Columbus retains the Trillium Cup with another win against Toronto FC

The Trillium Cup is a trophy contested between Columbus Crew and Toronto FC, representing one of the league’s notable rivalries. Columbus Crew retained the cup by defeating Toronto 4-0 at Lower.com Field and then securing a 2-0 win at BMO Field last night.

The Black & Gold extended their record of away wins in the regular season to eight, with two second-half goals from substitute Cucho Hernandez and a first Crew goal for Andres Herrera, securing the win and retaining the Trillium Cup for a third consecutive season.

Wilfried Nancy made seven changes to his starting lineup from the weekend's draw against Cincinnati, with focus shifting to Orlando City at home this Saturday. Despite fielding a rotated squad, the MLS champs managed to keep the hosts goalless at the break, even under constant pressure from their DP star Federico Bernardeschi down the right flank. Much like the road win against Philadelphia Union, when Nancy rested key players just days after winning the Leagues Cup and looked to his bench for a spark, he used the same tactic here. Cucho Hernandez was called upon to kick off the second half, replacing Diego Rossi.

It took the Crew just seven minutes into the second half to break the deadlock, with Cucho Hernandez picking out the near post after a pass from Jacen Russell-Rowe, beating Toronto FC’s Sean Johnson. Andres Herrera doubled the lead in the 71st minute, calmly slotting his shot past Johnson after pouncing on a loose ball in the box — his first for Columbus! The defense did their part, shutting out the hosts at BMO Field — something no other team has managed to do this season.

On route to Historic Crew

The Black & Gold are sitting pretty with 53 points after 28 matches, tying their fourth-best total for a single season. They matched their all-time high of 57 points in 2023. This year, they’ve scored a league-best 28 goals on the road, already the second-highest single-season total in Club history, just behind the 31 they netted in 1996. With two road games still to play, the Crew have set a new record with eight away wins and have picked up points in 12 of their 15 road matches (8-4-3). They lead MLS with a +26 goal differential, on track for an all-time Club record. Defensively, they've allowed just 28 goals through 28 matches—the fewest ever for the Crew at this stage—and are the only team in MLS conceding fewer than a goal per match. With six regular-season games remaining, there’s still plenty of time for the Crew to break more records and continue their impressive run.

Next up for the Columbus Crew is a home match against a red-hot Orlando City, who are on a three-game winning streak with eight goals scored and no goals conceded. It's clear why Nancy rested many players ahead of this Saturday's clash. Following that, the Crew will face Club America in the Campeones Cup, as they host the Liga MX champs and Leagues Cup quarterfinalists on Wednesday.