The Crew has one last chance to salvage its season
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It's been a massively disappointing season for the Crew. Photo: Chris Carter/Getty Images
Staring down the worst season in franchise history, Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup semifinal represents a last chance for the Crew to salvage some joy for fans.
Catch up quick: It's been a season without many highlights for Columbus.
- They started the season winless in five games and fired new manager Henrik Rydström after a 3-7-4 start.
- They've gone an even worse 3-7-1 under interim manager Laurent Courtois.
Plus: Amid the losses is a dwindling number of fan favorites to cling to.
- Last offseason, team captain and MLS legend Darlington Nagbe retired.
- This summer, the club sold stars Max Arfsten and Diego Rossi and conceded that big-money midfielder Daniel Gazdag wasn't working out.
Meanwhile, season ticket prices are up and the team messed up fans' season ticket renewal gift. Ownership also controversially acquired public parkland and $25 million in public dollars to help bring a pro women's soccer team to town.
The other side: The front office has been busy signing replacements.
- Columbus paid handsomely for stars Brais Méndez and Santiago Rodríguez, plus a handful of other players expected to help.
Yes, but: It hasn't mattered.
- Méndez was the first to arrive — the Crew has one win in his eight appearances.
State of play: With nine games remaining, Columbus is five points from the bottom of the league as the fourth-worst team in MLS and is nine points from sneaking into a postseason play-in game.
- Realistically, that leaves Wednesday's Open Cup semifinal at home against Orlando City as the last hope for a bright spot.
🏆 The U.S. Open Cup is a yearlong tournament that includes teams from every level of American soccer, from amateur teams to MLS clubs.
- It's the oldest soccer competition in America.
- Columbus has won it just once, back in 2002.
The bottom line: In spite of it all, an unlikely Open Cup trophy could help fans stomach a failure of a season.
- It would be an upset — Orlando has more wins in the last two months than the Crew have all season.