2021 Columbus Crew season

Columbus Crew SC

2021 season
Investor-operators	Dee Haslam Jimmy Haslam JW Johnson Whitney Johnson Dr. Pete Edwards
Head coach	Caleb Porter
Stadium	Historic Crew Stadium (until June 19, 2021) Lower.com Field (since July 3, 2021)
Major League Soccer	Conference: 9th Overall: 17th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup	Canceled
CONCACAF Champions League	Quarterfinals
Trillium Cup	Runners-up (2 - 3)
Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup	No matches
Top goalscorer	League: Lucas Zelarayán (12) All: Lucas Zelarayán (13)
Highest home attendance	20,407 (7/3 v. NE)
Lowest home attendance	5,180 (4/18 v. PHI) and (5/8 v. DC)
Average home league attendance	16,583 (81.4%)
Biggest win	EST 0–4 CLB (4/8) CLB 0–4 MIA (10/16)
Biggest defeat	MTRY 3–0 CLB (5/5) PHI 3–0 CLB (10/3)
Home colors Away colors
←  2020 2022  →

The 2021 Columbus Crew season was the club's 26th season of existence and their 26th 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 April 18 against Philadelphia Union. It was the third season under head coach Caleb Porter.

The 2021 season sees Columbus defending their 2020 MLS Cup championship, as well as the opening of Lower.com Field, the club's new downtown stadium. They hosted the 2021 Campeones Cup against Cruz Azul, the winner of the Liga MX's Campeón de Campeones winning 2–0. The club also participated in the CONCACAF Champions League, their first appearance since the 2010–11 tournament.

The team began playing the season under the name Columbus Crew SC until a rebrand on May 10, 2021, after which the name was changed to Columbus SC. However, after criticism over the rebrand was spurred by its fans, the club announced that it would return to its original name. The "SC" was dropped and the club was once again the Columbus Crew. ^{[1] [2]}

This was the last season in which Columbus Crew played at Historic Crew Stadium, where the team played their final match against the Chicago Fire on June 19, 2021, with a 2–0 win. ^[3] The team then moved to Lower.com Field near downtown Columbus, where they would play their first match at the new stadium against the New England Revolution with a 2–2 draw on July 3, 2021. ^{[4] [5]}

Roster

As of October 28, 2021 ^[6]

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 Perry Kitchen 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   TRI Kevin Molino 10 MF   ARM Lucas Zelarayán (INT; DP) 11 FW   USA Gyasi Zardes (DP) 12 MF   CRC Luis Díaz (INT; YDP) 13 GK   USA Eric Dick (SUP) 14 DF   CRC Waylon Francis 16 MF   USA Isaiah Parente (SUP; HGP)

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 DF   USA Marlon Hairston (SUP) 18 MF   CAN Liam Fraser (SUP; HGP) 19 DF   ARG Milton Valenzuela 20 FW   ROU Alexandru Mățan (INT; U22) 21 MF   USA Aidan Morris (SUP; HGP) 22 MF   HAI Derrick Etienne Jr. (SUP; HGP) 23 MF   USA Grant Lillard (SUP; HGP) 24 GK   USA Evan Bush (SUP) 25 DF   GHA Harrison Afful 26 DF   USA Saad Abdul-Salaam (SUP) 27 FW   ESP Miguel Berry (SUP) 30 DF   USA Aboubacar Keita (SUP; HGP) 31 DF   CPV Steven Moreira (INT) 33 FW   USA Erik Hurtado 99 FW   ENG Bradley Wright-Phillips

Out on loan

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 18 MF   USA Sebastian Berhalter (on loan to Austin FC)

Technical Staff

Position	Staff
President & General Manager	Tim Bezbatchenko
Head Coach	Caleb Porter
Technical Director, VP of Soccer Operations	Pat Onstad
Vice President, Soccer Administration & Operations	Jaime McMillan
Director of Player Personnel and Strategy	Issa Tall
Assistant General Manager, Crew 2 General Manager	Corey Wray
Director of Scouting	Neil McGuinness
Assistant Coach	Ben Cross
Assistant Coach	Tim Hanley
Assistant Coach	Ezra Hendrickson
Assistant Coach	Pablo Moreira
First Team Video Coach Analyst	Blair Gavin
Head of Sport Science & Medicine	Chris Shenberger
Director of Performance	Daniel Hicker
Data Analyst	Alex Mysiw
Fitness Coach	Federico Pizzuto
Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach	Kelly Roderick
Head Athletic Trainer	Chris Rumsey
Assistant Athletic Trainer	Catherine Hill
Assistant Athletic Trainer	Daniel Givens
Head Equipment Manager	David Brauzer
Assistant Equipment Manager	Ron Meadors
Manager of Team Operations	Julio Velasquez
Player Care Coordinator	McKenzie Bostic

Source: [ ^[7] ]

Non-competitive

Preseason

The Crew played preseason matches in Florida. They brought six academy players with them to training camp: Anthony Samways, Elton Chifamba, Noah Hall, Samuel Sarver, TJ Presthus and Levi Stephens

Columbus Crew SC v New York City FC

March 24 Friendly	Columbus Crew SC	0–3	New York City FC	St. Petersburg, FL
7:00 PM EDT		Report	Medina 3' Moralez 65' Tajouri-Shradi 86'	Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 0

Columbus Crew SC v Orlando City SC

March 27 Friendly	Columbus Crew SC	0–1	Orlando City SC	Orlando, FL
7:00 PM EDT		Report	Akindele	Stadium: Osceola Heritage Park Attendance: 0

Columbus Crew SC v Minnesota United FC

March 31 Friendly	Columbus Crew SC	2–5	Minnesota United FC	Bay Lake, FL
11:00 AM EDT	Morris 76' Wright-Phillips 88'	Report		Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

Columbus Crew SC v Toronto FC

April 1 Friendly	Columbus Crew SC	2–4	Toronto FC	Bay Lake, FL
7:00 PM EDT	Santos 18' Díaz 86'	Report Report	Altidore 35' Mullins 59' Auro Jr. 64' (pen.) Perruzza 82'	Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Attendance: 0

Competitive

Overview

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Major League Soccer	April 18, 2021	November 7, 2021	Matchday 1	17th	34	13	8	13	46	45	+1	038.24
CONCACAF Champions League	April 8, 2021	May 5, 2021	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	4	2	1	1	7	5	+2	050.00
2021 Campeones Cup	September 29, 2021	September 29, 2021	Final	Winner	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00
Total					39	16	9	14	55	50	+5	041.03

Source: Competitions

MLS

Main article: 2021 Major League Soccer season

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
7	New York Red Bulls	34	13	12	9	39	33	+6	48	Qualification for the playoffs first round
8	D.C. United	34	14	15	5	56	54	+2	47
9	Columbus Crew	34	13	13	8	46	45	+1	47
10	CF Montréal [a]	34	12	12	10	46	44	+2	46	Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League [b]
11	Inter Miami CF	34	12	17	5	36	53	−17	41

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
Notes:

1. Canadian clubs cannot qualify for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.
2. As 2021 Canadian Championship winners

Overall table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
15	LA Galaxy	34	13	12	9	50	54	−4	48
16	D.C. United	34	14	15	5	56	54	+2	47
17	Columbus Crew	34	13	13	8	46	45	+1	47
18	CF Montréal (V)	34	12	12	10	46	44	+2	46	Qualification for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League [a]
19	Los Angeles FC	34	12	13	9	53	51	+2	45

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
(V) Canadian Championship winner
Notes:

1. As 2021 Canadian Championship winners (CAN1)

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	47	13	13	8	46	45	+1	10	4	3	33	23	+10	3	9	5	13	22	−9

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	H	A	H	A	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H
Result	D	D	W	L	L	W	W	W	L	D	D	D	W	D	W	L	L	L	L	L	L	W	L	L	W	D	W	L	W	D	L	W	W	W

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

Match results

On March 10, 2021 the league announced the home openers for every club, with Columbus playing Philadelphia Union at Historic Crew Stadium.

Columbus Crew SC v Philadelphia Union

April 181	Columbus Crew SC	0–0	Philadelphia Union	Columbus, OH
5:30 PM EDT	Díaz  56' Kitchen  64'	Report	Glesnes  40' Monteiro  61' Santos  75' Bedoya  89'	Stadium: Historic Crew Stadium Attendance: 5,180 Referee: Ramy Touchan Assistant referees: Kathryn Nesbitt Eric Boria Fourth official: Ismir Pekmic

CF Montréal v Columbus Crew SC

May 12	CF Montréal	0–0	Columbus Crew SC	Fort Lauderdale, FL
3:00 PM EDT		Report		Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Timothy Ford Assistant referees: Corey Rockwell Kevin Klinger Fourth official: Silviu Petrescu
Note: Due to COVID-19 Cross-border travel restrictions, the match was played at DRV PNK Stadium where Montreal played as the home team.

Columbus Crew SC v D.C. United

May 83	Columbus Crew SC	3–1	D.C. United	Columbus, OH
1:30 PM EDT	Zelarayán 20' Afful  29' Williams  30' Francis  58' Brillant 63' (o.g.) Alfaro 83' (o.g.)	Report	Asad  42' Kamara 82'	Stadium: Historic Crew Stadium Attendance: 5,180 Referee: Silviu Petrescu Assistant referees: Cory Richardson Chantal Boudreau Fourth official: Sergii Demianchuk

Toronto FC v Columbus SC

May 12 4	Toronto FC	2–0	Columbus SC	Orlando, FL
7:00 PM EDT	Bradley 13' Delgado  46' Bono  54' Altidore 87',  90+3'	Report	Keita  89' Mensah  90+2'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Fotis Bazakos Assistant referees: Adam Garner T.J. Zablocki Fourth official: Ted Unkel
Note: Due to COVID-19 Cross-border travel restrictions, the match was played at Exploria Stadium where Toronto played as the home team.

New England Revolution v Columbus SC

May 165	New England Revolution	1–0	Columbus SC	Foxborough, MA
6:00 PM EDT	Kaptoum  80' Bell  83' Buksa 86'	Report	Francis  71'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Referee: Robert Sibiga Assistant referees: Brian Poeschel Tom Felice Fourth official: Adam Kilpatrick

New York City FC v Columbus Crew

May 226	New York City FC	1–2	Columbus Crew	Harrison, NJ
7:30 PM EDT	Tajouri-Shradi 18' Chanot  89' Ibeagha  90+4'	Report	Santos  25' Artur  46' Zelarayán 82', 90+5'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 3,154 Referee: Drew Fischer Assistant referees: Logan Brown Cory Richardson Fourth official: John Griggs
Note: The match was held at Red Bull Arena due to scheduling conflicts at New York City FC's home stadium, Yankee Stadium. New York City FC played as the home team for this match.

Columbus Crew v Toronto FC

May 29 7	Columbus Crew	2–1	Toronto FC	Columbus, OH
3:00 PM EDT	Díaz 12' Zardes 21'	Report	Akinola 52'	Stadium: Historic Crew Stadium Attendance: 5,700 Referee: Allen Chapman Assistant referees: Eric Boria C.J. Morgante Fourth official: Marcos de Oliveira

Columbus Crew v Chicago Fire FC

June 198	Columbus Crew	2–0	Chicago Fire FC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Zardes 17', 34' Etienne  21' Williams  25'	Report	Herbers  44' Medrán  65'	Stadium: Historic Crew Stadium Attendance: 20,064 Referee: Alex Chilowicz Assistant referees: Matt Nelson Jeffrey Swartzel Fourth official: Matthew Thompson

Philadelphia Union v Columbus Crew

June 239	Philadelphia Union	1–0	Columbus Crew	Chester, PA
7:30 PM EDT	Monteiro 24' Real  74' Flach  84'	Report	Mățan  43' Wormgoor  51'	Stadium: Subaru Park Attendance: 16,234 Referee: Joe Dickerson Assistant referees: Nick Uranga Jose Da Silva Fourth official: Jonathan Bilinski

Austin FC v Columbus Crew

June 2710	Austin FC	0–0	Columbus Crew	Austin, TX
8:00 PM EDT	Fagúndez  90+5'	Report	Afful  35'	Stadium: Q2 Stadium Attendance: 20,738 Referee: Ted Unkel Assistant referees: Mike Rottersman Brian Poeschel Fourth official: Tori Penso

Columbus Crew v New England Revolution

July 311	Columbus Crew	2–2	New England Revolution	Columbus, OH
5:00 PM EDT	Zardes 39' Nagbe  68' Farrell 69' (o.g.) Mensah  75' Santos  79'	Report	Buchanan 13' Bou 30' Jones  53'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 20,407 Referee: Alan Kelly Assistant referees: Cameron Blanchard Jeremy Kieso Fourth official: Sergii Demianchuk

FC Cincinnati v Columbus Crew

July 9 12	FC Cincinnati	2–2	Columbus Crew	Cincinnati, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Castillo 1',  28' Acosta 24' Kubo  32' Cameron  45+7' Vallecilla  61' Barreal  72' Stanko  88'	Report	Afful  17'  42' Mensah  39' Zelarayán 45+1' Berry 77'	Stadium: TQL Stadium Attendance: 25,701 Referee: Kevin Stott Assistant referees: Cory Richardson Jeffrey Swartzel Fourth official: Guido Gonzalez Jr.

Columbus Crew v New York City FC

July 1713	Columbus Crew	2–1	New York City FC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Abdul-Salaam  9' Hairston  37' Nagbe 45+3' Zelarayán 62' Santos  77' Francis  79'	Report	Chanot  31' Medina  34'47' Acevedo  39' Thórarinsson  51'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 19,113 Referee: Ramy Touchan Assistant referees: Eric Boria Claudiu Badea Fourth official: Danielle Chesky

Columbus Crew v Nashville SC

July 2114	Columbus Crew	0–0	Nashville SC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Kitchen  18' Hurtado  43'	Report	LaGrassa  21'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 18,395 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza Assistant referees: Brian Poeschel Jeffrey Swartzel Fourth official: Elton Garcia

Atlanta United FC v Columbus Crew

July 2415	Atlanta United FC	0–1	Columbus Crew	Atlanta, GA
3:30 PM EDT		Report	Hurtado  44' Mensah 65' Francis  90+2'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 67,507 Referee: Robert Sibiga Assistant referees: Jason White Adam Wienckowski Fourth official: Elijio Arreguin

New York City FC v Columbus Crew

July 3016	New York City FC	4–1	Columbus Crew	New York, NY
7:30 PM EDT	Castellanos 14',  55' Rodríguez 22' Thiago 35',  36' Thórarinsson  41' Parks 51' Medina  69'	Report	Santos  49', 90+7' (pen.)	Stadium: Yankee Stadium Referee: Alan Kelly Assistant referees: Matt Nelson Gjovalin Bori Fourth official: Elton Garcia

Columbus Crew v D.C. United

August 417	Columbus Crew	2–4	D.C. United	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Keita  24' Etienne  30' Mesah  45+1' Molino 65' Zelarayán 71'	Report	Kamara 19' Reyna 40', 74' Kamara 45+3' (pen.) Alfaro  66'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 18,398 Referee: Victor Rivas Assistant referees: Andrew Bigelow Meghan Mullen Fourth official: Kevin Broadley

Columbus Crew v Atlanta United FC

August 718	Columbus Crew	2–3	Atlanta United FC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Mensah 37' Santos 90+1' (pen.) Room  90+7'	Report	Barco 5', 35' (pen.) Sosa  45+3' Moreno 65' (pen.) Walkes  66'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 20,094 Referee: Allen Chapman Assistant referees: Brian Dunn Jeff Hosking Fourth official: Sergii Demianchuk

Chicago Fire FC v Columbus Crew

August 1519	Chicago Fire FC	1–0	Columbus Crew	Chicago, IL
6:00 PM EDT	Stojanovic 77'	Report	Etienne  27'	Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 13,005 Referee: Nima Saghafi Assistant referees: Ian McKay Eric Boria Fourth official: Natalie Simon

New York Red Bulls v Columbus Crew

August 1820	New York Red Bulls	1–0	Columbus Crew	Harrison, NJ
8:00 PM EDT	Tolkin 33' Klimala  55'	Report	Hurtado  84'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 10,002 Referee: Chris Penso Assistant referees: Jeremy Hanson Gianni Facchini Fourth official: John Griggs

Columbus Crew v Seattle Sounders FC

August 2121	Columbus Crew	1–2	Seattle Sounders FC	Columbus, OH
5:30 PM EDT	Wright-Phillips 77' Díaz  85'	Report	Ruidíaz  79' Arreaga 88' Bruin 89'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 19,401 Referee: Joe Dickerson Assistant referees: Peter Balciunas Andrew Bigelow Fourth official: Baldomero Toledo

Columbus Crew v FC Cincinnati

August 2722	Columbus Crew	3–2	FC Cincinnati	Columbus, OH
6:30 PM EDT	Zelarayán 45' Berry 81', 83'	Report	Matarrita 45+3' Atanga 74'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 19,949 Referee: Robert Sibiga Assistant referees: Jason White Ian McKay Fourth official: Silviu Petrescu

Orlando City SC v Columbus Crew

September 423	Orlando City SC	3–2	Columbus Crew	Orlando, FL
7:30 pm	Dike 26' Van der Water 29' Urso  42'. 69' DeZart  51'	Report	Carlos 52' (o.g.) Berry 54'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 15,366 Referee: Armando Villarreal Assistant referees: Kevin Klinger Logan Brown Fourth official: Marcos de Oliveira

Inter Miami CF v Columbus Crew

September 1124	Inter Miami CF	1–0	Columbus Crew	Fort Lauderdale, FL
4:00PM EDT	Higuaín 16'	Report	Afful  10' Zelarayán  12' Wormgoor  82'	Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Attendance: 15,014 Referee: Alan Kelly Assistant referees: Corey Parker Jose Da Silva Fourth official: Mathew Corrigan

Columbus Crew v New York Red Bulls

September 1425	Columbus Crew	2–1	New York Red Bulls	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Nagbe 74' Berry 88'	Report	Klimala 25' Yearwood  33'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 17,358 Referee: Jair Marrufo Assistant referees: Peter Balciunas Jeffrey Greeson Fourth official: Fotis Bazakos

New England Revolution v Columbus Crew

September 1826	New England Revolution	1–1	Columbus Crew	Foxborough, MA
7:00 PM EDT	Buksa 62'	Report	Zardes 58' Abdul-Salaam  65' Parente  77'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 19,004 Referee: Allen Chapman Assistant referees: Andrew Bigelow Gjovalin Bori Fourth official: Robert Sibiga

Columbus Crew v CF Montréal

September 2527	Columbus Crew	2–1	CF Montréal	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Williams  39' Zardes 44', 62' Etienne  56'	Report	Quioto 90+2'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 19,423 Referee: Nima Saghafi Assistant referees: Corey Parker Adam Garner Fourth official: Baldomero Toledo

Philadelphia Union v Columbus Crew

October 328	Philadelphia Union	3–0	Columbus Crew	Chester, PA
4:00 PM EDT	Elliott 25' Wagner  35'  64' Bedoya 46' Powell  74' Santos  78' Flach 89'	Report	Santos  66'	Stadium: Subaru Park Attendance: 15,578 Referee: Victor Rivas Assistant referees: Peter Manikowski Brian Poeschel Fourth official: Elvis Osmanovic

Columbus Crew v Inter Miami CF

October 1629	Columbus Crew	4–0	Inter Miami CF	Columbus, OH
6:00 PM EDT	Zardes 39', 64' Santos 44' Wormgoor  56' Pírez 83' (o.g.)	Report	Higuaín  16' Leerdam  68' Robinson  68' Makoun  76' Carranza  90+1'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 19,338 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez Assistant referees: Claudiu Badea Kyle Atkins Fourth official: Guido Gonzalez Jr.

Nashville SC v Columbus Crew

October 2030	Nashville SC	1–1	Columbus Crew	Nashville, TN
8:30 PM EDT	Mukhtar 77',  90' Haakenson  90+5'	Report	Nagbe  71' Zelarayán 75'	Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 18,381 Referee: Alex Chilowicz Assistant referees: Eric Weisbrod Chris Elliott Fourth official: Silviu Petrescu

Columbus Crew v New York Red Bulls

October 2331	Columbus Crew	1–2	New York Red Bulls	Columbus, OH
6:00 PM EDT	Berry 18'	Report	Cásseres 7' Yearwood  70' Nealis 87'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 17,891 Referee: Alan Kelly Assistant referees: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho Cory Richardson Fourth official: Adam Kilpatrick

Columbus Crew v Orlando City SC

October 2732	Columbus Crew	3–2	Orlando City SC	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Berry 20' Etienne 31' Mensah  45' Zelarayán 61' Valenzuela  90+5'	Report	Mendez  13' Dike 52' (pen.) Smith  57' Jansson 90+2'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 16,676 Referee: Joe Dickerson Assistant referees: Andrew Bigelow Diego Blas Fourth official: Matthew Thompson

D.C. United v Columbus Crew

October 3033	D.C. United	1–3	Columbus Crew	Washington, DC
7:30 PM EDT	Arriola 3',  32' Martins  79'	Report	Valenzuela  42' Zelarayán 45' (pen.), 76' Santos 66'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 16,787 Referee: Drew Fischer Assistant referees: Kathryn Nesbitt Brian Poeschel Fourth official: Lukasz Szpala

Columbus Crew v Chicago Fire FC

November 734	Columbus Crew	2–0	Chicago Fire FC	Columbus, OH
3:30 PM EST	Zelarayán 31' Berry 58'	Report	Navarro  59' Offor  62' Espinoza  88' Ivanov  89'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 19,351 Referee: Timothy Ford Assistant referees: Adam Garner Matt Nelson Fourth official: Chris Ruska

MLS Cup Playoffs

Main article: 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs

The Columbus Crew failed to qualify for the playoffs in this season.

CONCACAF Champions League

Main article: 2021 CONCACAF Champions League

Round of 16

Real Estelí v Columbus Crew SC

April 8Leg 1	Real Estelí	0–4	Columbus Crew SC	Estelí, Nicaragua
8:00 PM EDT	Silva  11' Barrera  28' García  44' Acevedo  85'	Report	Zardes 19', 33' Mensah 26',  28' Santos 45+1' (pen.) Morris  55' Nagbe  61' Francis  79'	Stadium: Estadio Independencia Referee: Selvin Brown (Honduras) Assistant referees: Cristian Ramírez (Honduras) Keyzel Corrales (Honduras) Fourth official: Nelson Salgado (Honduras)

Columbus Crew SC v Real Estelí

April 15Leg 2	Columbus Crew SC	1–0 (5–0 agg.)	Real Estelí	Columbus, OH
8:00 PM EDT	Zelarayán  47' Wright-Phillips 86'	Report	López  83'	Stadium: Historic Crew Stadium Referee: Keylor Herrera Villalobos (Costa Rica) Assistant referees: Juan Mora (Costa Rica) Victor Ramírez (Costa Rica) Fourth official: Ricardo Montero (Costa Rica)

Quarterfinals

Columbus Crew SC v C.F. Monterrey

April 28Leg 1	Columbus Crew SC	2–2	C.F. Monterrey	Columbus, OH
8:30 PM EDT	Zelarayán  13', 87' Zardes  51' Valenzuela 66'	Report	Loba 9' Mora  51' Alvarado 90+3'	Stadium: Historic Crew Stadium Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón (Costa Rica) Assistant referees: Andres Arrieta (Costa Rica) Gerson Lopez (Guatemala) Fourth official: Bryan López (Guatemala)

C.F. Monterrey v Columbus Crew SC

May 5Leg 2	C.F. Monterrey	3–0 (5–2 agg.)	Columbus Crew SC	Monterrey, Mexico
8:00 PM EDT	Meza 3', 26' Sánchez  37' Montes  57' Layún  63', 71'	Report		Stadium: Estadio BBVA Referee: Daneon Parchment (Jamaica) Assistant referees: Ojay Duhaney (Jamaica) Damion Williams (Jamaica) Fourth official: Oshane Nation (Jamaica)

Campeones Cup

Main article: 2021 Campeones Cup

Columbus Crew v Cruz Azul

September 29 Final	Columbus Crew	2–0	Cruz Azul	Columbus, OH
8:00 EDT	Angulo 4' (o.g.) Díaz  66' Mensah 74'	Report	Aguilar  32' Corona  32' Domínguez  32' Baca  45+1' Guillermo Fernández  77' Escobar  89'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 18,026 Referee: Oshane Nation (Jamaica) Assistant referees: Ojay Duhaney (Jamaica) Irrots Appleton (Antigua and Barbuda) Fourth official: Reon Radix (Grenada)

U.S. Open Cup

Main article: 2021 U.S. Open Cup

On July 20, US Soccer announced that the tournament would be cancelled for 2021 and would resume in 2022. ^[8]

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		CONCACAF Champions League		Campeones Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	CUW	Eloy Room	34	0	30+0	0	4+0	0	0+0	0
2	MF	USA	Perry Kitchen	7	0	3+2	0	1+1	0	0+0	0
3	DF	USA	Josh Williams	23	0	14+4	0	3+1	0	1+0	0
4	DF	GHA	Jonathan Mensah	32	4	28+1	2	2+0	1	1+0	1
5	DF	NED	Vito Wormgoor	17	0	16+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
6	MF	USA	Darlington Nagbe	37	2	33+0	2	3+0	0	1+0	0
7	MF	POR	Pedro Santos	37	5	30+2	4	3+1	1	1+0	0
8	MF	BRA	Artur	10	0	5+1	0	3+1	0	0+0	0
9	FW	TRI	Kevin Molino	11	1	7+4	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
10	MF	ARM	Lucas Zelarayán	36	13	28+4	12	2+1	1	1+0	0
11	FW	USA	Gyasi Zardes	24	11	18+3	9	3+0	2	0+0	0
12	MF	CRC	Luis Díaz	24	1	11+8	1	4+0	0	0+1	0
13	GK	USA	Eric Dick	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
14	DF	CRC	Waylon Francis	27	0	14+9	0	2+2	0	0+0	0
16	MF	USA	Isaiah Parente	9	0	2+4	0	1+2	0	0+0	0
17	DF	USA	Marlon Hairston	22	0	16+5	0	0+0	0	0+1	0
18	MF	USA	Sebastian Berhalter	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
18	MF	CAN	Liam Fraser	24	0	11+12	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
19	DF	ARG	Milton Valenzuela	18	1	12+2	0	2+1	1	0+1	0
20	MF	ROU	Alexandru Mățan	30	0	9+19	0	0+2	0	0+0	0
21	MF	USA	Aidan Morris	2	0	0+0	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
22	MF	HAI	Derrick Etienne Jr.	32	1	21+8	1	2+0	0	1+0	0
23	DF	USA	Grant Lillard	1	0	0+0	0	0+1	0	0+0	0
24	GK	USA	Evan Bush	5	0	4+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
25	DF	GHA	Harrison Afful	30	0	21+5	0	3+0	0	0+1	0
26	DF	USA	Saad Abdul-Salaam	19	0	7+11	0	0+1	0	0+0	0
27	FW	ESP	Miguel Berry	21	8	9+9	8	1+1	0	1+0	0
30	DF	USA	Aboubacar Keita	19	0	10+6	0	2+0	0	1+0	0
31	DF	CPV	Steven Moreira	8	0	6+1	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
33	FW	USA	Erik Hurtado	9	0	3+6	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
99	FW	ENG	Bradley Wright-Phillips	26	2	6+15	1	1+3	1	0+1	0
			Own Goal	0	6	-	5	-	0	-	1
Players who left Columbus during the season:
28	GK	USA	Matt Lampson	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

Source:

Disciplinary record

No.	Pos.	Name	MLS		CONCACAF Champions League		Campeones Cup		Total
1	GK	Eloy Room	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2	MF	Perry Kitchen	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
3	DF	Josh Williams	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
4	DF	Jonathan Mensah	5	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
5	DF	Vito Wormgoor	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
6	MF	Darlington Nagbe	2	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
7	MF	Pedro Santos	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
8	MF	Artur	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
9	FW	Kevin Molino	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	MF	Lucas Zelarayán	1	0	2	0	0	0	3	0
11	FW	Gyasi Zardes	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
12	MF	Luis Díaz	3	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
13	GK	Eric Dick	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	DF	Waylon Francis	4	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
16	MF	Isaiah Parente	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
17	DF	Marlon Hairston	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
18	MF	Sebastian Berhalter	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
19	DF	Milton Valenzuela	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
20	MF	Alexandru Mățan	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
21	MF	Aidan Morris	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
22	MF	Derrick Etienne Jr.	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
23	DF	Grant Lillard	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	GK	Evan Bush	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
25	DF	Harrison Afful	3	1	0	0	0	0	3	1
26	MF	Saad Abdul-Salaam	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
27	FW	Miguel Berry	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
30	DF	Aboubacar Keita	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
31	DF	Steven Moreira	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	FW	Erik Hurtado	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
99	FW	Bradley Wright-Phillips	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
28	FW	Matt Lampson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Source:

Clean sheets

No.	Name	MLS	CONCACAF Champions League	Campeones Cup	Total	Games Played
1	Eloy Room	7	2	0	9	34
13	Eric Dick	0	0	0	0	0
24	Evan Bush	1	0	1	2	5
Players who left Columbus during the season:
28	Matt Lampson	0	0	0	0	0

Source:

Transfers

See also: List of Major League Soccer transfers 2021

In

Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Source
DF	Waylon Francis	Columbus Crew SC	Signed as a free agent	January 6, 2021	[9]
MF	Kevin Molino	Minnesota United FC	Signed as a free agent	January 7, 2021	[10]
GK	Eric Dick	Sporting Kansas City	Selected in Stage 2 of the 2020 MLS Re-Entry Draft	January 8, 2021	[11]
MF	Isaiah Parente	Wake Forest	Signed to Homegrown Player deal.	January 11, 2021	[12]
MF	Perry Kitchen	LA Galaxy	Signed as a free agent	January 28, 2021	[13]
MF	Marlon Hairston	Minnesota United FC	Signed as a free agent	March 3, 2021	[14]
MF	Alexandru Mățan	Viitorul Constanţa	Transfer, $1,800,000 transfer fee. Acquired under the MLS U-22 initiative.	March 8, 2021	[15]
DF	Saad Abdul-Salaam	FC Cincinnati	Picked up off waivers	April 17, 2021	[16]
FW	Erik Hurtado	CF Montreal	Traded for $200,000 in 2021 general allocation money	July 8, 2021	[17]
DF	Steven Moreira	Toulouse FC	Signed as a free agent	August 23, 2021	[18]
GK	Eloy Room	Columbus Crew	Signed a new contract	December 3, 2021	[19]
MF	Pedro Santos	Columbus Crew	Signed a new contract	December 8, 2021	[20]

Loan in

Pos.	Player	Parent club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
MF	Liam Fraser	Toronto FC	Sent $50,000 in 2021 general allocation money	May 3, 2021	December 11, 2021	[21]

Out

Pos.	Player	Transferred to	Fee/notes	Date	Source
GK	Jon Kempin	D.C. United	Traded for third-round draft pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft	January 8, 2021	[22]
MF	Chris Cadden	Hibernian F.C.	Transfer, Columbus retains a percentage of any future Transfer fee Hibernian receives	January 15, 2021	[23]
GK	Matt Lampson	Hartford Athletic	Placed on waivers	August 25, 2021	[24]
GK	Eloy Room	Columbus Crew	Contract expired	December 1, 2021	[25]
MF	Pedro Santos	Columbus Crew	Contract expired	December 1, 2021	[25]
DF	Milton Valenzuela	FC Lugano	Contract expired	December 1, 2021	[25]
GK	Evan Bush	Columbus Crew	Contract expired	December 1, 2021	[25]
DF	Harrison Afful	Charlotte FC	Contract expired	December 1, 2021	[25] [26]
DF	Grant Lillard	Loudoun United	Contract expired	December 1, 2021	[25]
GK	Eric Dick	Minnesota United FC	Option declined	December 1, 2021	[25]
DF	Waylon Francis	CS Herediano	Option declined	December 1, 2021	[25]
DF	Saad Abdul-Salaam	San Antonio FC	Option declined	December 1, 2021	[25]
DF	Vito Wormgoor	IK Start	Option declined	December 1, 2021	[25]
FW	Erik Hurtado	Columbus Crew	Option declined	December 1, 2021	[25]
FW	Bradley Wright-Phillips	Retired	Option declined	December 1, 2021	[25]

Loans out

Pos.	Player	Loanee club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
MF	Sebastian Berhalter	Austin FC	Acquired $50,000 in 2021 general allocation money. The Crew will receive $50,000 in allocation money if Berhalter meets certain performance conditions in 2021. Austin FC retains the option to trade for the rights on a permanent basis.	March 3, 2021	November 7, 2021	[27]
FW	Miguel Berry	San Diego Loyal SC	Columbus retains the right to terminate the loan at any time.	May 28, 2021	June 29, 2021	[28]
GK	Eric Dick	Indy Eleven	Columbus retains the right to terminate the loan at any time.	June 24, 2021	Aufust 22, 2021	[29]

MLS Draft picks

Main articles: 2021 MLS SuperDraft and 2021 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 are listed below:

2021 Columbus Crew SuperDraft Picks [30]
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1	27	Justin Malou	DF	San Diego
2	52	Joshua Jackson-Ketchup	DF	Ohio State

2021 Columbus Crew Re-Entry Draft Picks [31]
Stage	Round	Pick	Player	Position	Team
2	1	4	Brady Scott	GK	Austin FC

Awards

MLS Team of the Week

Week	Starters	Bench	Opponent(s)	Link
4	Lucas Zelarayán		D.C. United	[32]
6	Lucas Zelarayán		New York City FC	[33]
7	Pedro Santos		Toronto FC	[34]
8	Gyasi Zardes	Pedro Santos	Chicago Fire FC	[35]
11		Gyasi Zardes	New England Revolution	[36]
12	Lucas Zelarayán		FC Cincinnati	[37]
13	Darlington Nagbe	Eloy Room	New York City FC	[38]
15	Jonathan Mensah	Eloy Room	Atlanta United FC	[39]
22	Lucas Zelarayán	Miguel Berry	FC Cincinnati	[40]
25	Jonathan Mensah		Inter Miami CF New York Red Bulls	[41]
26	Eloy Room		New England Revolution	[42]
27	Gyasi Zardes		CF Montréal	[43]
30	Pedro Santos Gyasi Zardes		Inter Miami CF	[44]
33	Lucas Zelarayán		New York Red Bulls Orlando City SC	[45]
34	Lucas Zelarayán		D.C. United	[46]
35	Steven Moreira		Chicago Fire FC	[47]

MLS Player of the Week Week Player Opponent Link 6 Lucas Zelarayán New York City FC 27 Gyasi Zardes CF Montréal 30 Gyasi Zardes Inter Miami CF 34 Lucas Zelarayán D.C. United

MLS Goal of the Week Week Player Opponent Link 6 Lucas Zelarayán New York City FC 12 Lucas Zelarayán D.C. United 34 Lucas Zelarayán D.C. United

2021 MLS All-Star Game Starters MF Lucas Zelarayán [48]

Postseason MLS Fair Play Team Award

Crew Team Awards Most Valuable Player – Lucas Zelarayán [49] Golden Boot Winner – Lucas Zelarayán Defender of the Year – Eloy Room Kirk Urso Heart Award – Miguel Berry Humanitarian of the Year – Josh Williams Academy Player of the Year – Tyler Crawford

Kits

Home

Away

Type	Shirt	Shorts	Socks
Home	White	Gold	Gold
Away	Black	Black	Black

References

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