2018 Columbus Crew SC season

The 2018 Columbus Crew SC season was the club's 23rd season of existence and their 23rd consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of soccer in the United States and Canada. The first match of the season was on March 3 against Toronto FC. It was the fifth season under head coach Gregg Berhalter.

Columbus Crew SC

2018 season
Investor-operators	Anthony Precourt
Head Coach	Gregg Berhalter
Stadium	MAPFRE Stadium
Major League Soccer	Conference: 5th Overall: 10th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Conference Semifinals
U.S. Open Cup	Fourth Round
Trillium Cup	Winners (5 - 3)
Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup	Winners (0 - 0)
Pacific Rim Cup	3rd Place
Carolina Challenge Cup	Champions
Top goalscorer	League: Gyasi Zardes (19) All: Gyasi Zardes (20)
Highest home attendance	19,121 (9/22 v. COL)
Lowest home attendance	4,992 (6/6 v. CHI)
Average home league attendance	12,472 (62.5%)
Biggest win	CLB 3–0 CHI (5/12)
Biggest defeat	LAG 4–0 CLB (7/7)
Home colors Away colors
← 2017 2019 →

Background

The original logo of the Save the Crew movement

Overshadowing the season for Columbus was a threat by owner Anthony Precourt to move the team to Austin, Texas; Precourt had announced the proposed move in October 2017, five days before the team's final regular season game.^[1] The #SavetheCrew movement had been created in the aftermath of this proposed move.

Two days after the 2018 regular season began, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and the City of Columbus filed a lawsuit against Precourt, citing a 1996 state law that prevents sports teams that benefited from public facilities or financial assistance from relocating to another city without a six-month notice and attempting to sell the team to a local ownership group.^[2] The lawsuit worked its way through the courts throughout the 2018 season.

On October 12, 2018, with two games remaining in the regular season, the owner of the Cleveland Browns (Jimmy Haslam) released a statement stating he, along with other local groups, was in the process of buying the Crew.^[3] MLS later released a statement stating their willingness to keep the Crew in Columbus, and that Precourt would get the rights to start a team in Austin if the deal went through.^[4]

Review

Columbus finished in third place in the inaugural Pacific Rim Cup during preseason. Facing a pair of Japanese opponents, Crew SC were defeated by Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in the semifinals, but bounced back with a victory over Iwaki FC in the consolation game. Columbus then took part in the Carolina Challenge Cup, winning that title for the second consecutive season. Crew SC won all three matches in the tournament, claiming the CCC championship for the third time in club history.

Columbus additionally won each of their midseason rivalry matches, defeating Toronto FC across two games for the Trillium Cup and dispatching FC Dallas on tiebreakers to defend the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup. Against Toronto, Columbus was trailing in the aggregate series by a 3–2 line inside of the final 30 minutes of the season series; the Crew put in three late goals to tie the match and win the cup. The match against Dallas ended in a scoreless draw, with Columbus retaining the cup based on the head-to-head goals tiebreaker. Crew SC won the Pioneer Cup for the seventh time that it had been contested.

Columbus qualified for the playoffs for the second consecutive season, again finishing in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Just as in 2017, Crew SC was victorious in a penalty shootout on the road in the knockout round, this time advancing past D.C. United with goalkeeper Zack Steffen making two saves. However, Columbus was eliminated in the conference semifinals by New York Red Bulls after suffering a 3–0 defeat in the second leg. In the U.S. Open Cup, Crew SC were eliminated in the fourth round by Chicago Fire, with the tie coming down to a penalty shootout. Crew SC goalkeeper Logan Ketterer had his shot saved in the eleventh round of kicks.

Roster

As of September 11, 2018^[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  USA Ricardo Clark 3 DF  USA Josh Williams 4 DF  GHA Jonathan Mensah (INT) 6 MF  USA Wil Trapp (Captain; HGP) 7 MF  POR Pedro Santos (INT; DP) 8 MF  BRA Artur (INT) 9 FW  IRQ Justin Meram 10 FW  ARG Federico Higuaín (DP) 11 FW  USA Gyasi Zardes 12 GK  USA Ben Lundgaard (SUP) 13 MF  USA Mike Grella 14 FW  USA Adam Jahn 16 MF  USA Hector Jiménez 17 DF  GHA Lalas Abubakar (INT; SUP)

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 MF  PAN Cristian Martínez 19 DF  ARG Milton Valenzuela (INT; YDP) 20 MF  ARG Eduardo Sosa (INT) 21 DF  USA Alex Crognale (HGP; SUP) 22 DF  ARG Gastón Sauro 23 GK  USA Zack Steffen 24 GK  USA Jon Kempin 25 DF  GHA Harrison Afful 26 MF  USA Luis Argudo (SUP) 27 FW  USA Edward Opoku (SUP; GA) 28 MF  DEN Niko Hansen (SUP) 30 GK  USA Logan Ketterer (SUP) 31 DF  USA Connor Maloney (SUP) 32 FW  USA Patrick Mullins

Technical Staff

Position	Staff
President, Precourt Sports Ventures	Dave Greeley
President of Business Operations	Andy Loughnane
Director of Soccer Operations	Asher Mendelsohn
Sporting Director/Head Coach	Gregg Berhalter
Assistant Coach	Nico Estévez
Assistant Coach	Pat Onstad
Assistant Coach	Josh Wolff
High Performance Director	Steve Tashjian
Head of Player Recruitment and International Relations	Ricardo Moreira
Video Performance Analyst	David Handgraaf
Director of Team Operations	Zach Crusse
Head Equipment Manager	David Brauzer
Strength/Conditioning Coach	Brook Hamilton
Fitness Coach	Federico Pizzuto
Data Analyst	Alex Mysiw
Assistant Equipment Manager	Ron Meadors
Head Athletic Trainer	Chris Shenberger
Assistant Trainer	Daniel Givens
Dietician	Jay Short
Team Coordinator	Julio Velasquez

Source: [^[6]]

Non-competitive

Preseason

On October 5, 2017, Crew SC were announced as a participant in the 2018 Carolina Challenge Cup, the fifth time that the club was to participate in the tournament. Columbus entered the event as defending champions.^[7] On November 13, 2017, the club announced that they would also take part in the inaugural Pacific Rim Cup during preseason. Crew SC were joined by Vancouver Whitecaps FC from MLS, as well as Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Iwaki FC from Japan.^[8] Columbus was drawn against Consadole Sapporo, with the winner advancing to the championship match and the loser going to the third place match. During preseason Crew SC called up Sean Zawadzki, Aboubacar Keita and Colin Biros from the academy to participate with the first team.

Columbus Crew SC v Colorado Rapids

January 31 Friendly	Columbus Crew SC	2–1	Colorado Rapids	Casa Grande, AZ
	Zardes 2' Argudo 58'	Report	Ford  20', 35' Serna  82'	Stadium: Grande Sports Academy

Columbus Crew SC v Seattle Sounders FC

February 4 Friendly	Columbus Crew SC	2–1	Seattle Sounders FC	Tucson, AZ
	Biros 5' Jahn 78'	Report	Rodríguez 28' Saari  81'	Stadium: Mulcahy Soccer Stadium

Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo v Columbus Crew SC

February 9 Pacific Rim Cup	Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo	3–2	Columbus Crew SC	Halawa, HI
1:00 AM EST	Reis 25' Hayasaka 45' Miyoshi 48'	Report	Zardes 13', 39' (pen.)	Stadium: Aloha Stadium Referee: Robert Sibiga

Iwaki FC v Columbus Crew SC

February 10 Pacific Rim Cup Third Place Game	Iwaki FC	3–5	Columbus Crew SC	Halawa, HI
9:00 PM EST	Hisanaga 34' Hiraoka 66' Yoshida 77'	Report	Zardes 33' Higuaín 48' (pen.) Abubakar 52' Crognale  71' Opoku 73' Argudo 90'	Stadium: Aloha Stadium Referee: Allen Chapman

Atlanta United FC v Columbus Crew SC

February 17 Carolina Challenge Cup	Atlanta United FC	1–3	Columbus Crew SC	Charleston, SC
5:00 PM EST	González Pírez  54' Martínez 90'	Report	Santos 13' Abubakar  31' Martínez 33' J. Martínez 71' (o.g.)	Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium

Charleston Battery v Columbus Crew SC

February 21 Carolina Challenge Cup	Charleston Battery	1–2	Columbus Crew SC	Charleston, SC
5:00 PM EST	Svantesson 32'	Report	Zardes 56', 82'	Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Referee: José Carlos Rivero

Columbus Crew SC v Minnesota United FC

February 24 Carolina Challenge Cup	Columbus Crew SC	2–0	Minnesota United FC	Charleston, SC
5:00 PM EST	Higuaín 32' Zardes 37' Jonathan  59'	Report	Boxall  65'	Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium
Note: Columbus finish 1st place in the Carolina Challenge Cup.

Midseason

Columbus Crew SC v Deportivo Saprissa

July 3 Friendly	Columbus Crew SC	2–0	Deportivo Saprissa	Columbus, OH
7:00 PM EDT	Zardes 28' Williams 34'	Report		Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 7,023 Referee: Brandon Artis
Note: Match was played with 30-minute halves.[9]

Competitive

Overview

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Major League Soccer	March 3, 2018	October 28, 2018	Matchday 1	10th	34	14	9	11	43	45	−2	041.18
MLS Cup Playoffs	November 1, 2018	November 11, 2018	Knockout Round	Conference Semifinals	3	1	1	1	3	3	+0	033.33
U.S. Open Cup	June 6, 2018	June 6, 2018	Fourth Round	Fourth Round	1	0	1	0	2	2	+0	000.00
Total					38	15	11	12	48	50	−2	039.47

Source: Competitions

MLS

Main article: 2018 Major League Soccer season

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
3	New York City FC	34	16	10	8	59	45	+14	56	MLS Cup Knockout Round
4	D.C. United	34	14	11	9	60	50	+10	51
5	Columbus Crew	34	14	11	9	43	45	−2	51
6	Philadelphia Union	34	15	14	5	49	50	−1	50
7	Montreal Impact	34	14	16	4	47	53	−6	46

Source: MLS

Overall table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
8	Portland Timbers	34	15	10	9	54	48	+6	54
9	D.C. United	34	14	11	9	60	50	+10	51
10	Columbus Crew	34	14	11	9	43	45	−2	51
11	Philadelphia Union	34	15	14	5	49	50	−1	50
12	Real Salt Lake	34	14	13	7	55	58	−3	49

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) away goals scored; 7) away goal differential; 8) coin toss or drawing of lots

Aggregate table

As Toronto FC won MLS Cup 2017, one of the U.S. berths for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League had to be reallocated, to the U.S. non-champions with the best aggregate record over the 2017 and 2018 MLS regular seasons. As the top ranked team in the table, Atlanta United FC, also qualified for the Champions League by winning MLS Cup 2018, the Champions League spot via the aggregate table was instead awarded to the second-placed team, the New York Red Bulls.^[10][11]

Note: Only U.S. teams are listed in this table.

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
5	Sporting Kansas City	68	30	17	21	105	69	+36	111	2019 CONCACAF Champions League[a]
6	Portland Timbers	68	30	21	17	114	98	+16	107
7	Columbus Crew	68	30	23	15	96	94	+2	105
8	FC Dallas	68	27	19	22	100	92	+8	103
9	Real Salt Lake	68	27	28	13	104	113	−9	94

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) away goals scored; 7) away goal differential; 8) coin toss or drawing of lots
Notes:

1. As 2017 U.S. Open Cup champions (USA2)

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
34	51	14	11	9	43	45	−2	11	2	4	32	21	+11	3	9	5	11	24	−13

Source: MLS standings
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Stadium	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H
Result	W	W	D	W	L	L	L	D	W	D	W	W	W	D	D	D	L	L	W	L	L	W	W	W	L	D	W	D	L	W	D	L	L	W

Source: Columbus schedule
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Match results

On December 19, 2017, the league announced the home openers for every club.^[12] Just like in 2016, Columbus opened the season on the road against the defending MLS Cup champions, playing at Toronto FC in the first match of the MLS season. Columbus then opened the season at home on March 10, facing Montreal Impact.

The schedule for the remainder of the 2018 season was released on January 4, 2018.^[13] Crew SC played three times against Chicago Fire and Philadelphia Union, twice against every other Eastern Conference club, and once against every Western Conference club.

Toronto FC v Columbus Crew SC

March 3 1	Toronto FC	0–2	Columbus Crew SC	Toronto, ON
1:00 PM EST		Report	Martínez  24' Higuaín 44' Zardes 46'	Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 26,633 Referee: Ismail Elfath Assistant referees: Corey Parker Philippe Brière Fourth official: Sorin Stoica

Columbus Crew SC v Montreal Impact

March 10 2	Columbus Crew SC	3–2	Montreal Impact	Columbus, OH
1:00 PM EST	Higuaín 12' (pen.) Zardes 15', 90+4' (pen.) Steffen  51'	Report	Krolicki  32' Piatti 59' Edwards 85'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 11,098 Referee: Chris Penso Assistant referees: C.J. Morgante Brian Dunn Fourth official: Alejandro Mariscal

Philadelphia Union v Columbus Crew SC

March 17 3	Philadelphia Union	0–0	Columbus Crew SC	Chester, PA
2:00 PM EDT	Bedoya  76' Rosenberry  89'	Report	Artur  53' Higuaín  78'	Stadium: Talen Energy Stadium Attendance: 15,323 Referee: Nima Saghafi Assistant referees: Peter Manikowski Peter Balciunas Fourth official: Marcos de Oliveira

Columbus Crew SC v D.C. United

March 24 4	Columbus Crew SC	3–1	D.C. United	Columbus, OH
6:00 PM EDT	Abubakar  3' Valenzuela 20',  52' Clark 40' Pedro Santos 42'	Report	Asad 30'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 8,443 Referee: Drew Fischer Assistant referees: Jason White Danny Thornberry Fourth official: Alex Chilowicz

Columbus Crew SC v Vancouver Whitecaps FC

March 31 5	Columbus Crew SC	1–2	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Columbus, OH
3:00 PM EDT	Zardes 29' Valenzuela  76'	Report	de Jong  10' Shea 51' Kamara 78' Felipe  82'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 8,992 Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero Assistant referees: Corey Parker Adam Wienckowski Fourth official: Hilario Grajeda

Chicago Fire v Columbus Crew SC

April 7 6	Chicago Fire	1–0	Columbus Crew SC	Bridgeview, IL
8:30 PM EDT	Kappelhof  6' Nikolić 27',  90+4' Sánchez  90'	Report	Artur  47'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 11,023 Referee: Jair Marrufo Assistant referees: Ian Anderson Peter Balciunas Fourth official: Victor Rivas

D.C. United v Columbus Crew SC

April 14 7	D.C. United	1–0	Columbus Crew SC	Annapolis, MD
7:00 PM EDT	Segura 1' Arriola  51' Clark  84'	Report	Higuaín  23' Jonathan  84'	Stadium: Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Attendance: 12,396 Referee: Ismail Elfath Assistant referees: Corey Parker T.J. Zablocki Fourth official: Rubiel Vazquez

Columbus Crew SC v New England Revolution

April 21 8	Columbus Crew SC	2–2	New England Revolution	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Farrell 9' (o.g.) Zardes 43' Higuaín  66'	Report	Dielna  11' Bunbury 14' Zahibo  36' Penilla 45+1' Fagúndez  60' Somi  67' Turner  88'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 11,264 Referee: Chris Penso Assistant referees: Jeff Hosking Jeremy Kieso Fourth official: Marcos de Oliveira

Columbus Crew SC v San Jose Earthquakes

April 28 9	Columbus Crew SC	2–1	San Jose Earthquakes	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Harrison 28' Hansen  36' Valenzuela  67' Grella 84'	Report	Godoy  3' Hoesen 45',  72' Jungwirth  66'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 11,479 Referee: Fotis Bazakos Assistant referees: C.J. Morgante Gianni Facchini Fourth official: Joe Dickerson

Seattle Sounders FC v Columbus Crew SC

May 5 10	Seattle Sounders FC	0–0	Columbus Crew SC	Seattle, WA
4:00 PM EDT	Alonso  30'	Report	Pedro Santos  15' Trapp  54'	Stadium: CenturyLink Field Attendance: 39,515 Referee: Hilario Grajeda Assistant referees: Jonathan Johnson Eduardo Mariscal Fourth official: Alejandro Mariscal

Columbus Crew SC v Philadelphia Union

May 9 11	Columbus Crew SC	1–0	Philadelphia Union	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Jonathan  27' Zardes 53'	Report	Elliott  77'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 7,683 Referee: Ramy Touchan Assistant referees: Ian Anderson Corey Parker Fourth official: Robert Sibiga

Columbus Crew SC v Chicago Fire

May 12 12	Columbus Crew SC	3–0	Chicago Fire	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Higuaín 28' (pen.) Zardes 50',  57', 70'	Report	Ellis  27'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 11,108 Referee: Allen Chapman Assistant referees: Adam Wienckowski Mike Kampmeinert Fourth official: Marcos de Oliveira

New England Revolution v Columbus Crew SC

May 19 13	New England Revolution	0–1	Columbus Crew SC	Foxborough, MA
7:30 PM EDT	Caicedo  13' Delamea  31' Dielna  67' Anibaba  89'	Report	Valenzuela  44' Abubakar 85'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 14,087 Referee: Sorin Stoica Assistant referees: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho Kathryn Nesbitt Fourth official: Alan Kelly

Sporting Kansas City v Columbus Crew SC

May 27 14	Sporting Kansas City	0–0	Columbus Crew SC	Kansas City, KS
6:00 PM EDT	Besler  90+4'	Report	Higuaín  45+6' Harrison  49'	Stadium: Children's Mercy Park Attendance: 20,697 Referee: Robert Sibiga Assistant referees: Jason White Kevin Klinger Fourth official: Daniel Radford

Columbus Crew SC v Toronto FC

June 2 15	Columbus Crew SC	3–3	Toronto FC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Artur  2' Williams  56' Zardes 67' Crognale 81' Higuaín 90' (pen.)	Report	Osorio  8' Vázquez 17' (pen.) Hernandez  21' Ricketts 38',  90+3' Giovinco 57' Bono  86' Fraser  90+2'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 12,305 Referee: Nima Saghafi Assistant referees: Jeremy Hanson Eric Weisbrod Fourth official: David Barrie

Columbus Crew SC v New York Red Bulls

June 9 16	Columbus Crew SC	1–1	New York Red Bulls	Columbus, OH
5:00 PM EDT	Zardes 26'	Report	Muyl 57'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 11,246 Referee: Alan Kelly Assistant referees: Matt Nelson Logan Brown Fourth official: Rubiel Vazquez

Columbus Crew SC v Atlanta United FC

June 13 17	Columbus Crew SC	0–2	Atlanta United FC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Trapp  81'	Report	Parkhurst  8' Ambrose  27' Martínez 30' Escobar  72' Villalba 82'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 10,132 Referee: Ted Unkel Assistant referees: Kyle Atkins T.J. Zablocki Fourth official: Hilario Grajeda

Los Angeles FC v Columbus Crew SC

June 23 18	Los Angeles FC	2–0	Columbus Crew SC	Los Angeles, CA
10:30 PM EDT	Ciman 4' Diomande 8' Atuesta  24'	Report	Abubakar  34' Pedro Santos  61' Higuaín  69' Valenzuela  70'	Stadium: Banc of California Stadium Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Kevin Stott Assistant referees: Adam Garner Felisha Mariscal Fourth official: Baldomero Toledo

Columbus Crew SC v Real Salt Lake

June 30 19	Columbus Crew SC	2–1	Real Salt Lake	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Zardes 6' (pen.) Sosa 23',  66'	Report	Sunny  45+2' Beckerman  56' Rusnák 74' Savarino  90+1'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 16,680 Referee: Drew Fischer Assistant referees: Richard Gamache Brian Dunn Fourth official: Marcos de Oliveira

LA Galaxy v Columbus Crew SC

July 7 20	LA Galaxy	4–0	Columbus Crew SC	Carson, CA
10:30 PM EDT	Skjelvik  22' Kamara 42' Ibrahimović 56' (pen.) Pontius  63' Alessandrini 67', 90+3'	Report	Williams  61'	Stadium: StubHub Center Attendance: 21,211 Referee: Hilario Grajeda Assistant referees: Jonathan Johnson Eduardo Mariscal Fourth official: Ismir Pekmic

New York City FC v Columbus Crew SC

July 14 21	New York City FC	2–0	Columbus Crew SC	New York, NY
7:00 PM EDT	Medina 80' Tinnerholm 90'	Report	Jonathan  20' Zardes  36' Grella  82' Sosa  90+3'	Stadium: Yankee Stadium Attendance: 21,085 Referee: Armando Villarreal Assistant referees: Richard Gamache Jeffrey Greeson Fourth official: Nima Saghafi

Columbus Crew SC v Orlando City SC

July 21 22	Columbus Crew SC	3–2	Orlando City SC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Jonathan  26' Zardes 51', 88' (pen.) Pedro Santos  84' Trapp 90+2' Williams  90+5'	Report	Kljestan 16',  43' Schuler  26' Pinho 58' El-Munir  87' Yotún  90+3'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 14,052 Referee: Silviu Petrescu Assistant referees: Gianni Facchini Apolinar Mariscal Fourth official: David Gantar

New York Red Bulls v Columbus Crew SC

July 28 23	New York Red Bulls	2–3	Columbus Crew SC	Harrison, NJ
7:00 PM EDT	Collin  21' Jonathan 50' (o.g.) Royer 69'	Report	Jonathan 7' Mullins 24' Davis 31' (o.g.) Valenzuela  56' Steffen  77' Artur  90'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 16,459 Referee: Sorin Stoica Assistant referees: Richard Gamache Peter Balciunas Fourth official: Farhad Dadkho

Columbus Crew SC v Houston Dynamo

August 11 24	Columbus Crew SC	1–0	Houston Dynamo	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Zardes  56', 90+1' Pedro Santos  90+7'	Report	Leonardo  80' Lundqvist  86'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 15,891 Referee: Mark Geiger Assistant referees: Logan Brown Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho Fourth official: Rubiel Vazquez

Atlanta United FC v Columbus Crew SC

August 19 25	Atlanta United FC	3–1	Columbus Crew SC	Atlanta, GA
4:00 PM EDT	Martínez 31' McCann  45+1' Villalba 76',  86' Almirón 82',  83' Guzan  88'	Report	Zardes 50' Artur  90+4'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 45,303 Referee: Jair Marrufo Assistant referees: Ian Anderson Jeffrey Greeson Fourth official: Marcos de Oliveira

Chicago Fire v Columbus Crew SC

August 23 26	Chicago Fire	1–1	Columbus Crew SC	Bridgeview, IL
7:00 PM EDT	de Leeuw  55' Nikolić 67' Katai  69' Schweinsteiger  90+1'	Report	Higuaín  65' Hansen 87'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 8,551 Referee: Armando Villarreal Assistant referees: Adam Garner T.J. Zablocki Fourth official: Fotis Bazakos

Columbus Crew SC v New York City FC

September 1 27	Columbus Crew SC	2–1	New York City FC	Columbus, OH
8:00 PM EDT	Harrison 61' Meram 63'	Report	Wallace  45' Tajouri-Shradi 53' Sweat  67' Ibeagha  75' Ring  90+3'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 11,991 Referee: Alan Kelly Assistant referees: Adam Wienckowski Nick Uranga Fourth official: Nima Saghafi

FC Dallas v Columbus Crew SC

September 15 28	FC Dallas	0–0	Columbus Crew SC	Frisco, TX
8:00 PM EDT		Report	Clark  53' Abubakar  67'	Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 16,030 Referee: Hilario Grajeda Assistant referees: Corey Rockwell Mike Kampmeinert Fourth official: Joe Dickerson

Portland Timbers v Columbus Crew SC

September 19 29	Portland Timbers	3–2	Columbus Crew SC	Portland, OR
10:30 PM EDT	Polo  10', 37' Guzmán 18',  34' Abubakar 48' (o.g.)	Report	Hansen 7', 90+3' Sauro  45+1' Trapp  49' Maloney  85'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 21,144 Referee: Ted Unkel Assistant referees: Frank Anderson Eduardo Mariscal Fourth official: Sorin Stoica

Columbus Crew SC v Colorado Rapids

September 22 30	Columbus Crew SC	2–1	Colorado Rapids	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Zardes 17' Jonathan  44' Higuaín 57'	Report	Gashi 26' Wynne  51' Acosta  81' Smith  90+1'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 19,121 Referee: Allen Chapman Assistant referees: C.J. Morgante Ian Anderson Fourth official: Silviu Petrescu

Columbus Crew SC v Philadelphia Union

September 29 31	Columbus Crew SC	0–0	Philadelphia Union	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT		Report	Fabinho  85' Bedoya  88'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 12,441 Referee: Drew Fischer Assistant referees: Kathryn Nesbitt Peter Manikowski Fourth official: David Gantar

Montreal Impact v Columbus Crew SC

October 6 32	Montreal Impact	3–0	Columbus Crew SC	Montreal, QC
3:00 PM EDT	Taïder 32' (pen.) Silva 44' Piatti 59' Azira  62'	Report	Pedro Santos  45+2' Jonathan  90'	Stadium: Stade Saputo Attendance: 19,015 Referee: Alan Kelly Assistant referees: Joe Fletcher Matt Nelson Fourth official: Chris Penso

Orlando City SC v Columbus Crew SC

October 21 33	Orlando City SC	2–1	Columbus Crew SC	Orlando, FL
3:00 PM EDT	Dwyer  37' Yotún 57' (pen.) Kljestan 90+6' (pen.)	Report	Jonathan  33' Higuaín 54'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 23,642 Referee: Kevin Stott Assistant referees: Kevin Klinger Eduardo Mariscal Fourth official: Marcos de Oliveira

Columbus Crew SC v Minnesota United FC

October 28 34	Columbus Crew SC	3–2	Minnesota United FC	Columbus, OH
4:30 PM EDT	Zardes 11', 49', 83'	Report	Calvo 68', 77'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 17,677 Referee: Robert Sibiga Assistant referees: Jason White Jose Da Silva Fourth official: Rubiel Vazquez

MLS Cup Playoffs

Main article: 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs

Knockout Round

D.C. United v Columbus Crew SC

November 1 Knockout Round	D.C. United	2–2 (a.e.t.) (2–3 p)	Columbus Crew SC	Washington, D.C.
8:00 PM EDT	Brillant 21' DeLeon 116'	Report	Higuaín 30',  45', 96' Sosa  105+1'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 20,600 Referee: Allen Chapman Assistant referees: Jeremy Hanson Brian Poeschel Fourth official: Silviu Petrescu
	Penalties
	Rooney Asad Stieber Acosta DeLeon		Higuaín Trapp Zardes Hansen Mullins

Conference Semifinals

Columbus Crew SC v New York Red Bulls

November 4 Leg 1	Columbus Crew SC	1–0	New York Red Bulls	Columbus, OH
3:00 PM EST	Valenzuela  31' Zardes 61'	Report	Davis  88'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 12,892 Referee: Nima Saghafi Assistant referees: Peter Manikowski Jose Da Silva Fourth official: Armando Villarreal

New York Red Bulls v Columbus Crew SC

November 11 Leg 2	New York Red Bulls	3–0 (3–1 agg.)	Columbus Crew SC	Harrison, NJ
7:30 PM EST	Muyl 17' Royer 73', 76'	Report		Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 22,789 Referee: Alan Kelly Assistant referees: Jason White Eric Weisbrod Fourth official: Baldomero Toledo

U.S. Open Cup

Main article: 2018 U.S. Open Cup

Columbus Crew SC (MLS) v Chicago Fire (MLS)

June 6 Fourth Round	Columbus Crew SC (MLS)	2–2 (a.e.t.) (9–10 p)	Chicago Fire (MLS)	Columbus, OH
7:00 PM EDT	Martínez 10' Sosa  64'Abu  71' Crognale  107' Jahn 114'	Report	Nikolić 45', 109' Ramos  81' McCarty  90+3' Katai  112'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 4,992 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira Assistant referees: Art Arustamyan Jeffrey Swartzel Fourth official: Kevin Fikar
	Penalties
	Valenzuela Jiménez Argudo Abubakar Jahn Martínez Crognale Sosa Abu Opoku Ketterer		Nikolić Katai McCarty Campos Schweinsteiger Bronico Lillard Corrales Ramos Campbell Sánchez

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Federico Higuaín entered the season sitting fifth in club history for most goals, needing three to pass Edson Buddle for fourth all-time.^[14] He tallied a penalty kick against Chicago on May 12, cracking the tie with Buddle.^[15] Higuaín had also begun the year having appeared 163 times for Crew SC, needing seven appearances to crack the top ten in club history. He started each of the first ten games, leaping Frankie Hejduk for ninth place.^[14] By the end of the season, Higuaín moved up the charts in all three categories: eighth all-time in appearances, with 196; third all-time in goals, with 58; and second all-time in assists, with 64.

Upon his return to the club midway through the season, Justin Meram had the chance to add to his previous totals with the club; he sat fifth in appearances, sixth in goals, and tied for seventh in assists. He needed to play 28 times, score ten goals, or tally six assists in order to move up the charts.^[14] At the end of the year, Meram still sat fifth in appearances (with 225) and sixth in goals (with 43), but had taken sole possession of seventh in assists (with 36).

Wil Trapp began the season having appeared 144 times in all competitions for Crew SC, needing to play in 27 games to crack the all-time top ten. Although he missed several games while on international duty, Trapp appeared for the 27th time on the season in a draw with Philadelphia on September 29.^[16] He initially jumped into the table in a tie for tenth place with Hejduk.^[14] By the end of the season, Trapp had appeared in 177 games for the club, enough for sole possession of tenth.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS		MLS Cup Playoffs		U.S. Open Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
2	DF	USA	Ricardo Clark	13	1	8+5	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
3	DF	USA	Josh Williams	22	0	16+5	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
4	DF	GHA	Jonathan Mensah	30	1	26+1	1	3+0	0	0+0	0
6	MF	USA	Wil Trapp	33	1	29+1	1	3+0	0	0+0	0
7	MF	POR	Pedro Santos	33	1	29+1	1	2+1	0	0+0	0
8	MF	BRA	Artur	35	0	32+0	0	3+0	0	0+0	0
9	FW	IRQ	Justin Meram	12	1	7+2	1	3+0	0	0+0	0
10	FW	ARG	Federico Higuaín	33	8	27+3	6	2+1	2	0+0	0
11	FW	USA	Gyasi Zardes	36	20	33+0	19	3+0	1	0+0	0
12	GK	USA	Ben Lundgaard	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
13	MF	USA	Mike Grella	12	1	5+7	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
14	FW	USA	Adam Jahn	9	1	0+8	0	0+0	0	1+0	1
16	MF	USA	Hector Jiménez	13	0	7+4	0	0+1	0	1+0	0
17	DF	GHA	Lalas Abubakar	25	1	20+3	1	0+1	0	0+1	0
18	MF	PAN	Cristian Martínez	16	1	11+3	0	0+1	0	1+0	1
19	DF	ARG	Milton Valenzuela	34	1	29+1	1	3+0	0	0+1	0
20	MF	VEN	Eduardo Sosa	12	1	3+7	1	0+1	0	1+0	0
21	DF	USA	Alex Crognale	6	1	0+5	1	0+0	0	1+0	0
22	DF	ARG	Gastón Sauro	10	0	6+1	0	2+0	0	1+0	0
23	GK	USA	Zack Steffen	32	0	29+0	0	3+0	0	0+0	0
24	GK	USA	Jon Kempin	5	0	5+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
25	DF	GHA	Harrison Afful	35	2	32+0	2	3+0	0	0+0	0
26	MF	USA	Luis Argudo	21	0	6+12	0	1+1	0	1+0	0
27	FW	USA	Edward Opoku	5	0	1+4	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
28	MF	DEN	Niko Hansen	24	3	11+11	3	0+1	0	1+0	0
30	GK	USA	Logan Ketterer	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
31	DF	USA	Connor Maloney	2	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
32	FW	USA	Patrick Mullins	13	1	2+8	1	1+2	0	0+0	0
			Own Goal	0	2	-	2	-	0	-	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
5	MF	GHA	Mohammed Abu	5	0	0+4	0	0+0	0	1+0	0

Source: Columbus stats

Disciplinary record

No.	Pos.	Name	MLS		MLS Playoffs		U.S. Open Cup		Total
2	MF	Ricardo Clark	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
3	DF	Josh Williams	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
4	DF	Jonathan Mensah	7	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
6	MF	Wil Trapp	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
7	MF	Pedro Santos	4	1	0	0	0	0	4	1
8	MF	Artur	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
9	MF	Justin Meram	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	MF	Federico Higuaín	5	1	1	0	0	0	6	1
11	FW	Gyasi Zardes	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
12	GK	Ben Lundgaard	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	MF	Mike Grella	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
14	FW	Adam Jahn	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	MF	Hector Jiménez	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	DF	Lalas Abubakar	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
18	MF	Cristian Martínez	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
19	DF	Milton Valenzuela	6	0	1	0	0	0	7	0
20	MF	Eduardo Sosa	1	1	1	0	1	0	3	1
21	DF	Alex Crognale	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
22	DF	Gastón Sauro	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
23	GK	Zack Steffen	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
24	GK	Jon Kempin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
25	DF	Harrison Afful	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
26	MF	Luis Argudo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
27	FW	Edward Opoku	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
28	MF	Niko Hansen	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
30	GK	Logan Ketterer	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	DF	Connor Maloney	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
32	FW	Patrick Mullins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Players who left the club during the season:
5	MF	Mohammed Abu	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0

Source: Columbus stats

Clean sheets

Zack Steffen entered the season with the seventh-most clean sheets in club history. He needed to keep two on the season in order to pass Brad Friedel for sixth all-time,^[14] which he did just three games into the campaign. Three saves in a scoreless draw with Philadelphia on March 17 moved Steffen up on the all-time chart.^[17] He promptly passed Mark Dougherty for fifth place, thanks to a 1–0 victory over the Union on May 9. Steffen finished the season with 22 career shutouts for Crew SC, good for fifth place in club history.

No.	Name	MLS	MLS Playoffs	U.S. Open Cup	Total	Games Played
		12	Ben Lundgaard	0	0	0	0	0
23	Zack Steffen	10	1	0	11	32
24	Jon Kempin	0	0	0	0	5
30	Logan Ketterer	0	0	0	0	1

Source: Columbus stats

Transfers

See also: List of Major League Soccer transfers 2018

In

Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Source
MF	Eduardo Sosa	Zamora FC	Signed via discovery	January 9, 2018	[18]
FW	Edward Opoku	Virginia Cavaliers	Selected in the second round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. Signed as a Generation Adidas player.	January 19, 2018	[19]
FW	Gyasi Zardes	LA Galaxy	Traded for Ola Kamara and $400,000 targeted allocation money. If Kamara scores 12 or more goals for the Galaxy then Columbus will received $100,000 in targeted allocation money	January 20, 2018	[20]
MF	Ricardo Clark	Houston Dynamo	Free agent signing	February 2, 2018	[21]
MF	Luis Argudo	Wake Forest Demon Deacons	Selected in the third round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft	March 1, 2018	[22][23]
GK	Ben Lundgaard	Virginia Tech Hokies	Selected in the first round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft	March 1, 2018	[24][23]
FW	Patrick Mullins	D.C. United	Traded for $150,000 in targeted allocation money	July 11, 2018	[25]
MF	Justin Meram	Orlando City SC	Traded for $750,000 in targeted allocation money, a 2019 international roster slot.	August 3, 2018	[26]
DF	Milton Valenzuela	Newell's Old Boys	Completed permanent transfer. Signed as a Young Designated Player.	December 21, 2018	[27]
GK	Joe Bendik	Orlando City SC	Traded for $50,000 in targeted allocation money	December 27, 2018	[28]

Loan in

Pos.	Player	Parent club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
DF	Milton Valenzuela	Newell's Old Boys	Duration of the 2018 MLS season, with an option to purchase at the end of the season. Signed as a Young Designated Player.	January 26, 2018	November 26, 2018	[29][30]

Out

Pos.	Player	Transferred to	Fee/notes	Date	Source
FW	Ola Kamara	LA Galaxy	Traded with $400,000 targeted allocation money for Gyasi Zardes. If Kamara scores 12 or more goals for the Galaxy then Columbus will received $100,000 in targeted allocation money	January 20, 2018	[20]
MF	Justin Meram	Orlando City SC	Traded for $300,000 in 2018 targeted allocation money, $300,000 in 2018 general allocation money, $450,000 in 2019 targeted allocation money and a 2019 international roster slot.	January 29, 2018	[31]
MF	Mohammed Abu	Vålerenga Fotball	Transfer, terms undisclosed	October 4, 2018	[32]
MF	Mike Grella	Retired	Option declined	November 26, 2018	[33][34]
FW	Adam Jahn	Phoenix Rising	Option declined	November 26, 2018	[33][35]
GK	Logan Ketterer	El Paso Locomotive FC	Option declined	November 26, 2018	[33][36]
MF	Cristian Martínez	Chicago Fire	Option declined. Selected by Chicago in the 2018 MLS Waiver Draft.	November 26, 2018	[33][37]
MF	Ricardo Clark	Columbus Crew SC	Option declined	November 26, 2018	[33]

Loan out

Pos.	Player	Loanee club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
GK	Ben Lundgaard	Indy Eleven	Duration of the 2018 USL season.	March 7, 2018	October 21, 2018	[38][39]
DF	Alex Crognale	Orange County SC	On a match-by-match basis. Columbus retains right to recall at any time.	March 15, 2018	May 5, 2018	[40][41]
				May 22, 2018	June 2, 2018	[42][43]
				June 18, 2018	November 4, 2018	[44][45]
FW	Edward Opoku	Saint Louis FC	On a match-by-match basis. Columbus retains right to recall at any time.	April 27, 2018	May 18, 2018	[46][47]
DF	Connor Maloney	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	On a match-by-match basis. Columbus retains right to recall at any time.	May 25, 2018	June 30, 2018	[48][49]
FW	Adam Jahn	OKC Energy FC	On a match-by-match basis. Columbus retains right to recall at any time.	July 24, 2018	October 14, 2018	[50][51]
MF	Mohammed Abu	Vålerenga Fotball	Duration of the 2018 Eliteserien.	August 10, 2018	October 4, 2018	[52][32]

MLS Draft picks

Main article: 2018 MLS SuperDraft

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in. The picks for Columbus Crew SC are listed below:

2018 Columbus Crew SC SuperDraft Picks[53]
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1	21	Ben Lundgaard	GK	Virginia Tech
2	32	Edward Opoku	FW	Virginia
3	44	Jake Rozhansky	MF	Maryland
4	67	Luis Argudo	MF	Wake Forest

Awards

MLS Team of the Week

Week	Starters	Bench	Opponent(s)	Link
1	Lalas Abubakar Federico Higuaín Milton Valenzuela		Toronto FC
2		Gyasi Zardes	Montreal Impact
4	Gregg Berhalter (coach) Federico Higuaín Cristian Martínez Milton Valenzuela	Pedro Santos	D.C. United
9		Mike Grella	San Jose Earthquakes
10	Lalas Abubakar	Milton Valenzuela	Seattle Sounders FC
11	Gregg Berhalter (coach) Gyasi Zardes	Zack Steffen	Philadelphia Union Chicago Fire
12	Jonathan Mensah		New England Revolution
13	Artur Josh Williams		Sporting Kansas City
14	Federico Higuaín		Toronto FC
15	Harrison Afful		New York Red Bulls
18	Eduardo Sosa		Real Salt Lake
21	Wil Trapp		Orlando City SC
22	Harrison Afful	Patrick Mullins	New York Red Bulls
24	Gyasi Zardes	Federico Higuaín Milton Valenzuela	Houston Dynamo
27	Harrison Afful	Justin Meram	New York City FC
29	Jonathan Mensah		FC Dallas
30	Federico Higuaín	Niko Hansen	Portland Timbers Colorado Rapids
35	Gyasi Zardes		Minnesota United FC

MLS Player of the Week Week Player Opponent(s) Link 11 Gyasi Zardes Philadelphia Union Chicago Fire 35 Gyasi Zardes Minnesota United FC

MLS Goal of the Week Week Player Opponent Link 21 Wil Trapp Orlando City SC

MLS Player of the Month Month Player Stats Link May Zack Steffen 0 GA in 5 matches

2018 MLS All-Star Game GK Zack Steffen[54]

Postseason MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award GK Zack Steffen[55] MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award FW Gyasi Zardes[56] MLS Best XI GK Zack Steffen[57]

Crew SC Team Awards Most Valuable Player – Gyasi Zardes[58] Golden Boot Winner – Gyasi Zardes Defender of the Year – Jonathan Mensah Kirk Urso Heart Award – Connor Maloney Humanitarian of the Year – Wil Trapp Academy Player of the Year – Keegan Hughes

Kits

Home

Away

Type	Shirt	Shorts	Socks	First appearance / Record
Home	Gold	Gold	Gold	Match 1 vs. Toronto / 9–6–7
Away	Black	Black	Black	Match 2 vs. Montreal / 6–6–3
Specialty	White	White	White	Match 8 vs. New England / 0–0–1