Columbus Crew picked up a 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union, ending the visitors’ 11-game unbeaten streak. With the result, Crew reached 37 points, climbed into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and added even more heat to the race at the top of the table.
Union remains in first place, but they’re still sitting on 40 points and now have FC Cincinnati breathing down their necks with 39, following a win earlier in the round. This head-to-head battle in Ohio also marked a third straight victory for Columbus, a meaningful result against the team that came in as conference leaders.
Fast yellow, scrappy first half, and a stoppage-time breakthrough
The match had barely kicked off when things got intense. Just 10 seconds in, Alejandro Bedoya committed a hard foul and was immediately shown a yellow card. That moment set the tone for a physical, no-nonsense contest that would stay chippy from start to finish. Bedoya would later take Union’s first shot, trying to catch Columbus keeper Evan Bush off guard with an ambitious attempt from distance.
Within the first half hour, things escalated. Jesus Bueno and Jovan Lukic also went into the referee’s book, bringing Philadelphia’s first-half yellow card count to three. The visitors were clearly playing on the edge.
Despite all the energy and fouls, real scoring chances were scarce until the very end of the first half. That’s when Columbus finally broke through. Deep into stoppage time, they found just enough space for Mo Farsi to slot home the only goal of the night.
Union pushed but couldn’t break Columbus down
After the break, Philadelphia came out with more urgency. They pushed their lines higher, kept more of the ball, and started creating a bit more danger around the box. Their best look came in the 67th minute. Kai Wagner delivered a well-placed free kick into the area, and Makhanya got a head to it. The ball bounced off the post, falling to Bedoya, but somehow he couldn’t put it away.
Union kept pressing. In the 83rd minute, Wagner again made something happen, cutting in from the left and playing a low cross into the path of Olivas. The forward struck it first time, but his shot was deflected at the last second by Steven Moreira, last year’s MLS Defender of the Year, who stepped in with perfect timing.
Columbus was holding on as Philadelphia piled on the pressure. The visitors threw everything forward in the final minutes. In stoppage time, Danley was fouled nearly 40 yards from goal, setting up one last chance. Wagner sent in another dangerous ball, Bueno got a touch on it, but the shot went just wide. The whistle blew shortly after, sealing the win for the home side.