After a year away, a sizzling Columbus Crew SC side are back in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
Josh Williams and Justin Meram scored on either side of halftime and Columbus eased to an Eastern Conference berth with a 2-0 victory over last-place D.C. United on Saturday night.
Other than spell late in the first half, Crew SC were dominant in their final regular season home game of 2017, outpossessing D.C.57% to 43% while completing 83% of their passes.
That helped coach Gregg Berhalter's side clinch their first return to the postseason since reaching the 2015 MLS Cup Final. In the process, Columbus set a new club record with its 12th home win of the season and pushed its unbeaten run to eight matches.
Three Things
CLOCKWORK YELLOW:
At their best, Crew SC are known for flummoxing and frustrating opponents with their possession-based football, and that happened in several sequences on Saturday night. The most obvious came on the buildup to Meram’s career-high 13th goal, which included a clever give-and-go between Artur and Federico Higuain as well as a deft dummy from Hector Jimenez. That said, Meram still had an awful lot to do for his sensational finish.
Lucky number 13 🍀 @JustinMeram#CLBvDC#CrewSCpic.twitter.com/GfMWXn0z7W
— #ClaimGlory (@ColumbusCrewSC) October 1, 2017
THE LAST PEAK AT PIPA?:
Knowing that Federico Higuain may be departing after the season,
Crew SC fans flew a tifo in tribute
to the Argentine playmaker who has called Columbus home since 2012. They still have an outside chance to take fourth place and secure a home knockout round match. Otherwise, Columbus would need to reach the conference semifinals to guarantee another home match for their captain, who registered his 10th assist of the season on Williams' opener.
