Columbus Crew vs Colorado Rapids: Crew Aim

Columbus CrewCOL

S. Rodriguez 22'
G. Tapia 81'
T. Habroune 90'

Major League Soccer

3–0

Full Time

HT 1–0

ScottsMiracle-Gro Field

Columbus, Ohio

Colorado RapidsCOL

AI ForecastsGraded

Columbus Crew are in a tailspin, winless in five and leaking goals, but they return home where they've been more resilient. Missing three starters, including two regulars in midfield, leaves them vulnerable against a Colorado side flying high on the back of four wins in five…

Match ResultHome Win38%

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Match Stats

Top Stats

2.06xG0.59

54%Possession46%

15 (6)Shots (on target)10 (2)

4Big Chances Created1

Attacking Play

1.67xG on Target0.06

0.89Expected Assists (xA)0.63

62Final Third Entries63

23Penalty Area Entries13

Possession & Passing

553 · 88%Passes (accuracy)478 · 83%

1Corners3

16Poss. Won — Def 3rd14

20Poss. Won — Mid 3rd20

Duels & Pressing

38 (52%)Duels Won35 (48%)

2 (18%)Aerial Duels Won9 (82%)

48Ball Recoveries45

8.3PPDA (Pressing)14.0

Defending & Discipline

2Saves3

13Fouls16

+0.06Goals Prevented-1.33

Columbus Crew vs Colorado Rapids: Crew Aim

Updated Sat 5 Sept

Columbus Crew host Colorado Rapids in a Major League Soccer Regular Season - 23 fixture on Saturday, September 5. The Crew enter the match desperate to halt a five-game losing streak that has seen their campaign unravel.

Team News and Injury Latest

Neither side reports any fresh fitness concerns heading into the weekend. For Columbus, Wessam Abou Ali (knee), Sekou Bangoura (ankle), and Rudy Camacho (foot) were ruled out ahead of the club's previous match and are expected to remain sidelined. Jamal Thiare (lower leg) was listed as questionable for that same contest and his availability remains uncertain.

Colorado Rapids have Billo Diop (knee), Ted Ku-DiPietro (shoulder), and Zack Steffen (shoulder) on the unavailable list, per the league's official player status report.

Columbus Crew Form Guide

Columbus are in freefall. A 3-1 home defeat to New England Revolution on August 30 extended their losing run to five straight MLS matches — a sequence the club has not experienced in recent memory. In that loss, manager Laurent Courtois deployed a 4-4-2 setup with Josef Martinez and Brais Méndez leading the line, but the side conceded early and never recovered.

Earlier in the campaign the Crew also fell to Club América in the Leagues Cup quarter-finals. With no goals to show for their recent league outings beyond consolation efforts, the attacking unit is under pressure to deliver.

Colorado Rapids Recent Form

Colorado arrive off the back of a 1-3 defeat to Real Salt Lake on August 29, though Reggie Cannon's performance in that contest earned him a spot in the league's Team of the Matchday for Matchday 23. Cannon joined a star-studded XI featuring Antoine Griezmann, Leo Messi, and Hany Mukhtar — recognition of a bright individual display in an otherwise difficult Rocky Mountain Cup setback.

The Rapids' season has been built around the output of Rafael Navarro Leal, whose 10 goals from 67 shots make him the visitors' most productive route to goal.

Key Battle: Taha Habroune vs. Paxten Aaronson

Creativity in midfield could decide this contest, and the duel between Columbus's Taha Habroune and Colorado's Paxten Reid Aaronson is one to watch.

Habroune has been the Crew's chief creator, carving out a team-leading 34 chances across 1,542 minutes this season while adding 18 shots of his own. Aaronson carries equivalent importance for the Rapids with 39 chances created, providing the supply line for Navarro's finishing. Whichever playmaker finds space in the final third is likely to shape the outcome.

Potential Match-Winners

Beyond the creators, Dániel Gazdag remains Columbus's most reliable source of end product. The attacking midfielder has three goals from 15 shots in 802 minutes and represents the hosts' best hope of breaking their scoring drought.

For Colorado, Rafael Navarro's 10-goal haul — built on 30 shots on target — makes him the clear focal point. If the Crew's makeshift backline grants him half a yard, the Rapids striker has shown he can punish it.

Both clubs are looking up at the playoff line as Matchday 23 unfolds. Columbus desperately need to arrest their slide to keep pace in the Eastern Conference, while Colorado will view a trip to a struggling opponent as a chance to bounce back from their own derby disappointment.