Wilfried Nancy has insisted that his full focus remains with Columbus Crew amid links to the vacant United States managerial position ahead of their meeting with Atlanta United this weekend.

The Crew extended their unbeaten run to six matches in the MLS following their 1-1 draw with Charlotte FC in midweek as they aim to keep pace with the top two in the Eastern Conference.

Nancy’s side sit third in the standings, five points behind FC Cincinnati following their defeat to Chicago Fire last time out, with Inter Miami now at the summit of the table.

Despite their recent form, Nancy is hungry for more success with Columbus, going on to rubbish the rumours linking him with a move to the international stage following Gregg Berhalter’s dismissal last week.

"I don't talk about rumours, simple as that,” Nancy said.  

“Like I said, I am limitless. I want to be limitless, so the idea is to push myself, to challenge myself, but at the moment I'm here. I'm happy here. We'll see in the future."

“I’m really happy because the task that we had was very difficult, knowing the context, knowing the situations.

"But my players found a way to be ourselves and to play the way we wanted to play and to play really good sequences, but also to be disgusting to play against."

Meanwhile, Atlanta halted their three-game pointless run in the league with a draw against New York City FC, despite squandering their two-goal advantage in the second half.

The Five Stripes sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference table and are among a cluster of teams tightly packed at the wrong end of the division.

Interim head coach Rob Valentino is looking for a much-improved performance from his players, picking out his side’s individual errors that have cost them in recent weeks.

"We were under some pressure, and we tried to make adjustments at half-time about being better and just more brave," said Valentino.

"There were individual errors. So, it is about eliminating those moments."

"We were braver, more direct and playing in there. The goal came right away. The big thing is that we have to find out why we dropped off."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Atlanta United – Daniel Rios

While the Five Stripes may have forgotten how to win in the MLS, Daniel Rios has had no such trouble in finding the back of the net, scoring his third goal in his last four matches.

Rios’ strike against NYCFC was clocked at just 21 seconds, the fastest goal in Atlanta’s history, and they will be hoping for another quick start at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez

Cucho Hernandez continues to be the attacking spark for the Crew, with his strike against Charlotte FC his 13th of the season, scoring in each of his last three appearances.

Hernandez's goals saw him become the first player in the club's history to record 60 goal contributions over a three-year span, notching 38 goals and 22 assists in that time.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

Columbus come into the contest as the hot favourites following their impressive recent run, with their draw against Charlotte meaning they are undefeated in their last six games in the MLS. Their last longer unbeaten streak was from 13th November 2023 to 16th March 2024, a run of eight games.

Hernandez's strike for the Crew was also the 12th consecutive time they have found the back of the net, scoring 34 times during that run. 

Atlanta have failed to win in their last two games against Columbus Crew, but their last triumph against them came back in November 2023, last losing at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Crew in May 2022. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Atlanta United – 23.7%

Draw – 22.6%

Columbus Crew – 53.7%

Dean Smith is intent on reminding Charlotte FC "how good we could be" as the visitors look to back up an impressive win when they head to Columbus Crew in MLS.

Smith's side humbled Eastern Conference leaders FC Cincinnati with a 3-1 victory last time out, with Ashley Westwood assisting all three goals – a club record.

That eye-catching result marked a perfect response after back-to-back defeats against Inter Miami and Houston Dynamo, leaving Charlotte sixth in the East standings.

The next challenge for visiting head coach Smith is to keep his side honest, and more importantly, consistent.

"I keep talking in our dressing room about how good we could be. And we've got to be consistent," Smith said.

"We've just lost the last two games. I thought we played really well against Inter Miami. Our first half against Houston, we dropped our standards and got beat because of that.

"So we wanted to make sure that our standards were back there. And I thought it was a good follow-up performance to the Inter Miami game."

Westwood was the hero, picking apart the 10-man Cincinnati with ease en route to a headline result against the division leaders.

"We never know when we're beaten, and that's a good thing to have," said former Burnley midfielder Westwood. "We get knocked down, we keep coming back up.

"And it's a real togetherness. All the lads are running for each other. We know how organised we are. Everyone knows what they're doing."

The Crew are third in the same standings after smashing Los Angeles FC 5-1 in their last match – a result that delighted boss Wilfried Nancy.

"Really happy because the task that we had was really difficult, knowing the context and the situations," Nancy said.

"My players found a way to be ourselves and to play the way we wanted to play and to play really good sequences, but also to be disgusting to play against.

"This is something that I like. I'm happy because the level was good. I'm happy."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez

Cucho Hernandez was on target in the hammering of LAFC last time out, and will continue leading the line and aiming to extend his remarkable run in front of goal.

The Crew star has scored eight goals in his last seven appearances, with his overall tally for the season at 12 goals in 16 MLS matches.

Charlotte FC – Ashley Westwood

Westwood has become an integral part of Smith's side, leading the way from midfield.

The former Premier League midfielder collected two first-half assists in Cincinnati before adding another after the break, taking his season tally to five in 22 MLS games.

MATCH PREDICTION – COLUMBUS CREW WIN

The Crew are the overwhelming favourites for this one, signified by their high likelihood of victory in Opta's pre-match predictions. That owes to their strong recent form.

Columbus have won their last five matches by a combined 20-2 scoreline, since losing to Inter Miami towards the end of last month.

The hosts will take confidence in knowing they have avoided defeat in their last two home meetings with Charlotte, drawing 1-1 in 2022 before a 4-2 victory last season.

Charlotte do, however, have the chance to inflict an unlikely double on Columbus after triumphing 2-0 in March's reverse fixture.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus Crew win – 61.9%

Draw – 20.2%

Charlotte FC win – 18%

The Columbus Crew ended Los Angeles FC's unbeaten run at the BMO Stadium with a 5-1 victory in a game that saw three red cards in a frenetic ending to proceedings. 

Sergi Palencia was the first player sent off for the hosts, with LAFC's Jesus Murillo and the Crew's Marino Hinestroza also given their marching orders for an altercation just before the final whistle. 

Christian Ramirez opened the scoring in the first half, with Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi increasing the visitors' advantage to three by the hour mark. 

Palencia was shown his second yellow card for a pull on substitute Alexandru Matan, with Ramirez notching his second of the game from the resulting free-kick. 

Nathan Ordaz clawed one back for LAFC, but Matan would round off the scoring at the BMO Stadium as he curled an effort beyond Hugo Lloris. 

But following a tackle from Eddie Segura on Hinestroza, a push from Murillo on the Crew attacker resulted in a scuffle, with referee Lukasz Szpala showing two red cards.

"A very poor performance from us tonight, really in all categories, is the only way I would describe it," LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. 

"Columbus were better in every moment of the game tonight and hats off to them, they played a fantastic game and deserved to win. 

"But for us, it is obviously super disappointing for our fans and we don't want to ever present ourselves like that again at home."

LAFC remain top of the Western Conference despite their defeat, but will be without Palencia and Murillo for their top-of-the-table clash with Real Salt Lake next week. 

Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy has praised his side's "humble" attitude ahead of their trip to Los Angeles FC in MLS on Saturday.

The Crew are on a four-match winning streak, scoring 15 goals and keeping three clean sheets during that run.

They sit third in the Eastern Conference, and after a 4-0 victory over Toronto FC last time out, Nancy showed his admiration for their impressive run.

"The fact that we are humble enough to accept that we have to improve all the time, the consequence of that is we are able to do something new and to improve all the time," Nancy said.

"Again, this desire to get better and better depends on what the opposition is going to give us.

"[I'm proudest of] the fact that we don't take anything for granted. That's why we were able to attack well and to defend well. This is the spirit that I really like."

LAFC, meanwhile, sit joint-top of the Western Conference, with Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy also on 43 points.

Their high-flying season has drawn attention, with head coach Steve Cherundolo's name one of those linked to the currently vacant USA national team job.

Cherundolo has brushed aside any concerns that he will be leaving LA though, instead using it to highlight the club's work this season.

"I am LAFC's head coach right now," he said. "That is my job, it's what I do every day. We have training tomorrow and I will be there for it.

"I think it has more to do with LAFC and all that's going on here.

"We're all moving in the same direction. When the group functions well, individuals shine, it's just a well-run organisation, and it's partly my job to make sure we keep going in that direction."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Los Angeles FC – Denis Bouanga

Denis Bouanga (one goal) and Mateusz Bogusz (one assist) were each involved in a goal in LAFC's 2-1 win against LA Galaxy last time out, the league-leading 10th time both have contributed to a goal in the same match this season.

Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi

Cucho Hernandez (11 goals, seven assists) and Diego Rossi (seven goals, nine assists) are one of two MLS team-mate duos to each have 7+ goals and 7+ assists in 2024, along with Real Salt Lake's Cristian Arango and Andres Gomez.

MATCH PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES FC WIN

LAFC have won six consecutive regular-season home matches, scoring at least three goals in four of those wins. They have only one longer home-winning run in their history – a nine-match streak in 2022.

However, they lost to Columbus when the two last faced each other, as the Crew came out on top with a 2-1 victory in the 2023 MLS Cup Final last December. Prior to that match, LAFC had won all three of their meetings by a combined 7-0.

The Crew are coming off a 4-0 victory over Toronto FC, their second shutout win by at least four goals this season (4-0 over Sporting Kansas City last month). It is the first time Columbus have had multiple such wins in MLS play in a single season.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Los Angeles FC – 42.4%

Draw – 26.7%

Columbus Crew – 30.9%

John Herdman insists that Toronto FC’s defeat to Orlando City must be a turning point in their MLS campaign ahead of facing in-form Columbus Crew this weekend.

Toronto had taken an early lead through Derrick Etienne but were compounded to a fifth straight defeat that leaves them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Nashville SC. 

Head coach Herdman acknowledged his side’s poor recent form, and ensured conversations would be had with his players and staff to ensure they return to winning ways sooner, rather than later.

“This has to be a turning point for the club tonight,” Herdman said. “I said that to the players after the game, ‘It has to be the turning point.’

“There's going to be some hard conversations in the next two days starting with all of us looking at ourselves in the mirror for that 20-minute period.

“What happened there? And why is it happening? Why do we fall into that trap game after game after game?”

However, they will have to do so against a Columbus side in a rich vein of form having earned a third straight triumph with their 2-0 win over Nashville last time out.

The Crew currently occupy third place in the Eastern Conference and are one of three sides chasing runaway leaders FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami.

Head coach Wilfried Nancy commended his team’s recent displays and said he intends to do everything possible to keep that feel-good feeling in the camp before welcoming Toronto to the Lower.com Field.

“I'm going to talk about the present moment because it's a fact: They are really good,” Nancy said of his side.

“They are really good. We are going to try to do everything to help them to stay like this because

for me, it's a key point. It's a key point about the way we want to play.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez

There is arguably no one better in the MLS right now than Cucho Hernandez as he kept up his impressive recent form for the Crew.

Since returning from injury, the Colombian has registered six goals and four assists in his last five matches, with his most recent coming in their 2-0 win over Nashville as he set up Christian Ramirez to open the scoring at the Lower.com Field.

Toronto FC – Federico Bernardeschi

Federico Bernardeschi continues to be an attacking force for Toronto, and he will be needed on top form if his side are to halt their current five-game winless run.

The Italian has been involved in 14 goals in his last 10 MLS matches (eight goals, six assists), including an assist against Orlando City last time out.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

Columbus are expected to emerge victorious, with Nancy’s side winning 76.7% of Opta’s data-led simulations heading into the encounter.

The Crew have an impressive home record, losing one of their last 30 home matches in all competitions dating back to May 2023 (W20 D9). In that streak, 12 of those victories have been by a margin of two or more goals.

Columbus also boast an impressive record over their opponents and are unbeaten in their last five league matches against Toronto. Before this run, Columbus had won just two of their previous 14 meetings with Toronto dating back to 2016.

Toronto, however, will be out to cause an upset. Their current five-game losing run is the seventh losing streak of five or more matches since the start of the 2021 season.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus Crew – 76.7%

Draw – 13.9%

Toronto FC – 9.4%

Nashville SC interim head coach Rumba Munthali says his main aim is to get the club into a "positive spot" as they look to get back to winning ways against Columbus Crew.

Inter Miami ended Nashville's three-match MLS unbeaten streak on Saturday, with the Coyotes unable to mount a second-half comeback.

It leaves them seventh in the Eastern Conference, with the teams below them starting to close in on the last final series spot.

However, Munthali was optimistic following the defeat, explaining his focus is on the players' continued improvement.

"Against Miami, I thought we should have done better with defending set pieces and the scoring chances we had in the first half," Munthali said. "In the second half, we showed some fight, some resolve, and I commend the guys for that.

"My job at the club is to help players get better. It's just working in a different capacity [as head coach].

"I like helping players and I think they know that. My mindset hasn't changed. We're really looking towards the next game to make sure our club is in a good positive spot."

Meanwhile, Columbus sit three points above them in the table on 33 points.

The Crew have won their last two matches by an aggregate scoreline of 9-1, with Cucho Hernandez scoring four of those goals, with head coach Wilfried Nancy full of praise for his star man.

"Cucho scores goals, but he also makes chances," Nancy said. "He was sad because he was on the side with some back pain, and he wanted to come back and help the team. Now he is, it's good for the team and good for him."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez

Hernandez has been the star man for Columbus this season, and not just in the last two games when he has stepped up his goalscoring.

He has scored 10 goals so far this season – the most of any player for the Crew – with half of those coming in his last three outings for the club.

Nashville SC – Tyler Boyd

Tyler Boyd scored his first goal of the season during Nashville's most recent win, netting the winner against New York City FC.

While he could not follow that up against Miami at the weekend, he had the second-most shots for the team, though he did not test the goalkeeper.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

Columbus have won three of their previous eight meetings with Nashville in MLS, winning their last such home match against the Coyotes in June 2023 (2-0).

Having gone on a seven-match winless streak from late March to early May, Columbus have since lost just one of their last seven in MLS (winning the other six).

Nashville are unbeaten in their previous four road matches, conceding just once in that run (during a 2-1 win over Toronto FC). They will be hoping to extend that run by getting their first win at Columbus since April 2022.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus Crew – 58.2%

Draw – 27.18%

Nashville SC – 20%

Wilfried Nancy insists Columbus Crew must continue to build on their recent winning run when they travel to face New England Revolution this Sunday. 

The Crew returned to winning ways in style following their defeat to Inter Miami, beating Kansas City 4-0 last time out courtesy of Cucho Hernandez's hat-trick. 

Nancy's side sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Charlotte FC but with the luxury of three games in hand compared to Dean Smith's side. 

Despite their convincing victory in their last MLS fixture, Nancy is looking to replicate the Crew's four-game unbeaten run they enjoyed last month moving forwards.

“It was really important also when I made all the changes that we stay focused on the task,” Nancy said.

“With all the celebration also was not easy because we can switch really quickly.

"I really wanted to help my team to have a clean sheet if possible and to score more goals because this is the level that we want to have. I don't like when we take everything for granted.”

Meanwhile, the Revs also come into the fixture on an impressive run of form, beating high-flyers FC Cincinnati 2-1 away from home to extend their winning streak to four matches in the MLS. 

Caleb Porter's side welcome the Crew to the Gillette Stadium this weekend in search of improving their home form to climb up the Eastern Conference table.

New England have won just three of their last seven games in front of their supporters and know a win will see them move up from 12th in the standings, along with games in hand on many of the surrounding sides. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

New England – Cucho Hernandez

Cucho Hernandez scored his third career MLS hat-trick in the Crew’s win over Kansas City on Saturday, with all three coming within his last 20 games.

The Colombian is just the ninth player in MLS history to score three hat-tricks in a span of 20 games.

Columbus Crew – Giacomo Vrioni

It looks set to a battle of both side's goal-scoring forwards, with Giacomo Vrioni looking to continue his hot streak for Nancy's side. 

Vrioni scored both of New England’s goals against Cincinnati on Saturday, the first time a Revolution player has scored more than one goal in a game this season.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

The Crew come into the encounter in much the better form, having won five of their last six league matches (L1) following their win over Sporting Kansas City. 

However, New England also boast an impressive winning streak of their own. Porter's side have won four consecutive matches, having previously won just four of their previous league matches dating back to the beginning of September last year (D4 L14).

And it was the Crew who emerged victorious in the side's last meeting. The win over New England last October ended a string of five straight draws between the sides. Columbus have lost only one of their last 12 against New England (W5 D6) dating back to 2018.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

New England - 27.1%

Draw - 23.9%

Columbus Crew - 49%

Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes wants to see a better defensive display when they travel to Columbus Crew in the MLS on Saturday.

Sporting KC sit second from bottom in the Western Conference, having won just three of their 19 games so far.

After back-to-back losses to LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake in which they conceded four goals in both, Vermes admitted they needed to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

"I can't deny the fight of the guys, but defensively, it's too soft," he said. "Unfortunately, it's similar to what happens in a lot of games.

"We can be fighting back in a game and give away a nothing goal. There's a ton of chances that could put us way ahead, but we can't be giving up the goals that we give up. That's it; that's the game."

Columbus, meanwhile, are right in the mix in the Eastern Conference, sitting sixth with 27 points.

A 2-1 defeat to Inter Miami snapped their four-match winning streak in the MLS, but head coach Wilfried Nancy is confident they can quickly put that result behind them.

"It has been good games, good performances," head coach Wilfried Nancy said. "[The last game] was also a good performance, but we were not good at certain moments. This is again something that we did well. We have grown a lot regarding these kinds of games."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez

Cucho attempted 10 shots in the Crew's defeat to Inter Miami on Wednesday, his third game with at least 10 shots since making his MLS debut in July 2022.

All other players in MLS have three total games with 10+ shots in that time (Raul Ruidiaz, Hany Mukhtar, Julian Carranza, one each).

Sporting Kansas City – William Agada

Agada scored two of Kansas City's three goals on Wednesday, his fifth multi-goal match for Sporting. Only five players have recorded more multi-goal games in the team's history.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

This will be the Crew's first regular-season home match since losing to FC Cincinnati on May 11. Columbus are winless in four straight MLS home matches after winning 12 of their previous 14 home league games.

Kansas City have lost nine of their last 10 regular-season matches (W1), including losing six in a row on the road in league play. This is the first time in the post-shootout era (since 2000) that Sporting have lost nine times in a span of 10 such matches.

However, Kansas City have lost just one of their last 12 matches against Columbus (W7 D4) dating back to October 2012, though three of the last four meetings have ended in draws. This will be the first meeting between the sides in Columbus in one day short of five years (June 23, 2019).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus Crew – 64.2%

Draw – 19.1%

Sporting Kansas City – 16.7%

Ian Fray made a scoring return from his long injury lay-off, helping Inter Miami to a 2-1 victory over Columbus Crew in the MLS on Wednesday.

Miami, who are without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez due to their Copa America participation, ensured they stayed top of the Eastern Conference with their second win on the bounce.

Making his first appearance since July 2023, defender Fray marked his comeback with an early goal, flicking Julian Gressel's corner into the back of the net after just 10 minutes.

The Herons cemented their control just 11 minutes later when Leonardo Campana latched onto the rebound of his own saved shot to put them 2-0 up.

However, Cucho Hernandez halved the deficit just before half-time, poking a low effort past Drake Callendar into the bottom-left corner.

Despite Miami's dominance in the second half, Columbus almost got the deciding goal, but Callendar prevented Cucho from getting a second with a sharp save to ensure the hosts did not drop points.

Data Debrief: Herons on scoring run

Miami have now scored in each of their last six matches in the MLS, their longest run since a seven-game streak between March and May earlier this year.

Gressel has played a key part in that run, contributing to goals in each of his last three appearances for the Herons (one goal, two assists).

Inter Miami are sitting comfortably at the top of the Eastern Conference table but face a challenge on Thursday when Columbus Crew visit for an MLS clash at Chase Stadium.

The Herons are two points clear at the summit of the East standings after snatching a 2-1 triumph over Philadelphia Union last time out.

Yet Wilfried Nancy's Crew have triumphed in their last four road games in the league, battling to a 3-2 victory over New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Friday.

"It's a massive run and just shows how good we are mentally" Mohamed Farsi said of the streak.

"I think we have more away wins right now than last year all season. I think so or the same, so I'm happy for that."

Farsi has become a central figure for Columbus and scored the go-ahead goal in the 53rd minute against the Pigeons, much to the delight of head coach Nancy.

"The idea for Mo is to be more consistent because he brings a lot of energy to the team," Nancy said.

"He wants also to show himself that he's a better player than last year when we had the same deal here. Good for him.

"Now, he knows that he has to work on certain things, but I'm happy for him. He's doing a good job."

Despite missing Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Matis Rojas – all of whom are on Copa America duty – the nine-man Herons overcame the Union thanks to Leo Afonso's last-gasp strike.

"It is clear that in 10 times, nine of these games we would end up losing," Miami head coach Gerardo Martino said.

"Absolutely all the credit belongs to them. That has to do with the effort, with the character, with the guts that the boys had."

Afonso echoed his coach's sentiment ahead of another crunch match-up.

"It's difficult when you're missing the best players in history in their positions," he said. "But we got to keep working, and we got to try our best."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Inter Miami – Jordi Alba

With stars Messi and Suarez on international duty, Jordi Alba will be expected to step up once more for the Herons.

The former Barcelona full-back has two goals this year in MLS, as well as five assists – that creative tally is only bettered by Messi (13) and Julian Gressel (six) among Miami team-mates.

Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi

Diego Rossi remains an integral figure in attack for the Crew, whose Javier Hernandez (five goals) has only scored more than the forward's four in 10 MLS games this year.

With other Uruguayan colleagues at the Copa, Rossi will hope to extend his fine scoring form here.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

Miami may be leading the way in the East but a draw appears the most likely outcome at Chase Stadium.

The Herons have never lost a home match against the Crew (W2 D1), though Columbus did earn their first away point against David Beckham's Miami-based side on the last visit to Fort Lauderdale, a 2-2 draw in July 2023.

Martino will hope to continue a strong run of form with another victory, however.

Miami have won eight of their last 11 regular-season matches (D2 L1) following a 2-1 victory at Philadelphia on Saturday. Since that run began in mid-April, Martino's side have managed 26 points and scored 28 goals – both league-leading figures.

Yet Columbus should not be ruled out for a win either.

The Crew have won four straight regular-season away matches for the second time in club history after a four-match run in August-September 2015.

Columbus have lost only one of their last 11 regular-season road matches, dating back to last September (W5 D5), and that streak could continue here.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Inter Miami win – 37.4%

Columbus Crew win – 36.3%

Draw – 26.4%

Nick Cushing has been impressed with New York City's preparations for their MLS return against the Columbus Crew on Saturday. 

NYCFC headed into the international break having achieved their longest winning run in a single domestic campaign since 2019 (five games), leaving them third in the Eastern Conference and six points behind Inter Miami with two games in hand. 

Cushing explained the break in play halted his side's momentum, but was pleased to see a renewed focus among the players upon their return to training. 

“You can look at the break in two ways,” Cushing said. “It wasn’t the perfect timing because we had momentum and results, but at the same time, you have to take the rest when you get it because the schedule is so brutal.

“It was a great opportunity to rest and recover and give the players some family time as well as refresh and regenerate. I was really pleased with the focus they came back with.

“We know Columbus is going to be difficult, but I’m really pleased with the way the players have prepared this week.”

Columbus come into the fixture on a winning streak of their own, beating Orlando City 2-0 away from home to secure a third straight away success last time out in MLS.

The Crew have had two weeks to recover from their CONCACAF Champions Cup defeat against Pachuca, in which many of their players spent the two days leading up to the match suffering from food poisoning. 

"It’s true that something happened over there," head coach Wilfried Nancy said. "We were all good, and suddenly when we woke up, we were all sick.

"So, it was difficult for me, during the game also, to assess and to do changes and to help my team to get better because they weren't in a normal state."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New York City – Alonso Martinez

Martínez came off the bench to score a hat-trick in nine minutes and 57 seconds in the second half of NYCFC’s win over San Jose Earthquakes last time out.

In doing so, Martínez became the seventh player in MLS history to score three goals from the bench.

Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi 

Rossi has scored four goals in his last three MLS games, the fourth time he has managed to do so in his career. 

New York City are one of only seven teams in MLS that Rossi has failed to score against since his move to America in 2023. 

MATCH PREDICTION – COLUMBUS CREW WIN

The Crew have won their last three regular-season matches, all on the road, including a 2-0 win at Orlando in their last MLS match on May 25. Columbus have won four straight regular-season road matches just once before in club history, doing so in August-September 2015.

Columbus are unbeaten in their last three encounters against NYCFC, last tasting defeat against Saturday's opponents in August 2022. 

But, New York have lost only one of their last 10 home matches against the Crew (seven wins, two draws, including playoffs) after losing the first meeting in 2015, also scoring in all 11 home matches against them. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

New York City – 34%

Draw – 25.8%

Columbus Crew – 40.3%

Oscar Pareja admires the fight Orlando City are showing as they prepare to welcome Columbus Crew to Inter & Co Stadium on Saturday.

Orlando are unbeaten in their last three matches, including a late victory over San Jose Earthquakes last weekend.

They are now within one point of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, sitting 10th on 16 points.

Pareja praised his team for being able to hold onto results in recent weeks, but he now wants to translate that into consistent success at home.

"I see a team that is growing," Pareja said. "Their confidence is growing.

"The way we're playing is much better in terms of efficiency on the other side of the box, and we're proud. The thing that we're most happy with is seeing them try to do the right thing.

"They've got through difficult moments together. The way they fight every single game is always the same. We're more knowledgeable now that we're getting results, but I haven't seen one game where they gave up.

"Now we need to go and do it at home in front of our fans. Nothing has changed, we just haven't been very good in some home games, but we will be."

Columbus sit five points above Saturday’s opponents, having won back-to-back games against CF Montreal and the Chicago Fire.

Going into the third of their successive away matches, head coach Wilfried Nancy hailed the Crew’s spirit.

"It's true that last year I didn't like the spirit that when we were playing away - it was not the same spirit," he said.

"Now, they try to play their game home or away. This is something that for me, this is growth. This is something that has been better."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Orlando City – Pedro Gallese

Gallese has kept clean sheets in two straight matches after Orlando managed just two in their first 11 regular season matches in 2024.

The Lions have never kept a clean sheet in three straight league matches within a single season before.

Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi

Rossi managed a goal and two assists in Columbus’ win over Chicago last Saturday. It was his sixth MLS match with at least three goal contributions (including playoffs) but his first with the Crew.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

Orlando City have won just one of their first seven home matches this MLS season (three draws, three losses), with their six points won equalling the fewest they have ever recorded in their first seven home matches of a season (also in 2015).

Meanwhile, Columbus have lost only one of their last eight away matches in MLS (four wins, three draws incl. playoffs), including winning their last two in a row on the road. The Crew have not won three consecutive away matches in the league since a four-match run between August and September 2015.

Columbus knocked Orlando out of last season’s MLS Cup Playoffs with a 2-0 road win in the Conference Semifinals. That win was just the Crew’s second in their last 11 meetings with Orlando dating back to October 2018 (one draw, eight losses).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Orlando City – 34.5%

Draw – 26.8%

Columbus Crew – 38.7%

Frank Klopas admits he is finding things "extremely difficult" amid Chicago Fire FC's poor form as they prepare to welcome Columbus Crew to Soldier Field.

The Fire have lost three MLS games in a row, most recently going down 1-0 to Charlotte FC in midweek, and are now winless in six.

Without a win since early April, Chicago have slipped down to 14th in the Eastern Conference ahead of Saturday's visit of Columbus.

Klopas, who was appointed head coach in December after previous spells as caretaker and assistant, knows it is on him to turn things around.

"We need confidence - we're very low on that," he said. "It's not easy because I'm asked the same questions, and I'm trying to find solutions and answers. I know I keep saying it, but we have to keep going and find a way out of this. 

"I love this club and felt I could help it, so it's a difficult one for me because I wouldn't do this for any other team. It's extremely difficult in this moment because I haven't found solutions. We'll keep trying."

Columbus are seventh in the East, eight points better off than their opponents, having played a game less, and enter this contest on the back of a 3-1 win at CF Montreal.

That snapped a seven-game winless run, culminating in a 2-1 home reverse to FC Cincinnati – a loss that may prove to be a turning point for the reigning league champions.

"After the game against Cincinnati, we discussed about a specific topic," head coach Wilfried Nancy said after the win against Montreal. "For me, that was a weird game, and I explained the situation.

"That's why we were able to score goals [against Montreal]. That's why we were able to control the game. That's why we had a really good performance."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Chicago Fire - Hugo Cuypers

The Fire have failed to score in four successive home matches for the first time in their history. That leaves them just one blank short of equalling the all-time MLS record of five, set by Toronto FC in 2007 and matched by FC Cincinnati in 2020.

The onus is on the forward players to find a way past Columbus, with Hugo Cuypers registering three shots against Charlotte, each of which were on target but none finding the net. The Fire quite simply need Cuypers to find his range this weekend.

Columbus Crew - Steven Moreira

Defender Moreira proved to be Columbus' unlikely hero in the win over Montreal as he set up two goals - the first multi-assist game of a Crew career that spans 100 games in all competitions.

Moreira, who also netted in the recent 2-2 draw with Portland Timbers, is the only player to register multiple assists in a single game for Columbus in MLS this season.

MATCH PREDICTION - COLUMBUS CREW WIN

Columbus have won five of their past six meetings with Chicago, including the past three in a row. Never before have they won four straight regular-season meetings with the Fire.

Chicago's three-game losing run is their worst of the season and their worst since a five-match losing streak that ended in September last year.

The Fire's 10 points after 13 matches are the fewest they have ever registered at this stage, meanwhile, and it does not get any easier for them against a Columbus side that have won back-to-back games 3-1 on their travels.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Chicago Fire - 32.6%
Draw - 29%
Columbus Crew - 38.4%

Wilfried Nancy says the Columbus Crew will use their next three road games in MLS to prepare for the CONCACAF Champions Cup final, starting with Wednesday's trip to CF Montreal.

MLS Cup holders Columbus will face Mexican side Pachuca in the Champions Cup final on June 1, having seen off Monterrey in the semi-finals earlier this month.

Before then, they face visits to Nancy's former employers Montreal, as well as the Chicago Fire and Orlando, in MLS. Last Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to FC Cincinnati left the Crew eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. 

Asked about the challenges presented by their road stretch, Nancy said: "It's exciting. We'll play many games, we'll face different kinds of teams. 

"We want to challenge ourselves. We want to get better and find ways to have good performances. We have this spirit.

"This is the spirit of my team, the spirit of wanting to do well. We'll play Montreal, then Chicago and Orlando, then we play the final. Three games to prepare the final. This is the way we see it."

Montreal are just three points behind Columbus, having seen a 2-0 lead evaporate in their 3-2 defeat to Inter Miami last time out.

Despite the loss, midfielder Bryce Duke was encouraged by the way Montreal kept Lionel Messi quiet, saying: "We need to keep going in this direction and get results. 

"It's going to be a tough month ahead. It will be important to recover and be ready for Wednesday.

"It's a great achievement to contain Messi, now the aim will be to keep the lead next time and play the full 90 minutes."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

CF Montreal – Jules-Anthony Vilsaint

Vilsaint recorded a goal and an assist against Miami, his second MLS game with one of each, with the other coming versus Columbus last September. 

The only Canadian with more such games than Vilsaint for Montreal in MLS is Patrice Bernier, with five.

Columbus Crew – Max Arfsten 

Arfsten scored what proved to be a late consolation off the bench against Cincinnati, his third career goal as a substitute in MLS (including playoffs).

Only three players have more goals off the bench in MLS play since the beginning of last season – Duncan McGuire with six, Josef Martinez with five and Tyler Wolff with four.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

Columbus are unbeaten in their last four meetings with Montreal, including a scoreless draw when the sides met in April.

The Crew's longest ever unbeaten run against Montreal is five matches, their last streak of that length being recorded between 2016 and 2018.

They had their nine-game unbeaten streak across all competitions snapped by Cincinnati last time out, though seven of those matches had finished level. Montreal tend to be solid at home, so another draw could be on the cards.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

CF Montreal – 36.8%

Columbus Crew – 34.7%

Draw – 28.5%

Wilfried Nancy questioned why limits should be placed upon his Columbus Crew side after they reached the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.

Having taken a narrow 2-1 lead into the second and away leg, Columbus then impressively won 3-1 in Monterrey to secure their place in the final against Pachuca in June.

Columbus are also sitting fifth in the MLS' Eastern Conference, and Nancy believes his side can keep pushing the boundaries of their potential.

"For me, this is about trying to be limitless, and this value for me is so important," Nancy told reporters. "Why are we going to put limits on what we do?"

Nancy's men turn their attentions back to domestic football this weekend, hosting FC Cincinnati on Saturday.

Cincinnati are flying themselves having rattled off three straight MLS victories to leave them second in the East and three points behind leaders Inter Miami with a game in hand.

Despite winning 1-0 at Orlando City last time out, Noonan was not impressed with his side's showing, saying: "I don't think anybody in there is doing cartwheels because of their, and our, performance.

"We won a game on the road and did things well enough to get a win, but didn't perform anywhere near what we know we're capable of.

"Hopefully, we use this as a chance to learn a little bit about ourselves and grow from it and then hopefully, have a good week and a strong performance in Columbus."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez

Hernandez leads the Crew for goals so far this season, netting four times in eight appearances. His tally is twice as many as his team-mates have managed, and Hernandez looks the most likely to lead his team's attacking threat this Saturday.

FC Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta

Acosta scored 17 seconds into Cincinnati’s 1-0 win over Orlando last weekend. It was the earliest goal ever scored in a 1-0 win in MLS history, and if his team are to pick up three points again this weekend, another fast start from Acosta could prove helpful.

MATCH PREDICTION – COLUMBUS CREW WIN

Columbus have lost only two of their 13 all-time MLS meetings with Cincinnati (seven wins, four draws), including winning the last two in a row. The Crew have scored multiple goals in 11 of those 13 matches, including each of the last seven in a row (incl. playoffs).

Cincinnati, meanwhile, have won three straight matches in all competitions for the first time since a four-match winning run in May-June last season. Two of those wins have come on the road with Cincinnati winning seven of their last 11 away matches in all competitions dating back to last September.

Columbus are unbeaten in 27 consecutive home matches in all competitions dating back over a year, though, with only two longer home unbeaten streaks in all competitions by an MLS club before, and they look the favourites to claim victory on Saturday.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus – 52.5%

Cincinnati – 21.2%

Draw – 26.3%