Columbus Crew

Columbus Crew hold a special place in American soccer as the league's first club built with a dedicated soccer-specific stadium, a move that reshaped how MLS teams operate. Nicknamed "the Massive," the Crew have built one of the league's most loyal fan bases in a city that fought publicly to keep the team from relocating. Their yellow-and-black identity and blue-collar Ohio roots give them a distinct, workmanlike character on the field. Columbus has consistently been one of MLS's more successful clubs on the biggest stages.

Founded in 1994 as one of MLS's original clubs, Columbus Crew has won three MLS Cup championships — in 2008, 2020, and 2023 — placing them among the league's most decorated franchises. The club also made history in 1999 by opening Historic Crew Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium built for an MLS team. A high-profile relocation threat in 2017-2018 sparked the "Save the Crew" grassroots movement, which succeeded in keeping the team in Columbus under new ownership.