STARTING XI | Tonight's road lineup at Chicago Fire FC

A LOOK AT TONIGHT'S STARTING XI

LAST REGULAR-SEASON MEETING

On June 19, Columbus Crew faced Chicago Fire FC in the Farewell to Historic Crew Stadium. The Black & Gold scored the opening goal in the 17th minute through forward Gyasi Zardes. The Crew added a second goal through Zardes in the 34th minute following assists from midfielder Derrick Etienne Jr. and defender Jonathan Mensah. Goalkeeper Evan Bush recorded a clean sheet in his Club debut, while midfielder Kevin Molino made his first appearance for the Crew as a second-half substitute. 

COLUMBUS CREW UNDEFEATED AGAINST CHICAGO FIRE FC SINCE 2018

Entering Sunday's match, the Crew currently holds a seven-match regular-season unbeaten streak against Chicago Fire FC dating back to the 2018 season (May 12). During that time, the Black & Gold have posted a record of 3-0-4 while outscoring Chicago 14-6.

AIR MENSAH: THE DEFENSIVE WALL 

Defender Jonathan Mensah leads MLS in headed clearances this season, having made 48 in regular-season action this year. In addition to leading the League in headed clearances, Mensah has made 76 total clearances, tying with Andrew Farrell (New England Revolution) for fifth-most clearances in regular-season action in 2021. 

SANTOS: PERFECT FROM THE PENALTY SPOT

Since making his debut for the Crew in 2017 (August 19), midfielder Pedro Santos has converted every penalty kick he has taken in regular-season action for the Black & Gold. Santos has scored four goals from the penalty spot, with his first one coming against Seattle Sounders FC in 2019 (June 23). Since then, he has also converted against FC Cincinnati (October 14, 2020), New York City FC (July 30, 2021) and Atlanta United (August 7, 2021). No other Crew player has a 100% penalty kick conversion rate over that span. 

ZARDES HIGHEST-SCORING AMERICAN IN MLS SINCE 2018

Since joining the Crew prior to the 2018 season, forward Gyasi Zardes has been the highest-scoring American player in MLS regular-season action. Zardes' 48 strikes in regular-season action put him ahead of Chris Wondolowski's 34 goals. Additionally, 46 of Zardes's goals have been scored from inside the 18-yard box, with the forward also leading all American players in that category. 

NAGBE AND HAIRSTON: PASS MASTERS

Through 18 matches in the 2021 MLS regular season, midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Marlon Hairston are among the League leaders in passing accuracy among players who have attempted 100 or more passes. Nagbe has made 17 starts while completing 843 of his 875 attempted passes for a passing accuracy percentage of 96.34%, while Hairston has made 10 appearances and completed 351 of his 373 attempted passes for a passing accuracy percentage of 94.1%.