Injuries are derailing the Columbus Crew's season
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The injury bug has hit the Crew hard — and at the worst time.
Why it matters: The team has struggled to overcome key players' injuries for weeks and has suffered additional blows during its playoff push.
State of play: Columbus (13-7-11) has three matches left this season and is currently the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed.
- The top seven qualify for a best-of-three playoff series, while the next two seeds play a wild card match.
The latest: Star striker Wessam Abou Ali will be out at least six weeks after fracturing his ankle last weekend, the Dispatch reports.
- Wingback Mo Farsi (out since July) is out indefinitely after sports hernia surgery.
Also: Leading scorer Diego Rossi remains sidelined after a Sept. 13 hamstring injury, and versatile defender Sean Zawadzki hasn't returned from a knee injury suffered a week earlier.
- Center Rudy Camacho has missed the entire season with a lingering injury.
Threat level: Columbus has won just one of its last seven matches.
- The team's goal differential has suffered compared to the championship seasons of 2020 and 2023.
The bottom line: It's likely Columbus will still make the playoffs — at least the wild card match.
- To miss out entirely, the team would need to lose all three remaining games while the New York Red Bulls win out.
📅 What's next: A match tomorrow in Chicago at 8:30pm.