Columbus Crew

Columbus Crew are one of MLS's most successful and resilient franchises, representing Ohio's capital from their state-of-the-art Lower.com Field in the city's vibrant Arena District. The club's 'Massive' identity and yellow-and-black colors have become iconic in American soccer, with the Nordecke supporters' section creating one of the league's most intense home atmospheres. Columbus has established itself as a model franchise under the ownership of the Haslam and Edwards families, who famously saved the club from relocation to Austin in 2018. The Crew play an attractive, possession-based style that has produced consistent success and multiple championships in recent years. Columbus's status as America's first soccer-specific stadium city and the Crew's deep community roots make them one of MLS's most beloved clubs.

The Columbus Crew were one of MLS's 10 founding clubs in 1996 and played in the first soccer-specific stadium in American pro sports when Crew Stadium opened in 1999. After years of playoff near-misses, the Crew won their first MLS Cup in 2008, with Guillermo Barros Schelotto's brilliance leading them past the New York Red Bulls in the final. The club's 2020 championship came amid the pandemic, with Lucas Zelarayán's free-kick heroics defining a playoff run that ended with victory over Seattle in the final. Columbus added a third MLS Cup in 2023, defeating LAFC in a thriller, with Cucho Hernández and Diego Rossi leading a dominant attacking side. The fierce rivalry with FC Cincinnati, the 'Hell is Real' derby, has become one of MLS's most intense, with the Ohio clubs battling for bragging rights in a state that has embraced soccer.