Your First Crew Match

Soccer in ten minutes

Two teams of 11 try to put the ball in the other team's net without using their hands. Almost everything else is detail. These are the details you'll actually notice.

2 × 45Two 45-minute halves with a 15-minute halftime.

No timeoutsThe clock counts up and never stops.

+4The referee adds stoppage time at the end of each half for injuries, subs and delays. A board shows the minimum.

Ties countNo overtime or shootout in the regular season. A tie is a tie.

Offside, the rule everyone asks about

When a teammate passes the ball forward, the attacker can't be closer to the goal than the last defender (not counting the goalkeeper) at the moment the pass is made. Level is fine. It stops strikers from camping next to the goal.

Try it

Gold is the Crew attacking up the field. Red is D.C. defending. Move the striker, then play the pass.

Striker's position Slide right to move closer to the goal.

Waiting for the pass.

Three exceptions: you can't be offside in your own half, or straight from a throw-in, goal kick or corner kick. Watch the assistant referee on the sideline; they run level with the last defender so they can see the line.

Cards

Tap a card to flip it.

Why did the game stop?

Throw-in

The ball went fully over the sideline. The team that didn't touch it last throws it back in with both hands, over the head, both feet on the ground.

Corner kick

A defender was last to touch the ball before it went over their own goal line. The attacking team kicks it from the corner arc, usually high into a crowd of players in front of the goal. Many goals come from corners, often headers. Last Saturday, Malte Amundsen headed in a Dylan Chambost corner for the Crew's second goal.

Goal kick

An attacker was last to touch the ball before it went over the goal line (and it wasn't a goal). The defending team restarts with a kick from just in front of its own goal.

Free kick

Awarded after a foul. Opponents must stand 10 yards away, so they line up shoulder to shoulder in a "wall." On a direct free kick the player can shoot straight at goal. On an indirect free kick (the referee holds one arm straight up) someone else has to touch the ball before it can go in.

Penalty kick

A defender fouled an attacker inside his own penalty box (the big rectangle). One shot from 12 yards, just the shooter against the goalkeeper. Most are scored.

Video review (VAR)

A video team reviews every goal, penalty and straight red card. If the referee touches an ear, they're listening to the video team. If they draw a rectangle in the air, they're going to the sideline monitor. In MLS the referee then explains the decision over the stadium speakers.

Newer rules you might spot

The keeper's 8-second count. Once the goalkeeper has the ball in hand, he has eight seconds to let it go. The referee raises a hand and counts down the last five. Too slow, and the other team gets a corner kick.
Ten seconds to leave. A substituted player has 10 seconds to get off the field, or his replacement has to wait a full minute. MLS invented this; it's now used worldwide.
Two minutes off. If trainers come on to treat a player, he usually has to leave the field for two minutes (head injuries and a few other cases excepted). That's why a team can be a man short for a moment without a red card.
Five substitutions. Each team gets five subs, in no more than three stoppages plus halftime. A fourth official holds up a board: red number off, green number on.

How the MLS season works

Thirty teams in two conferences of 15. Each plays 34 games. A win is worth 3 points, a tie 1, a loss 0, and the table is sorted by points. American sports media list records as wins-losses-ties, so the Crew's 11-15-5 is 38 points.

1Regular season, Feb. 21 to Nov. 7Ends with "Decision Day," when all 30 teams play at once. The Crew are at Chicago that day.
2Wild card, Nov. 18The top nine in each conference make the playoffs. Seeds 8 and 9 play one game; a tie goes straight to penalty kicks.
3Round One, Nov. 20 to Dec. 2Best of three. The 1 seed plays the wild card winner.
4Conference semifinals and finals, Dec. 5 to 12One game each, winner advances.
5MLS Cup, Dec. 18The championship. The Crew have won it three times: 2008, 2020 and 2023.

A few things that make MLS different

No relegation. In most countries the worst teams drop to a lower league. In MLS everyone stays.

Salary cap, with exceptions. Each team can have up to three "Designated Players" whose pay mostly sits outside the cap. That's how clubs sign stars from Europe. The Crew's include Brais Méndez.

Homegrown players come up through a club's own youth academy. Captain Sean Zawadzki is one.

Two trophies for the regular season and playoffs. The Supporters' Shield goes to the best regular-season record (Nashville is running away with it this year). The MLS Cup goes to the playoff winner.

A calendar change. This is the last season that runs February to December. After a short spring season in 2027, MLS switches to the European calendar, July to May.

Words you'll hear

Open the glossary

Pitch: The field.
Kit: The uniform.
Nil: Zero. "Two-nil" is 2-0.
Draw: A tie.
Clean sheet: The goalkeeper didn't allow a goal. Also "shutout."
Brace: Two goals by one player in a game. Amundsen scored one last Saturday.
Hat trick: Three goals by one player.
Box: The penalty area in front of each goal.
Set piece: Any restart where the ball is placed: corners, free kicks, penalties.
Cross: A pass from near the sideline into the middle in front of the goal.
Header: Shooting or passing with the head.
Through ball: A pass into open space behind the defense for a runner. Where offside calls happen.
Stoppage time: Minutes added at the end of each half. Shown as "90+3."
Capo: The supporter with the megaphone leading chants in the Nordecke.

The Crew's 2026, as a story

A new coach who lasted 14 games. Three of the best players gone by August. A cup final lost on penalties. And then, this month, the best run of the year.

11-15-5Wins, losses, ties

38Points, 10th of 15 in the East

5 of 6Wins in the last six games

Points piling up, game by game

Tap or drag across the chart to see each result. The flat stretches are losses.

Line chart of the Crew's cumulative points over 31 games: 13 points in 14 games under Henrik Rydström, then 25 points in 17 games under interim coach Laurent Courtois, reaching 38. Ninth place currently has 39.

WinTieLoss

All 31 results as a table

#	Date	Opponent	Result

Blank scores weren't confirmed in the sources used for this page.

How it unfolded

Dec. 2025The coach who won it all leavesWilfried Nancy, who led the Crew to the 2023 MLS Cup and 2024 Leagues Cup, left for Celtic in Scotland. The Crew hired Henrik Rydström, who had won two Swedish titles at Malmö.
Apr. 12The striker goes downWessam Abou Ali, the team's top scorer with 5 goals in 7 games, tore his ACL against Orlando. Out for the season.
May 17Rydström is let goAfter a 3-7-4 start the club fired him. Assistant Laurent Courtois, who used to run the Crew's reserve team, took over as interim coach. He's still interim.
May 25 to July 21World Cup breakMLS paused for the World Cup in North America. Crew wingback Max Arfsten played for the U.S.
July 3The leading scorer is soldDiego Rossi went to Monterrey in Mexico for a reported $8 million. His 6 goals still lead the team. Spanish midfielder Brais Méndez arrived from Real Sociedad to take his roster spot.
Aug. 4Arfsten sold tooThe two-time All-Star went to Middlesbrough in England for a reported $7.5 million.
Aug. 13A famous name signsJosef Martínez, the 2018 MLS MVP and sixth on the league's all-time scoring list, joined as a free agent.
Oct. 21Heartbreak at homeThe Crew hosted the U.S. Open Cup final against St. Louis. It finished 0-0 and they lost the penalty shootout 5-3.
Oct. 24The bounce-backThree days later they beat Toronto 4-2, their fifth win in six games.
Oct. 28At FC DallasWednesday night. Dallas is second in the West.
Oct. 31You are here: vs. D.C. UnitedLast regular-season home game. A win keeps the playoff chase alive heading into the final week.
Nov. 7Decision Day at ChicagoAll 30 teams play at once. Eastern games kick off at 4 p.m.

The playoff race

Top nine make it. Every team below has three games left.

The thick line is the playoff cutoff. Ties on points go to the team with more wins, then better goal difference.

Pick the Crew's last three results

Who to watch

The Crew wear black and gold. Numbers are on the back and the front of the shorts. Tap a player for more.

Lineups are posted about an hour before kickoff in the Crew and MLS apps. Not everyone here will start.

Who's missing

Wessam Abou Ali, No. 9Torn ACL in April. Out for the year.
Diego RossiSold to Monterrey in July. Still the team's top scorer.
Max ArfstenSold to Middlesbrough in August after playing for the U.S. at the World Cup.
Darlington NagbeThe longtime captain retired after last season.

D.C. United, the other team

7-12-12, 13th in the East, with more ties than wins. They've lost four of their last five and are all but out of the playoff race.
No. 9, Tai Baribo, an Israeli striker, is their scorer: 14 league goals as of mid-October, including both goals when D.C. beat the Crew 2-1 in Washington on Sept. 9.
Romanian forward Louis Munteanu was their club-record signing last winter.
One of MLS's original clubs, with four MLS Cups (1996, 1997, 1999, 2004), but no playoff trip since 2019.
Team colors: black and red.

Saturday at the stadium

10:00a.m.Parking lots near the stadium open (four hours before kickoff on weekends). Pay with the ParkMobile or ParkColumbus app.
12:30p.m.Gates open, 90 minutes before kickoff.
~12:50p.m.Team arrival on Columbus Crew Way, where fans line the walk and high-five players. Usually a little over an hour before kickoff; the club's match guide, posted a day or two ahead, has the exact time.
~1:45p.m.Pregame. Find your seats; the teams walk out together, followed by the anthem.
2:00p.m.Kickoff.
~2:48p.m.Halftime, about 15 minutes. The line for food is shortest in the first minutes of the second half, if you can stand to miss them.
~3:55p.m.Final whistle, depending on stoppage time.

Know before you go

Bags: nothing bigger than 5 by 8 by 1 inches (a small wallet or clutch), except medical and diaper bags. There's a bag check on Nationwide Blvd., south of the stadium.
Your phone is your ticket, and the stadium is cashless. Free Wi-Fi is "Stadium WiFi."
Every seat is under the roof canopy, so rain isn't much of a worry. The shade gets cool by late October, so bring a layer.
Wear black and gold. D.C.'s colors aren't allowed in the Nordecke section.
First match? At recent games the club has handed first-timers a pin and certificate at Guest Services. Worth asking.
Local food: Schmidt's, Swensons, Donatos and Dirty Frank's all have stands.

The Nordecke

The supporters' section behind the north goal, sections 124 to 130. About 3,300 fans stand for the whole game with drums, flags, nonstop chants and smoke after Crew goals. It's one of the steepest stands in MLS. Before kickoff a "Match Ignitor" gets it started.

You don't need to sit there to enjoy it. Watch it during the walkout and after a Crew goal.

Thirty years in a few lines

1996One of MLS's 10 original clubs, playing at Ohio Stadium.
1999Opens Crew Stadium, the first stadium built for a pro soccer team in the U.S.
2002U.S. Open Cuptrophy
2008First MLS Cup, plus the Supporters' Shield (also won in 2004 and 2009)trophy
2017The owner announces he's considering a move to Austin. Fans start #SaveTheCrew, and the city and state fight the move. The Haslam family (who own the Browns) and Dr. Pete Edwards take over on Jan. 1, 2019.
2020Second MLS Cuptrophy
2021Moves into the new downtown stadium, now ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.
2023Third MLS Cup, followed by the 2024 Leagues Cuptrophy

The big rival is FC Cincinnati; the matchup is called "Hell Is Real." The Crew beat them twice this year.

Match bingo

Tap a square when it happens. Four in a row (across, down or diagonal) wins.

Ready check

Seven quick questions. No pressure.

Your first Crew match