The Crew defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-1 in their final game of the regular season, which is dubbed MLS Decision Day.
With a victory, along with Orlando City falling to Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire finishing with a draw against the New England Revolution, the Crew jumped from ninth to seventh in the Eastern Conference to avoid the postseason play-in game.
The Crew will go straight to the first round best-of-three series against their Hell is Real rival, the No. 2 seed FC Cincinnati. The first round begins on Oct. 24 and runs until Nov. 9, though the exact playoff schedule has yet to be announced.
The Crew and the Red Bulls were tied 1-1 going into the second half, with goals from Red Bulls striker Maxim Choupo-Moting and Crew midfielder Andres Herrera. This marked the second game that Herrera has scored off a pass from midfielder Lassi Lappalainen.
At halftime, Crew forward Daniel Gazdag entered the lineup, and in the 66th minute he found the game-winner when he scored from directly in front of the Red Bulls’ goal.
Crew forward Ibrahim Aliyu, who also came off the bench, solidified the victory at the 84-minute mark with a counterattack goal.
(84′) Ibrahim Aliyu secures two-goal cushion for Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls
Off a Red Bulls’ turnover, forward Ibrahim Aliyu scored just two minutes after entering the game, extending the Crew’s advantage.
Score: Crew 3-1
(82′) Ibrahim Aliyu replaces Dylan Chambost with late-game substitution
With the Crew’s third substitution of the game, Crew forward Ibrahim Aliyu replaced midfielder Dylan Chambost.
Score: Crew 2-1
(66′) Daniel Gazdag gives Columbus Crew lead over New York Red Bulls
Forward Daniel Gazdag connected on a shot from directly in front of the Red Bulls goal to give the Crew a one-goal advantage.
From inside the Red Bulls’ box, midfielder Taha Habroune sent Gazdag a lateral pass, and Gazdag made a move to the right, past Red Bulls goalkeeper John McCarthy to score.
Score: Crew 2-1
(61′) Taha Habroune replaces Jacen Russell-Rowe in lineup vs New York Red Bulls
Crew midfielder Taha Habroune entered the matchup, replacing forward Jacen Russell-Rowe.
Score: 1-1
Daniel Gazdag enters game vs New York Red Bulls as halftime substitution
Crew forward Daniel Gazdag entered the game, replacing Lassi Lappalainen.
Score: 1-1
Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls first-half stats
Possession rate: Crew (53.2%), Red Bulls (46.8%)
Shots: Crew (6), Red Bulls (4)
Shots on goal: Crew (1), Red Bulls (3)
Goalkeeper saves: Crew (2), Red Bulls (0)
Fouls: Crew (4), Red Bulls (2)
(37′) Hugo Picard misses shot with New York Red Bulls goalkeeper out of position
Red Bulls goalkeeper John McCarthy was out of position when forward Hugo Picard gained possession of the ball inside the box off a turnover forced by Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe.
With Red Bulls defenders nearing Picard, he took a shot in front of the goal that went over the crossbar and out of play.
Score: 0-0
(16′) Andres Herrera scores in second-consecutive game for Columbus Crew
Crew midfielder Andres Herrera evened the score once again with a goal off a pass from midfielder Lassi Lappalainen.
Just like Lappalainen had in the Crew’s previous matchup against Orlando City, he found Herrera inside the box and sent him a cross pass. Herrera needed just one touch to complete the scoring play near the right goalpost.
Score: 1-1
(15′) Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman shown yellow card for foul against Hugo Picard
Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman fouled forward Hugo Picard right outside the Crew’s box, resulting in a yellow card, the first of the game for either team, and a Crew free kick.
Score: Red Bulls 1-0
(12′) New York Red Bulls take early advantage vs Columbus Crew
The Red Bulls pulled ahead 1-0 in the first half with a goal from forward Maxim Choupo-Moting.
Red Bulls forward Emil Forsberg beat out midfielder Darlington Nagbe for the ball and quickly sent a pass to Choupo-Moting, who was on the edge of Columbus’ box. Choupo-Moting then launched his shot past goalkeeper Patrick Schulte to the left corner of the goal.
Score: Red Bulls 1-0
(6′) Columbus Crew fans honor Darlington Nagbe during game
At the start of the sixth minute, the Crew fans honored midfielder Darlington Nagbe by holding “#6OAT” signs throughout Lower.com Field for the entire minute of play.
In the supporters section, The Nordecke, Nagbe’s three children led fans in a chant for Nagbe to the tune of “Hey Jude” by The Beatles.
Score: 0-0
Columbus Crew without Diego Rossi to close out regular season
The Crew are without team-leading scorer Diego Rossi against the Red Bulls due to a hamstring injury.
Rossi suffered a right hamstring injury in the first half of the Crew’s 5-4 victory over Atlanta United on Sept. 13 after recording a hat trick. Against Orlando City SC on Oct. 4, Rossi returned to the lineup and played 72 minutes.
It is unconfirmed if Rossi, who has scored 16 regular-season goals, is dealing with the same hamstring injury.
Jacen Russell-Rowe gets starting nod over Daniel Gazdag vs New York Red Bulls
Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe is starting against the Red Bulls over Daniel Gazdag.
Russell-Rowe has played three of the last five games, recording just 42 minutes. The 23-year-old’s last start was for the Orlando City SC matchup on July 25.
This marks the second straight game Gazdag has started on the bench.
Rudy Camacho available for first time in 2025 season
Crew defender Rudy Camacho is listed on the gameday roster for the first time in the 2025 season, after missing the rest of the 2025 season due to an injury “around the pelvis and the abductor.”
Camacho is starting the Red Bulls matchup on the bench.
New York Red Bulls starting lineup vs Columbus Crew
Here is the starting 11 for Red Bulls vs Columbus:
Columbus Crew starting lineup vs New York Red Bulls
Here is the starting 11 for Columbus vs Red Bulls:
Columbus Crew injury report vs New York Red Bulls
The Crew have striker Wessam Abou Ali (ankle injury) and Mo Farsi (pelvic injury) listed as out for the Red Bulls matchup, and forward Diego Rossi (hamstring injury) listed as questionable.
For the first time this season, defender Rudy Camacho is excluded from the injury report. Camacho has missed the entire year with an injury “around the pelvis and the abductor.”
Who are the referees for Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls?
Here are the officials for the Crew vs Red Bulls tonight:
Referee: Marcos DeOliveira II
Assistant Referee 1: Cory Richardson
Assistant Referee 2: Jeffrey Swartzel
Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero Araya
VAR: David Barrie
Assistant VAR: TJ Zablocki
Columbus Crew to honor Darlington Nagbe following Red Bulls game
The Crew will have a ceremony honoring midfielder Darlington Nagbe following the Red Bulls matchup. Nagbe, a 15-year MLS veteran, announced on Oct. 7 that he’ll be retiring at the end of the 2025 season.
What are the current MLS Eastern Conference playoff standings?
The Red Bulls, Revolution, Toronto, CF Montreal, Atlanta United and D.C. United have all been eliminated from playoff contention.
How to listen to Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls radio broadcast
The Crew vs. Red Bulls English-speaking radio broadcast will be on Alt 105.7 FM and available via the iHeartRadio app. Columbus’ regular radio broadcaster Chris Doran will be on the call.
The Spanish radio broadcast can be found on La Grande 103.1 FM and the La Grande radio app, with Juan Valladares doing play-by-play.
Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls streaming information
The Crew-Red Bulls match will be available via MLS Season Pass, which is streamed over Apple TV. Here are the broadcast teams for tonight:
What time does Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls kick off?
Kickoff: 6 p.m. on Oct. 18 at Lower.com Field.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew defeat New York Red Bulls 3-1 on MLS Decision Day
Reporting by Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
