Orlando City (3-2-2, 11 pts.) heads to central Ohio this weekend for a high-profile showdown against the Columbus Crew (2-2-2, 8 pts.) at Lower.com Field. The match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised locally on FOX35 PLUS and the LionNation app, with pre-game coverage starting at 7 p.m.. Local radio coverage will also be available from 7 p.m. ET on FM 96.9 the Game in English and Acción 97.9 FM in Spanish.
Here’s everything you need to know about Columbus:
Key Transactions and Player News
Key Additions - RW Yaw Yeboah (Wisla Krakow), CB Milos Degenek (Red Star Belgrade), CM James Igbekeme (Real Zaragoza, loan), CB Jalil Anibaba (Nashville SC)
Key Departures - RB Harrison Afful (Charlotte FC), LB Milton Valenzuela (FC Lugano), CB Aboubacar Keita (Colorado Rapids), CB Vito Wormgoor (Start), CF Bradley Wright-Phillips (retirement)
News - Columbus bid farewell to a club legend this month, hosting a retirement ceremony with former No. 10 Federico Higuaín, who signed a one-day contract with the team so he could officially retire as a member of the Crew. Higuaín had 55 goals and 63 assists in his Crew career, the latter still standing as a club record. “Pipa” had three goals and three assists in seven appearances against Orlando City.
Take a look at Columbus’ full roster here.
Team Form
Columbus got off to a terrific start to the season, scoring nine times and going 2-0-1 across its first three matches, but the Crew is winless in three with just one goal and one point to show for its last 270 minutes of action. On the plus side, Crew captain Lucas Zelerayán has been red hot to start 2022, with four goals and two assists in the club’s first six matches.
Head-to-Head
Orlando City lost a five-game winning streak against Columbus going back more than three years when City fell 3-2 in its first trip to Lower.com Field last October. Miguel Berry, Derrick Etienne Jr., and Zelerayán all scored in that match, and all three returned to the Crew this year. Overall, the teams are an even 6-6-3 against each other since the Lions entered the league in 2015.
Rasmussen University Fact
The Crew might have moved into new digs last year, but Historic Crew Stadium, the club’s original home since 1996, still stands and still hosts games. Columbus Crew 2, the team’s new MLS NEXT Pro side, will host Orlando City B at Historic Crew Stadium this Friday night before the first teams square off at Lower.com Field on Saturday.
