2020 Columbus Crew SC season

The 2020 Columbus Crew SC season was the club's 25th season of existence and their 25th 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 1 against New York City FC. It was the second season under head coach Caleb Porter. Columbus were also set to compete in the U.S. Open Cup, before its cancelation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Columbus Crew SC

2020 season
Investor-operators	Dee Haslam Jimmy Haslam JW Johnson Whitney Johnson Dr. Pete Edwards
Head coach	Caleb Porter
Stadium	MAPFRE Stadium
Major League Soccer	Conference: 3rd Overall: 4th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Eastern Conference Champions MLS Cup Champions
U.S. Open Cup	Canceled
MLS is Back Tournament	Round of 16
Trillium Cup	Runners-up (1 - 3)
Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup	Winners (2 - 2)
Visit Tucson Sun Cup	Champions
Top goalscorer	League: Gyasi Zardes (12) All: Gyasi Zardes (15)
Highest home attendance	17,473 (3/7 v. SEA)
Lowest home attendance	0 (Multiple Games)
Average home league attendance	3,259 (16.3%) (Overall) 17,473 (87.5%) (Pre-Covid) 1,482 (7.4%) (Post-Covid)
Biggest win	CIN 0–4 CLB (7/11)
Biggest defeat	TOR 3–1 CLB (9/27)
Home colors Away colors
← 2019 2021 →

The 2020 season saw Columbus earn their second ever MLS Cup championship, their first since 2008. Columbus defeated Seattle Sounders FC, 3–0 in the championship match.

Roster

As of match played November 8, 2020^[1]

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 1 GK  CUW Eloy Room (INT) 2 DF  SCO Chris Cadden (INT) 3 DF  USA Josh Williams 4 DF  GHA Jonathan Mensah 5 DF  NED Vito Wormgoor (INT) 6 MF  USA Darlington Nagbe (Captain; DP) 7 MF  POR Pedro Santos (INT) 8 MF  BRA Artur 9 FW  NGA Fanendo Adi 10 MF  ARM Lucas Zelarayán (INT; DP) 11 FW  USA Gyasi Zardes (DP) 12 MF  CRC Luis Díaz (INT; YDP) 13 GK  USA Andrew Tarbell (SUP) 14 DF  CRC Waylon Francis 16 MF  USA Hector Jiménez 17 FW  CAN Jordan Hamilton (SUP)

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 MF  USA Sebastian Berhalter (HGP; SUP) 19 DF  ARG Milton Valenzuela (INT) 20 FW  GHA Emmanuel Boateng 21 MF  USA Aidan Morris (HGP; SUP) 22 MF  HAI Derrick Etienne Jr. (SUP) 23 MF  USA Grant Lillard (SUP) 24 GK  USA Jon Kempin (SUP) 25 DF  GHA Harrison Afful 26 MF  USA Fatai Alashe 27 FW  ESP Miguel Berry (SUP) 28 GK  USA Matt Lampson (SUP) 29 FW  HUN Krisztián Németh 30 DF  USA Aboubacar Keita (HGP; SUP) 34 MF  MAR Youness Mokhtar (INT)

Technical Staff

Position	Staff
President & General Manager	Tim Bezbatchenko
Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer	Steve Lyons
Head Coach	Caleb Porter
Technical Director, VP of Soccer Operations	Pat Onstad
Assistant General Manager, Crew 2 General Manager	Corey Wray
Director of Scouting	Neil McGuinness
Director of Player Personnel and Strategy	Issa Tall
Director of High Performance	Clive Brewer
Assistant Coach	Ben Cross
Assistant Coach	Ezra Hendrickson
Assistant Coach	Pablo Moreira
Assistant Coach	Tim Hanley
Strength & Conditioning Coach	Brook Hamilton
Fitness Coach	Federico Pizzuto
Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach	Kelly Roderick
Head Athletic Trainer	Chris Shenberger
Assistant Athletic Trainer	Daniel Givens
Assistant Athletic Trainer	Lageishon Mohanadas
Head Equipment Manager	David Brauzer
Team Coordinator	Julio Velasquez
Assistant Equipment Manager	Ron Meadors
Data Analyst	Alex Mysiw
Dietician	Jay Short
Video Analyst	Liviu Bird
Player Care Coordinator	McKenzie Bostic

Source: [^[2]]

Non-competitive

Preseason

The Crew started preseason in Columbus. They then played games in California, Mexico and Arizona as part of the 2020 Visit Tucson Sun Cup before returning to Ohio. The Crew brought in the following trialists during training camp: Derrick Etienne.

Unsigned draft picks Miguel Berry, Remi Prieur and Danny Griffin also joined the team for preseason.

Ventura County Fusion v Columbus Crew SC

January 24 Friendly	Ventura County Fusion	1–5	Columbus Crew SC	Chula Vista, CA
		Report Report	Santos Berry Etienne Griffin Williams
Note: Played in three 30-minute periods.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC v Columbus Crew SC

January 28 Friendly	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	1–1	Columbus Crew SC	Chula Vista, CA
	Raposo 51'	Report	Santos 40'

Orlando City SC v Columbus Crew SC

February 1 Friendly	Orlando City SC	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Playa del Carmen, Mexico
		Report		Stadium: Pure Mareazul Riviera Maya
Note: Canceled due to inclement weather and field conditions.

San Jose Earthquakes v Columbus Crew SC

February 3 Friendly	San Jose Earthquakes	1–4	Columbus Crew SC	Cancun, Mexico
	Skahan 7' Calvillo  25' Haji  32'	Report	Adi 30' Santos 36' (pen.) Hamilton 63' Etienne 117'	Stadium: Universidad La Salle
Note: Played in four 30-minute periods.

Sporting Kansas City v Columbus Crew SC

February 12 Friendly	Sporting Kansas City	0–2	Columbus Crew SC	Casa Grande, AZ
		Report Report	Zardes 1' Santos 43' (pen.)	Stadium: Grande Sports World

Phoenix Rising FC v Columbus Crew SC

February 15 Visit Tucson Sun Cup	Phoenix Rising FC	0–1	Columbus Crew SC	Tempe, AZ
9:00 PM EST	Lambert  36' Cochran  41'	Report	Zardes 73'	Stadium: Casino Arizona Field

New York Red Bulls v Columbus Crew SC

February 19 Visit Tucson Sun Cup	New York Red Bulls	1–1	Columbus Crew SC	Tempe, AZ
8:30 PM EST	White 68'	Report	Etienne 1'	Stadium: Kino North Stadium

Houston Dynamo v Columbus Crew SC

February 22 Visit Tucson Sun Cup	Houston Dynamo	1–4	Columbus Crew SC	Tempe, AZ
7:00 PM EST	McNamara 52'	Report	Zardes 1', 23' Mensah 4' Zelarayán 15'	Stadium: Kino North Stadium

Midseason

Columbus Crew SC v Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

March 2 Friendly	Columbus Crew SC	3–0	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	Obetz, OH
2:00 PM EST	Adi 37', 54' Berry 47'	Report		Stadium: Crew SC Training Center

Competitive

Overview

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Major League Soccer	March 1, 2020	November 8, 2020	Matchday 1	4th	23	12	5	6	36	21	+15	052.17
MLS Cup Playoffs	November 21, 2020	December 6, 2020	First Round	Winners	4	4	0	0	9	2	+7	100.00
MLS is Back Tournament Knockout Round	July 28, 2020	July 28, 2020	Round of 16	Round of 16	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Total					28	16	6	6	46	24	+22	057.14

Source: Competitions

MLS

Main article: 2020 Major League Soccer season

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	PPG	Qualification
1	Philadelphia Union	23	14	4	5	44	20	+24	47	2.04	Qualification for the playoffs first round and CONCACAF Champions League[a]
2	Toronto FC[b]	23	13	5	5	33	26	+7	44	1.91	Qualification for the playoffs first round and CONCACAF Champions League[c]
3	Columbus Crew SC (C)	23	12	6	5	36	21	+15	41	1.78	Qualification for the playoffs first round and CONCACAF Champions League[d]
4	Orlando City SC	23	11	4	8	40	25	+15	41	1.78	Qualification for the playoffs first round and Leagues Cup
5	New York City FC	23	12	8	3	37	25	+12	39	1.70

Source: MLS^[3]
Rules for classification: 1) points per game; 2) total wins per match played; 3) total goal differential per match played; 4) total goals scored per match played; 5) fewest disciplinary points per match played; 6) away goal differential per away match played; 7) away goals scored per away match played; 8) home goal differential per home match played; 9) home goals scored per home match played; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots.
(C) Champions
Notes:

1. As Supporters' Shield winners
2. Canadian clubs could not qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.
3. As 2020 Canadian Championship finalists (awarded by Canada Soccer)
4. As MLS Cup 2020 champions

Overall table

2020 MLS overall standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	PPG	Qualification
2	Toronto FC (V)	23	13	5	5	33	26	+7	44	1.91	2021 CONCACAF Champions League[a]
3	Sporting Kansas City	21	12	6	3	38	25	+13	39	1.86	2021 Leagues Cup[b]
4	Columbus Crew SC (C)	23	12	6	5	36	21	+15	41	1.78	2021 CONCACAF Champions League[c]
5	Orlando City SC	23	11	4	8	40	25	+15	41	1.78	2021 Leagues Cup[d]
6	Seattle Sounders FC	22	11	5	6	44	23	+21	39	1.77	2021 Leagues Cup[e]

Source: MLS^[4]
Rules for classification: 1) points per game; 2) total wins per match played; 3) total goal differential per match played; 4) total goals scored per match played; 5) fewest disciplinary points per match played; 6) away goal differential per away match played; 7) away goals scored per away match played; 8) home goal differential per home match played; 9) home goals scored per home match played; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots.
(C) Champions; (V) Canadian Championship finalists
Notes:

1. As 2020 Canadian Championship finalists (awarded by Canada Soccer) (CAN1)
2. As 1st, Western Conference (MLS1)
3. As MLS Cup 2020 champions (USA1)
4. As 4th, Eastern Conference (MLS2)
5. As 2nd, Western Conference (MLS3)

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
23	41	12	6	5	36	21	+15	10	1	0	22	6	+16	2	5	5	14	15	−1

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
Stadium	H	A	N	N	N	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H
Result	W	D	W	W	W	W	L	D	W	W	D	W	W	L	D	L	L	W	D	L	W	L	W

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

Match results

On December 5, 2019, the league announced the home openers for every club, with Columbus playing New York City FC at MAPFRE Stadium. The schedule for the remainder of the season was released by the league on December 19, 2019.^[5] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the original schedule had to be shortened and was released in installments. The remainder of the regular season schedule was announced on September 22, 2020.^[6]

Original Schedule ^[7]

Columbus Crew SC v New York City FC

March 1 1	Columbus Crew SC	1–0	New York City FC	Columbus, OH
12:30 PM EST	Wormgoor  10' Santos  30' Artur  53' Zelarayán 56' Afful  77'	Report	Chanot  3' Héber  31'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 17,473 Referee: Ramy Touchan Assistant referees: Felisha Mariscal Chris Elliott Fourth official: Lukasz Szpala

Seattle Sounders FC v Columbus Crew SC

March 7 2	Seattle Sounders FC	1–1	Columbus Crew SC	Seattle, WA
10:00 PM EST	Jones  36' Ruidíaz 79' (pen.) João Paulo  85'	Report	Zardes 33' Díaz  62'	Stadium: Century Link Field Attendance: 33,080 Referee: Jair Marrufo Assistant referees: Frank Anderson Jeff Hosking Fourth official: Guido Gonzalez Jr.

Columbus Crew SC v Real Salt Lake

March 14 3	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Real Salt Lake	Columbus, OH
5:00 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Nashville SC v Columbus Crew SC

March 21 4	Nashville SC	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Nashville, TN
2:00 PM EDT				Stadium: Nissan Stadium

Columbus Crew SC v Toronto FC

April 4 5	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Toronto FC	Columbus, OH
4:00 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Columbus Crew SC v Orlando City SC

April 11 6	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Orlando City SC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Chicago Fire FC v Columbus Crew SC

April 19 7	Chicago Fire FC	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Chicago, IL
2:00 PM EDT				Stadium: Soldier Field

Columbus Crew SC v Philadelphia Union

April 25 8	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Philadelphia Union	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Columbus Crew SC v Minnesota United FC

April 29 9	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Minnesota United FC	Columbus, OH
7:00 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

New York Red Bulls v Columbus Crew SC

May 2 10	New York Red Bulls	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Harrison, NJ
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Red Bull Arena

Columbus Crew SC v Montreal Impact

May 9 11	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Montreal Impact	Columbus, OH
1:00 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

New England Revolution v Columbus Crew SC

May 16 12	New England Revolution	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Foxborough, MA
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

Orlando City SC v Columbus Crew SC

May 23 13	Orlando City SC	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Orlando, FL
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Exploria Stadium

Columbus Crew SC v Vancouver Whitecaps FC

May 27 14	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Philadelphia Union v Columbus Crew SC

May 30 15	Philadelphia Union	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Chester, PA
TBD				Stadium: Talen Energy Stadium

Columbus Crew SC v Chicago Fire FC

June 13 16	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Chicago Fire FC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

FC Dallas v Columbus Crew SC

June 17 17	FC Dallas	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Toyota Stadium
8:30 PM EDT

Columbus Crew SC v D.C. United

June 20 18	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	D.C. United	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Columbus Crew SC v Atlanta United

June 27 19	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Atlanta United	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Portland Timbers v Columbus Crew SC

July 1 20	Portland Timbers	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Portland, OR
10:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Providence Park

Columbus Crew SC v Inter Miami CF

July 5 21	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Inter Miami CF	Columbus, OH
6:00 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Montreal Impact v Columbus Crew SC

July 11 22	Montreal Impact	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Montreal, QC
7:00 PM EDT				Stadium: Stade Saputo

FC Cincinnati v Columbus Crew SC

July 19 23	FC Cincinnati	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Cincinnati, OH
8:00 PM EDT				Stadium: Nippert Stadium

Columbus Crew SC v Colorado Rapids

July 25 24	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Colorado Rapids	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

D.C. United v Columbus Crew SC

August 1 25	D.C. United	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Washington, D.C.
8:00 PM EDT				Stadium: Audi Field

Toronto FC v Columbus Crew SC

August 8 26	Toronto FC	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Toronto, ON
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: BMO Field

New York City FC v Columbus Crew SC

August 12 27	New York City FC	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	New York, NY
7:00 PM EDT				Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Columbus Crew SC v New England Revolution

August 15 28	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	New England Revolution	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Columbus Crew SC v FC Cincinnati

August 22 29	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	FC Cincinnati	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Sporting Kansas City v Columbus Crew SC

August 29 30	Sporting Kansas City	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Kansas City, KS
8:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Children's Mercy Park

Columbus Crew SC v Houston Dynamo

September 12 31	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	Houston Dynamo	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Columbus Crew SC v New York Red Bulls

September 19 32	Columbus Crew SC	Canceled	New York Red Bulls	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium

Atlanta United v Columbus Crew SC

September 26 33	Atlanta United	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Atlanta, GA
6:00 PM EDT				Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Inter Miami CF v Columbus Crew SC

October 4 34	Inter Miami CF	Canceled	Columbus Crew SC	Fort Lauderdale, FL
4:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Fort Lauderdale Stadium

Restarted Schedule

FC Cincinnati v Columbus Crew SC

July 11 3 (MiBT)	FC Cincinnati	0–4	Columbus Crew SC	Bay Lake, FL
10:30 PM EDT	Amaya  44' Alashe  82'	Report	Zelarayán 27' Zardes 30', 49' Mokhtar 60' Mensah  87'	Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Attendance: 0 Referee: Ismail Elfath Assistant referees: Andrew Bigelow Cory Richardson Fourth official: Ramy Touchan
Note: Group stage matches will count toward the MLS regular season standings.[8]

Columbus Crew SC v New York Red Bulls

July 16 4 (MiBT)	Columbus Crew SC	2–0	New York Red Bulls	Bay Lake, FL
10:30 PM EDT	Zardes 22' Zelarayán 47' Room  89' Mokhtar  90+2'	Report	Tarek  61' Duncan  90+3'	Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Attendance: 0 Referee: Ramy Touchan Assistant referees: Chris Wattam Claudiu Badea Fourth official: Ismail Elfath
Note: Group stage matches will count toward the MLS regular season standings.[8]

Atlanta United FC v Columbus Crew SC

July 21 5 (MiBT)	Atlanta United FC	0–1	Columbus Crew SC	Bay Lake, FL
8:00 PM EDT	Escobar  45+4' Robinson  73'	Report	Mokhtar 18' Valenzuela  25' Santos  60' Jiménez  85' Díaz  90+3'	Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Attendance: 0 Referee: Timothy Ford Assistant referees: Andrew Bigelow Jason White Fourth official: Allen Chapman
Note: Group stage matches will count toward the MLS regular season standings.[8]

Columbus Crew SC v Chicago Fire FC

August 20 6	Columbus Crew SC	3–0	Chicago Fire FC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Etienne 20' Valenzuela  68' Nagbe 81' Zardes 88'	Report	Pineda  29' Calvo  48'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr. Assistant referees: Cory Richardson Benjamin Hall-Volpenhein Fourth official: Lukasz Szpala
Note: Match will be played without spectators.[9]

New York City FC v Columbus Crew SC

August 24 7	New York City FC	1–0	Columbus Crew SC	New York, NY
7:00 PM EDT	Héber  22' Ring 59' Medina  67'	Report		Stadium: Yankee Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Nima Saghafi Assistant referees: Jose Da Silva Gjovalin Bori Fourth official: Kevin Broadley

FC Cincinnati v Columbus Crew SC

August 29 8	FC Cincinnati	0–0	Columbus Crew SC	Cincinnati, OH
7:30 PM EDT	van der Werff  4' Gyau  11' Kubo  89'	Report	Artur  43' Williams  74'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Ted Unkel Assistant referees: Cory Richardson Benjamin Hall-Volpenhein Fourth official: Robert Sibiga

Columbus Crew SC v Philadelphia Union

September 2 9	Columbus Crew SC	1–0	Philadelphia Union	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Mensah  52' Zelarayán 55'	Report	Monteiro  42' Bedoya  54'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Robert Sibiga Assistant referees: Matt Nelson C.J. Morgante Fourth official: Victor Rivas

Columbus Crew SC v FC Cincinnati

September 6 10	Columbus Crew SC	3–0	FC Cincinnati	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Santos 52' Zardes 64', 71',  82'	Report	Amaya  39' van der Werff  70' Waston  90'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr. Assistant referees: Brian Dunn Gjovalin Bori Fourth official: Lukasz Szpala

Chicago Fire FC v Columbus Crew SC

September 12 11	Chicago Fire FC	2–2	Columbus Crew SC	Chicago, IL
7:30 PM EDT	Mihailovic 11' Berić 14' Medrán  27' Navarro  34' Herbers  56' Calvo  71' Bornstein  73'	Report	Mensah  37' Alashe 68' Afful  70' Zardes 88'	Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 0 Referee: Jon Freemon Assistant referees: Peter Manikowski Ian McKay Fourth official: Fotis Bazakos

Columbus Crew SC v Nashville SC

September 19 12	Columbus Crew SC	2–0	Nashville SC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Alashe  26' Santos  27', 50' Keita  57' Zardes 90+3'	Report	Lovitz  37' Muyl  71' Godoy  76'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Silviu Petrescu Assistant referees: Andrew Bigelow Matt Nelson Fourth official: Calin Radosav

Columbus Crew SC v Minnesota United FC

September 23 13	Columbus Crew SC	2–1	Minnesota United FC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Zelarayán 31' Santos 70' Artur  90'	Report	Aja  50' Métanire  61' Gasper  80' Lod 88'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 1,455 Referee: Ismail Elfath Assistant referees: Corey Parker C.J. Morgante Fourth official: Elvis Osmanovic

Toronto FC v Columbus Crew SC

September 27 14	Toronto FC	3–1	Columbus Crew SC	East Hartford, CT
7:30 PM EDT	Altidore  28', 48' Pozuelo 59' Laryea 76' Delgado  86'	Report	Mavinga 40' (o.g.) Zelarayán  60' Morris  67'	Stadium: Pratt & Whitney Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Timothy Ford Assistant referees: Brian Dunn T.J. Zablocki Fourth official: Thomas Snyder

FC Dallas v Columbus Crew SC

October 3 15	FC Dallas	2–2	Columbus Crew SC	Frisco, TX
8:30 PM EDT	Barrios 38' Ziegler 53' (pen.) Acosta  78'	Report	Afful  23' Mokhtar 47' Room  52' Santos 62' Díaz  84'	Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 3,572 Referee: Ted Unkel Assistant referees: Frank Anderson Jeremy Kieso Fourth official: Elton Garcia

Columbus Crew SC v Montreal Impact

October 7 16	Columbus Crew SC	1–2	Montreal Impact	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Afful  24' Zardes 45'	Report	Lappalainen 24' Raitala  42' Corrales  52' Binks  54' Bojan 74' (pen.)	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 1,401 Referee: Victor Rivas Assistant referees: Peter Balciunas C.J. Morgante Fourth official: Lukasz Szpala

FC Cincinnati v Columbus Crew SC

October 14 17	FC Cincinnati	2–1	Columbus Crew SC	Cincinnati, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Gutman  7' Kubo 17' (pen.) Hagglund 49'	Report	Alashe  31' Mensah  37' Santos 45' (pen.) Boateng  45+2' Morris  90+3'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez Assistant referees: Peter Balciunas Cory Richardson Fourth official: Lukasz Szpala

Columbus Crew SC v New York City FC

October 18 18	Columbus Crew SC	3–1	New York City FC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Artur 26' Santos 50' Díaz  82' Zardes 90+3'	Report	Ring  10' Castellanos 55',  84' Chanot  90+1'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Alex Chilowicz Assistant referees: Peter Manikowski Peter Balciunas Fourth official: Guido Gonzalez Jr.

Houston Dynamo v Columbus Crew SC

October 24 19	Houston Dynamo	1–1	Columbus Crew SC	Houston, TX
8:00 PM EDT	Rodríguez  22', 37' Vera  42'	Report	Afful  32' Cabrera 67' (o.g.) Morris  84' Díaz  90+1'	Stadium: BBVA Stadium Attendance: 2,237 Referee: Joseph Dickerson Assistant referees: Chris Elliott Kevin Lock Fourth official: Elijio Arreguin

D.C. United v Columbus Crew SC

October 28 20	D.C. United	1–0	Columbus Crew SC	Washington, D.C.
9:00 PM EDT	Gressel 32' Mora  14' Brillant  17' Sorga  65' Fisher  74'	Report	Berhalter  6' Boateng  88' Cadden  90+4'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 0 Referee: Silviu Petrescu Assistant referees: Brian Poeschel Matt Nelson Fourth official: Sergii Demianchuk

Columbus Crew SC v Philadelphia Union

November 1 21	Columbus Crew SC	2–1	Philadelphia Union	Columbus, OH
3:30 PM EST	Artur 37' Valenzuela  71' Németh 84'	Report	Monteiro 57' (pen.) Glesnes  72'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Allen Chapman Assistant referees: Andrew Bigelow Ian McKay Fourth official: Lukasz Szpala

Orlando City SC v Columbus Crew SC

November 4 22	Orlando City SC	2–1	Columbus Crew SC	Orlando, FL
7:30 PM EST	Mueller 27' Nani  52' Jansson  56' Pereyra  64' Michel 83' Gallese  90+4'	Report	Afful 56' Santos  81'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Referee: Ramy Touchan Assistant referees: Logan Brown Gjovalin Bori Fourth official: Elvis Osmanovic
Note: Rescheduled from original October 11 match.[10]

Columbus Crew SC v Atlanta United FC

November 8 23	Columbus Crew SC	2–1	Atlanta United FC	Columbus, OH
3:30 PM EST	Zelarayán  17', 28' Zardes 55' Valenzuela  59' Nagbe  90+5'	Report	Escobar  11'  90+1' Moreno 59' (pen.) Barco  88' Guzan  90+6'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Ismail Elfath Assistant referees: Corey Parker Cory Richardson Fourth official: Sergii Demianchuk

MLS is Back Tournament

Main article: MLS is Back Tournament

Group E results

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Columbus Crew SC	3	3	0	0	7	0	+7	9	Advanced to knockout stage
2	FC Cincinnati	3	2	0	1	3	4	−1	6
3	New York Red Bulls	3	1	0	2	1	4	−3	3
4	Atlanta United	3	0	0	3	0	3	−3	0

Source: MLS^[11]

FC Cincinnati v Columbus Crew SC

July 11 3 Group E	FC Cincinnati	0–4	Columbus Crew SC	Bay Lake, FL
10:30 PM EDT	Amaya  44' Alashe  82'	Report	Zelarayán 27' Zardes 30', 49' Mokhtar 60' Mensah  87'	Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Referee: Ismail Elfath Assistant referees: Andrew Bigelow Cory Richardson Fourth official: Ramy Touchan
Note: Group stage matches will count toward the MLS regular season standings.[8]

Columbus Crew SC v New York Red Bulls

July 16 4 Group E	Columbus Crew SC	2–0	New York Red Bulls	Bay Lake, FL
10:30 PM EDT	Zardes 22' Zelarayán 47' Room  89' Mokhtar  90+2'	Report	Tarek  61' Duncan  90+3'	Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Referee: Ramy Touchan Assistant referees: Chris Wattam Claudiu Badea Fourth official: Ismail Elfath
Note: Group stage matches will count toward the MLS regular season standings.[8]

Atlanta United FC v Columbus Crew SC

July 21 5 Group E	Atlanta United FC	0–1	Columbus Crew SC	Bay Lake, FL
8:00 PM EDT	Escobar  45+4' Robinson  73'	Report	Mokhtar 18' Valenzuela  25' Santos  60' Jiménez  85' Díaz  90+3'	Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Referee: Timothy Ford Assistant referees: Andrew Bigelow Jason White Fourth official: Allen Chapman
Note: Group stage matches will count toward the MLS regular season standings.[8]

Columbus Crew SC v Minnesota United FC

July 28 Round of 16	Columbus Crew SC	1–1 (3–5 p)	Minnesota United FC	Bay Lake, FL
8:00 PM EDT	Zardes 79' Mensah  84'	Report	Lod 18'	Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Referee: Allen Chapman Assistant referees: Jason White Cory Richardson Fourth official: Victor Rivas
	Penalties
	Adi Santos Cadden Zelarayán		Alonso Greguš Schoenfeld Edwards Gasper

MLS Cup Playoffs

Main article: 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs

First Round

Columbus Crew SC v New York Red Bulls

November 21 First Round	Columbus Crew SC	3–2	New York Red Bulls	Columbus, OH
3:00 PM EST	Santos 26' (pen.) Nagbe 46' Zardes 68'	Report	Clark 23' Davis  40' Duncan  81' Long  89' White 90'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Alex Chilowicz Assistant referees: Brian Poeschel Eric Weisbrod Fourth official: Fotis Bazakos

Conference Semifinals

Columbus Crew SC v Nashville SC

November 29 Conference Semifinals	Columbus Crew SC	2–0 (a.e.t.)	Nashville SC	Columbus, OH
8:00 PM EST	Santos 99' Zardes 103'	Report	Johnston  42' Washington  111'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Armando Villarreal Assistant referees: Andrew Bigelow Cory Richardson Fourth official: Nima Saghafi

Conference Finals

Columbus Crew SC v New England Revolution

December 6 Conference Finals	Columbus Crew SC	1–0	New England Revolution	Columbus, OH
4:00 PM EST	Artur 59' Santos  90+3'	Report		Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Armando Villarreal Assistant referees: Frank Anderson Eric Weisbrod Fourth official: Robert Sibiga

MLS Cup

Main article: MLS Cup 2020

Columbus Crew SC v Seattle Sounders FC

December 12 MLS Cup	Columbus Crew SC	3–0	Seattle Sounders FC	Columbus, OH
8:30 PM EST	Zelarayán 25', 82' Etienne 31'	Report	João Paulo  27' Smith  49'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Jair Marrufo Assistant referees: Corey Parker Kathryn Nesbitt Fourth official: Alex Chilowicz

U.S. Open Cup

Main article: 2020 U.S. Open Cup

The 2020 edition of the U.S. Open Cup was canceled on August 17 due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.^[12]

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Under "Apps" for each section, the first number represents the number of starts, and the second number represents appearances as a substitute.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS[note 1]		MLS is Back Knockout Stage		MLS Cup Playoffs
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	CUW	Eloy Room	19	0	17+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
2	DF	SCO	Chris Cadden	10	0	3+5	0	0+1	0	0+1	0
3	DF	USA	Josh Williams	16	0	11+1	0	0+0	0	4+0	0
4	DF	GHA	Jonathan Mensah	28	0	23+0	0	1+0	0	4+0	0
5	DF	NED	Vito Wormgoor	2	0	2+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
6	MF	USA	Darlington Nagbe	19	2	14+1	1	1+0	0	3+0	1
7	MF	POR	Pedro Santos	26	8	22+0	6	1+0	0	3+0	2
8	MF	BRA	Artur	27	3	20+2	2	1+0	0	4+0	1
9	FW	NGA	Fanendo Adi	12	0	1+10	0	0+1	0	0+0	0
10	MF	ARM	Lucas Zelarayán	21	8	12+4	6	1+0	0	4+0	2
11	FW	USA	Gyasi Zardes	26	15	20+1	12	1+0	1	4+0	2
12	MF	CRC	Luis Díaz	26	0	14+7	0	1+0	0	3+1	0
13	GK	USA	Andrew Tarbell	10	0	6+1	0	1+0	0	2+0	0
14	DF	CRC	Waylon Francis	5	0	2+2	0	0+0	0	0+1	0
16	MF	USA	Hector Jiménez	10	0	4+4	0	0+1	0	0+1	0
17	FW	CAN	Jordan Hamilton	2	0	0+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
18	MF	USA	Sebastian Berhalter	9	0	4+5	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
19	DF	ARG	Milton Valenzuela	24	0	17+2	0	1+0	0	4+0	0
20	FW	GHA	Emmanuel Boateng	12	0	3+7	0	0+0	0	0+2	0
21	MF	USA	Aidan Morris	11	0	2+8	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
22	MF	HAI	Derrick Etienne Jr.	24	2	8+13	1	0+1	0	2+0	1
23	DF	USA	Grant Lillard	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
24	GK	USA	Jon Kempin	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
25	DF	GHA	Harrison Afful	26	1	20+1	1	1+0	0	4+0	0
26	MF	USA	Fatai Alashe	9	1	6+2	1	0+0	0	0+1	0
27	FW	ESP	Miguel Berry	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
28	GK	USA	Matt Lampson	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
29	FW	HUN	Krisztián Németh	5	1	2+2	1	0+0	0	0+1	0
30	DF	USA	Aboubacar Keita	12	0	10+1	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
34	MF	MAR	Youness Mokhtar	19	3	10+9	3	0+0	0	0+0	0
			Own Goal	0	2	-	2	-	0	-	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
44	DF	SWE	Axel Sjoberg	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

Source: Columbus stats

Disciplinary record

No.	Pos.	Name	MLS[note 2]		MLS is Back Knockout stage		2020 MLS Cup Playoffs		Total
1	GK	Eloy Room	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
2	DF	Chris Cadden	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
3	DF	Josh Williams	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
4	DF	Jonathan Mensah	4	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
5	DF	Vito Wormgoor	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
6	MF	Darlington Nagbe	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
7	MF	Pedro Santos	4	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
8	MF	Artur	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
9	FW	Fanendo Adi	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	MF	Lucas Zelarayán	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
11	FW	Gyasi Zardes	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
12	MF	Luis Díaz	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
13	GK	Andrew Tarbell	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	DF	Waylon Francis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	MF	Hector Jiménez	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
17	FW	Jordan Hamilton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	MF	Sebastian Berhalter	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
19	DF	Milton Valenzuela	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
20	FW	Emmanuel Boateng	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
21	MF	Aidan Morris	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
22	MF	Derrick Etienne Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	DF	Grant Lillard	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	GK	Jon Kempin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
25	DF	Harrison Afful	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
26	MF	Fatai Alashe	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
27	FW	Miguel Berry	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
28	FW	Matt Lampson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	FW	Krisztián Németh	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
30	DF	Aboubacar Keita	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
34	MF	Youness Mokhtar	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
44	DF	Axel Sjöberg	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Source: Columbus stats

Clean sheets

No.	Name	MLS[note 3]	MLS is Back Knockout stage	MLS Cup Playoffs	Total	Games Played
1	Eloy Room	7	0	1	8	18
13	Andrew Tarbell	2	0	2	4	9
24	Jon Kempin	0	0	0	0	0
28	Matt Lampson	0	0	0	0	0

Source: Columbus stats

Transfers

See also: List of Major League Soccer transfers 2020

In

Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Source
MF	Aidan Morris	Indiana	Signed to Homegrown Player deal.	January 14, 2020	[13]
MF	Sebastian Berhalter	North Carolina	Signed to Homegrown Player deal.	January 17, 2020	[14]
FW	Fanendo Adi	FC Cincinnati	Picked up off waivers	January 27, 2020	[15]
MF	Derrick Etienne Jr.	New York Red Bulls	Signed as a free agent	February 4, 2020	[16]
GK	Andrew Tarbell	San Jose Earthquakes	Traded for $75,000 in general allocation money	February 19, 2020	[17]
FW	Miguel Berry	San Diego	Drafted in the first round of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft	February 27, 2020	[18]
MF	Emmanuel Boateng	DC United	Traded for Axel Sjöberg	August 14, 2020	[19]
DF	Grant Lillard	Inter Miami CF	Traded for a third round draft pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft	August 14, 2020	[20]
DF	Fatai Alashe	FC Cincinnati	Traded for a second round draft pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. FC Cincinnati will instead receive $50,000 of 2021 general allocation money should certain performance conditions be met.	August 17, 2020	[21]
FW	Krisztián Németh	Dunajská Streda	Signed as free agent	October 5, 2020	[22]
GK	Evan Bush	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Traded for $125,000 in general allocation money	December 14, 2020	[23]
FW	Bradley Wright-Phillips	Los Angeles FC	Signed as a free agent	December 23, 2020	[24]

Out

Pos.	Player	Transferred to	Fee/notes	Date	Source
MF	Wil Trapp	Inter Miami CF	Traded for $100,000 in general allocation money and a 2020 international roster slot	January 31, 2020	[25]
FW	JJ Williams	Birmingham Legion	Placed on waivers	February 20, 2020	[26]
MF	Axel Sjöberg	DC United	Traded for Emmanuel Boateng	August 14, 2020	[27]
GK	Andrew Tarbell	Austin FC	Option declined	December 14, 2020	[28]
MF	Fatai Alashe	Sacramento Republic	Option declined	December 14, 2020	[28]
MF	Emmanuel Boateng	New England Revolution	Option declined	December 14, 2020	[28]
MF	Youness Mokhtar	ADO Den Haag	Option declined	December 14, 2020	[28]
FW	Jordan Hamilton	Indy Eleven	Option declined	December 14, 2020	[28]
FW	Krisztián Németh	Debreceni VSC	Option declined	December 14, 2020	[28]
DF	Waylon Francis	Columbus Crew SC	Contract expired	December 14, 2020	[28]
MF	Hector Jiménez	Austin FC	Contract expired	December 14, 2020	[28]
FW	Fanendo Adi	Minnesota United FC	Contract expired	December 14, 2020	[28]

Loan out

Pos.	Player	Loanee club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
GK	Jon Kempin	San Diego Loyal SC	Option to Recall	March 6, 2020	September 19, 2020	[29]
FW	Miguel Berry	San Diego Loyal SC	Option to Recall	August 28, 2020	September 23, 2020	[30]

MLS Draft picks

Main article: 2020 MLS SuperDraft

Main article: 2020 MLS Re-Entry Draft

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:

2020 Columbus Crew SC SuperDraft Picks[31]
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1	7	Miguel Berry	FW	San Diego
2	47	Remi Prieur	GK	St. Mary's
2	49	Danny Griffin	MF	Providence

2020 Columbus Crew SC Re-Entry Draft Picks[32]
Stage	Round	Pick	Player	Position	Team
2	1	26	Eric Dick	GK	Sporting Kansas City

Awards

MLS Team of the Week^[33]

Week	Starters	Bench	Opponent(s)	Link
1		Lucas Zelarayán	New York City FC	[34]
2		Artur	Seattle Sounders FC	[35]
MLS is Back – Round 1	Darlington Nagbe Lucas Zelarayán Gyasi Zardes		FC Cincinnati	[36]
MLS is Back – Round 2	Darlington Nagbe Jonathan Mensah	Lucas Zelarayán	New York Red Bulls	[37]
MLS is Back – Round 3		Darlington Nagbe	Atlanta United FC	[38]
6	Darlington Nagbe	Derrick Etienne Jr.	Chicago Fire FC	[39]
9		Lucas Zelarayán	Philadelphia Union	[40]
10	Gyasi Zardes		FC Cincinnati	[41]
11	Gyasi Zardes		Chicago Fire FC	[42]
12	Jonathan Mensah		Nashville SC	[43]
13	Pedro Santos Lucas Zelarayán		Minnesota United FC	[44]
19	Andrew Tarbell	Pedro Santos Artur	New York City FC	[45]
22	Eloy Room	Artur	Philadelphia Union	[46]

MLS Player of the Week Week Player Opponent Link MLS Cup 2020 Lucas Zelarayán Seattle Sounders FC

MLS Goal of the Week Week Player Opponent Link MLS is Back – Round 1 Lucas Zelarayán FC Cincinnati

Postseason MLS Newcomer of the Year Award[47] MF Lucas Zelarayán MLS Goal of the Year Award[48] MF Darlington Nagbe[49] MLS Save of the Year Award GK Eloy Room MLS Best XI[50] DF Jonathan Mensah

Crew SC Team Awards Most Valuable Player – Lucas Zelarayán[51] Golden Boot Winner – Gyasi Zardes Defender of the Year – Jonathan Mensah Kirk Urso Heart Award – Darlington Nagbe Humanitarian of the Year – Black Players for Change (Jonathan Mensah and Darlington Nagbe accepting on behalf of the organization) Academy Player of the Year – TJ Presthus

Kits

Home

Away

Type	Shirt	Shorts	Socks	First appearance / Record
Home	Gold	Gold	Gold	Match 1 vs. NYCFC
Away	Black	Black	Black	Match 2 vs. Seattle

Notes

1. MLS counted the three group stage games of the MLS is Back Tournament as regular season matches
2. MLS counted the three group stage games of the MLS is Back Tournament as regular season matches
3. MLS counted the three group stage games of the MLS is Back Tournament as regular season matches