Football
Soccer

    Columbus Crew

    Columbus Crew displays their new kit for the 2021 MLS season. Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

    A founding member of Major League Soccer, the Crew won the MLS Cup in the disrupted 2020 season.

    One of the original members of Major League Soccer, the Columbus Crew have enjoyed considerable success both on and off the field over their first 25 years. They built the first-ever soccer-specific stadium in the United States, won six major trophies, qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League four times, set league attendance records and had a fan/community movement to save the team from relocation.

    The official team name is Columbus Crew SC and they play in black and gold colours. The original badge featured three male figures in silhouette wearing construction hats to represent the blue-collar image of Columbus. The badge was redesigned in 2014. It is now circular and features the number 96 on a black and gold checkerboard pattern. The new badge also includes an 'O', similar to the one found on the Ohio state flag.

    Among the big-name coaches in Crew history are Tom Fitzgerald, Sigi Schmid, Robert Warzycha, Gregg Berhalter, and current manager, Caleb Porter. Columbus has been home to many MLS stars too, including Gyasi Zardes, Darlington Nagbe, Brad Friedel, Brian McBride, Wil Trapp, Frankie Hejduk, Federico Higuain, Chad Marshall, Robert Warzycha, Stern John, Edson Buddle, Jeff Cunningham and William Hesmer.
    The Crew were initially owned by Lamar and Clark Hunt, who also owned the Kansas City Wizards and the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs. Anthony Precourt purchased the team on July 30, 2013, as the second investor-operator in team history. After announcing intentions to move the team to Austin, Texas, in October 2017, Precourt was sued by Ohio and the city of Columbus. He eventually sold the team to Jimmy and Dee Haslam, owners of the NFL's Cleveland Browns, and Dr. Pete Edwards. The new ownership group immediately announced plans for a new downtown arena, with construction starting in 2019 and expected to end in early 2021.

    The early Crew years

    Success in a new stadium

    Barros Schelotto's brilliance

    Berhalter brought in, but no change of fortunes

    The Caleb Porter era begins

    Columbus Crew's rivals

    Columbus Crew's top players

    Columbus Crew News