Consider Friday night the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
Yes, the preference would’ve been a closing that saw the Columbus Crew pause the MLS regular season with three points, especially after a dominating first half against Orlando City SC and a one-goal lead.
But now the Black & Gold enter a new tournament – one where they’re the reigning champs looking to become the first team to win back-to-back Leagues Cups.
Oh, and the Crew just signed a new Designated Player on Saturday morning, and have another international player joining soon.
With so many moving parts, here’s a SparkNotes guide to what happened Friday night, Saturday morning – and will happen Tuesday night against Toluca.
Crew lose, 3-1, to Orlando City SC on Friday night
After a dominating first half that saw Columbus press for goals, the score remained scoreless. To head coach Wilfried Nancy, he believes this typically helps the mentality of the team on their heels. Ultimately, it did.
The Crew eventually broke the seal in the 66th minute when Diego Rossi converted a penalty to produce his team-leading 12th goal of the season. He now has 75 career goals in MLS regular season action.
Trouble arrived 10 minutes later, though, when Romiro Enrique scored his first of two goals in three minutes. Orlando then scored a third in the 96th minute when the Crew were open and pressing for an equalizer.
With the result, Columbus sits fourth in the Eastern Conference entering the 2025 Leagues Cup.
“This is a new tournament,” Nancy said. “Obviously, tonight is a tough one. Now, we're going to have the possibility to play in a few days instead of playing in one week. We’re going to put our heads in this tournament knowing that also we're going to have also [MLS regular season games] between the Leagues Cup.”
Crew host Toluca FC on Tuesday in Leagues Cup debut
The Black & Gold open their Leagues Cup campaign on Tuesday night when they host Liga MX side Deportivo Toluca FC at Lower.com Field. Claim your spot today.
It’s no pushover – Toluca is one of the top teams in Mexico and the tournament altogether. Entering its match Saturday night against Tigres UANL, Toluca is the early frontrunner in the Liga MX Apertura.
“I'm excited for Tuesday,” Max Arfsten said. “You know, there's two ways you can look at it, but I think it's a good opportunity to kind of flip the script really quickly. We're going to a Leagues Cup competition when we won last year so it's new vibes, new energy and yeah, we're excited.”
Crew sign Wessam Abou Ali as Designated Player
Speaking of new vibes and new energy, on Saturday morning, the first club in MLS announced Wessam Abou Ali will be Columbus’ new No. 9.
The Designed Player arrives from Egyptian power Al Ahly Sporting Club, which has won two-straight league titles. While there, Abou Ali scored 38 goals and had 10 assists across 60 appearances.
Does his name sound familiar? Well, there are a few reasons.
While there were rumors stirring, Abou Ali was also one of the standout players of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. He scored a hat trick for Al Ahly against Porto in a 4-4. The perfect hat trick (goals with both feet and his head) was the first in Club World Cup history.
“He is a proven goal-scorer who knows what it takes to help his team win. His clinical finishing, energy and charisma will strengthen our squad,” said Crew general manager Issa Tall. “We are confident that he will thrive within our system.”
The Denmark-born Palestinian striker also has four goals in 10 appearances for Palestine at the international level.
Don’t forget Columbus also announced the arrival of 22-year-old midfielder Hugo Picard, who joins from Guingamp in France’s Ligue 2. Nancy praised Picard on Friday night, saying:
“Hugo, he's going to be able to bring a lot of activity on the pitch because he's really dynamic and he can play between the lines, he can play in front of the lines and behind the lines. He's going to give me good options.”
