Columbus Crew refused to die in the playoffs. Facing an FC Cincinnati side that seemed to have control of the series, the Ohio team answered with authority, thrashing them 4–0 and forcing a decisive third game in the first round of the Eastern Conference. It was a complete performance, the kind that lifts morale and reminds everyone that no statistic can top the effort of a squad that knows exactly what’s at stake. The star of the match was Max Arfsten, who scored a goal and provided two assists.
A team transformed by urgency
After losing the first game of the series 1–0 on the road, Columbus stepped onto the field with a different look in their eyes. The pressure was clear, but the team didn’t back down. In the 33rd minute, Arfsten opened the scoring and sparked a shift in energy. Everything changed when Yuya Kubo from Cincinnati was sent off for tripping Herrera just outside the box, denying a clear scoring opportunity. Three minutes later, Dylan Chambost curled in the free kick with precision to make it 2–0 and set the stadium roaring.
The first half was practically one-way traffic. The Crew took nine of the ten shots and dictated the tempo with possession and intensity. The numbers tell the story: 62% possession, a 19–1 edge in shots, and 3.1 expected goals against only 0.1 for the opponent. Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte didn’t have to make a single save.
In the second half, the pace didn’t drop. Jacen Russell-Rowe came on in the 61st minute and had a direct hand in the final two goals. First, he crossed for Herrera, who controlled the ball and fired it in with his left foot in the 65th minute. Then, four minutes later, Russell-Rowe found the net himself, sealing Columbus’s best performance of this playoff run.
The reflection of a coach who believes
Head coach Wilfried Nancy spoke calmly as he tried to explain the impressive win. “We played with a lot of passion, and when we play like this, not only in attack but also in defense, the mentality is something very difficult to beat,” he said. He was clearly proud. The Crew played with composure, and that comes from confident leadership on the sidelines.
Nancy got straight to the point when highlighting the context. “Consider the context of the game. We played against Cincinnati, it’s a rivalry. We went there and lost 1–0. We played at home, it was do or die, not an easy context. That’s why I love my team, because they can focus on the task and play well. Don’t think about the future, don’t think about the past. Stay focused on this game, on the present. And I think they did well.”
The Frenchman also made a curious comparison when talking about his team’s evolution. “In the first game, we fell flat like a crêpe, a French crêpe, and today we were stronger.” It might sound like a joke, but it summed up the moment perfectly: a team that got back up with more consistency and refused to crumble under pressure.