Columbus Crew faces Orlando City SC in late-season game

Last September, the Crew played Orlando City SC on the road in a game that was crucial for both teams' placements heading into the MLS playoffs. Columbus nearly left Orlando with a 3-2 win when striker Ramiro Enrique scored with four minutes left in regulation and then seven minutes into stoppage time to give Orlando the win.

Orlando finished ahead of the Crew in the Eastern Conference standings, so the eventual meeting took place in the MLS Cup semifinals in Orlando, but in hindsight, coach Wilfried Nancy said the September game had a more positive impact for Columbus.

“For me it was Orlando, the game we lost when we won the Cup last year,” Nancy said. “That was the trigger for my players to recognize and address certain things. I have to admit it was difficult after that game, but for me it was one of the games that helped us become champions.”

The Crew won the 2023 MLS Cup after defeating Orlando 2-0 in overtime in the conference semifinals and have been consistently successful since beating Orlando last September. Counting both regular season and tournament play, the Crew is 30-7-15 since the loss.

The Crew beat Orlando 2-0 earlier this season, with a win thanks to two goals from striker Diego Rossi, and have held Orlando scoreless since Enrique's two goals over a year ago.

“I try to look at every moment, good or bad, as a learning moment and grow from it,” Crew goalie Patrick Schulte said. “Not just for me. That was a big learning moment, but it was a big learning moment for the team. … All those little things that we learned, it's been a long two years, but I think when you look back on last year, we've come a long way.”

The Crew's defense has held FC Cincinnati and Toronto FC pointless in their last two games.

Schulte started in goal in both games, but Columbus' defense rotated. Against Cincinnati, Nancy started Rudy Camacho, Steven Moreira and Sean Zawadzki at center back, but against Toronto, Nancy replaced Moreira and Zawadzki with Malte Amundsen and Yevhen Cheberko.

All five center backs helped the Crew concede the fewest goals in the league, allowing 28 goals in 28 regular season games.

“We are better defensively because my players have adapted,” said Nancy. “That competitive spirit, because we haven't changed anything in our training or the way we do things.”

Where do Columbus Crew and Orlando City SC rank in the Eastern Conference table?

Both clubs are at the top of the Eastern Conference table, with Columbus in third place and Orlando in fourth place.

Instead of worrying about Orlando, the crew is focused on catching second-place Cincinnati.

After a 0-0 tie with Cincinnati on September 14, the Crew has no games left against rival Hell is Real, but they can knock Cincinnati off the current standings even if Cincinnati wins all of its remaining games. The Crew (53 points) has one game more than Cincinnati (55 points) and needs just three points to overtake Cincinnati.

“I know if we win games and keep winning the rest of the year, we're in second place,” Schulte said. “So we try to focus on ourselves every day. If the result is in our favor, it's in our favor, but what they do is out of our control. So we know if we win, we're in second place.”

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Columbus Crew faces Orlando City SC in late-season game

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Where do Columbus Crew and Orlando City SC rank in the Eastern Conference table?

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