dec. 9, while the playoffs begin Oct. 25-26 with Wild Card matches. All games can be watched on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
- Seeds 1-7 in each conference qualify for the Round One Best-of-3 series.
- Seeds 8-9 in each conference qualify for the Wild Card matches.
