Oct 1, 2025 - Sports

Crew midfielder Habroune plays on a global stage

Andrew King

Columbus Crew midfielder Taha Habroune spreads his arms wide in celebration of a goal at FC Cincinnati — Taha Habroune will miss the end of the Crew season to play in the U-20 World Cup. Photo: Jeff Dean/Getty Images

The Crew are wrapping up their regular season without Taha Habroune, as the young midfielder travels to the U-20 FIFA World Cup with the U.S. U-20 National Team.

Why it matters: Habroune, 19, is the only Columbus-born player on the Crew roster. His presence at the tournament in Chile is an opportunity to raise his and the team's international stature.

The latest: The U.S. kicked off Monday against New Caledonia and Habroune scored a goal in the 9-1 victory.

The intrigue: The midfielder joined the Crew academy at just 13, debuting for both Crew 2 and the first team at 17.

He's the poster child for the team's modern era of developing young talent — the first player to progress from the academy to Crew 2 and sign with the first team.

Flashback: Habroune is no stranger to youth tournaments.

He's spent years with U.S. national teams, including the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia, where he scored and made three starts.
Later that year, he was named MVP of the U-17 Generation Adidas Cup with the Crew academy.

The big picture: The U-20 event is both a competition and a showcase, and can help the Crew attract players, scout potential targets or even sell Habroune to a bigger league someday.

Stars like Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi started their legendary careers at this tournament.

How to watch: The next U.S. match is 4pm Thursday against France on Fox Sports 2.

The entire tournament airs on FIFA+.

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Crew midfielder Habroune plays on a global stage

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