Columbus Crew prepare for New York City FC in home clash

As the MLS regular season continues to move forward, so does the play from the Columbus Crew.

Just when it looked like the Black & Gold were finally going to settle in and coast through the 2024 season in hopes of repeating as MLS Cup champions, they took another step up. On Sunday, August 25, the Crew took home the Leagues Cup championship in a 3-1 win over Los Angeles FC. Just day's later on Wednesday, August, 28, they traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Union, and with a starting lineup full of reserves, they pulled off a 1-0 win.

Each and every time the Crew looks like they could drop a game or slow down, they just simply don't. Now, the team is gearing up to pay host to New York City FC (NYCFC) from Lower.com Field on Saturday, August 31, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. EST.

Throughout the last two seasons, the Crew and NYCFC have taken on one another four times, with the Crew winning two and tying the others. The most recent victory came on August 17, when Columbus paid host to them in the Leagues Cup. The game ended with the Crew coming out on top in penalty kicks.

However, this time around, NYCFC will be looking for revenge after the Crew ended their hopes of a Leagues Cup championship run.

Heading into Saturday's matchup, NYCFC is sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings with 39 total leagues points and an overall record of 11-6-9. On the other hand, the Black & Gold are two spots ahead in third with a record of 13-7-4 and 46 points. While this game between the two sides won't drastically alter the playoff picture yet, it will be a proving point for who stays hot heading towards October.

Who needs to show up for Columbus?

Wilfried Nancy's side has turned to a lot of unfamiliar faces in recent weeks. Most notably, on Wednesday night the Crew utilized nearly their entire bench and reserve depth in the starting lineup. In turn, forwards Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez and Diego Rossi, and midfielders Yaw Yeboah and Maximilian Arfsten were brought in off the bench. They ultimately helped lead the team to a win over the Philadelphia Union, but the reserves-turned-starters held down the fort nicely.

On Saturday night, the standouts have to come from the back line and the man in between the pipes.

The only knock to the Crew this season has been their random slip-ups defensively where they have allowed easy and lackluster goals to their opponents. Even throughout the Leagues Cup, it was something that hurt them. Against NYCFC, the team should look to either Patrick Schulte or Nicholas Hagen, whoever is in the net, to lead the defense and give the Crew a comfortable win.

If they can continue to be the best team in the MLS in goal differential, allowing just 22 goals, they are putting themselves in a prominent position to keep muscling by opponents.

Lower.com Field is expected to be rocking this weekend, and with a recent tragedy affecting the city, the emotions may be even higher than normal. The game is set to start at 7:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, August 31.