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Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, MLS

Light It Up Blue Closes Out The Season

The Crew finish off an up and down season with a loss to New York

Columbus fails to qualify for the playoffs

The Columbus Crew’s season ended Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 loss against the New York Red Bulls. The loss meant the Crew finished their season in 9th place in the Eastern Conference, failing to qualify for the playoffs.

After the Crew’s win last week against FC Cincinnati, many thought a playoff spot was possible. All the Crew needed was to win their last match against New York while Orlando City SC, FC Cincinnati, and the New England Revolution all lost their matches.

Unfortunately for the Crew, the other three teams won their matches. That meant a Columbus win in their match would only see them finish above Cincinnati in the standings.

The Crew started the match off well. In the 7th minute, Cucho Hernandez made a great run down the right side of the field, beating the Red Bulls defender. Hernandez tried to cross the ball to a streaking Will Sands, but the cross was behind Sands, and the chance went begging.

The Crew had another chance in the 25th minute. Aidan Morris played a great ball to a wide-open Derrick Etienne Jr. in the box. Etienne’s shot was right at Red Bulls goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, and the chance went to waste.

The Red Bulls took the lead in the 37th minute on a very well-worked set piece. Luquinhas swung in a free-kick from the left side, and a wide-open John Tolkin was able to head the ball past Eloy Room.

The Crew tried to fight back in the 2nd half, but they were unable to find the back of the net. The Red Bulls had a couple of chances to extend their lead, but Room made a couple of great saves to keep the Crew in the match.

The Crew’s best chance to equalize came in the 79th minute. substitute Yaw Yeboah beat a couple of Red Bulls defenders and forced Coronel into a great save. The Crew were unable to get another quality chance the rest of the match, and the match ended 1-0.

The Crew finished the season with a record of 10-18-6. It was a disappointing season for the Crew, but there were some bright spots.

Cucho Hernandez was a great addition to the team, scoring 18 goals in 33 matches. Aidan Morris also had a great season, scoring 7 goals and providing 4 assists in 34 matches.

The Crew will look to build on the positives from this season and improve next season. They will have a lot of work to do, but they have the potential to be a playoff team next year.