2020 Columbus Crew SC season explained

Club:	Columbus Crew SC
Season:	2020
League:	Major League Soccer
League Result:	Conference 3rd Overall: 4th
Chrtitle:	Investor-operators
Chairman:	Dee and Jimmy Haslam JW and Whitney Johnson Dr. Pete Edwards
Mgrtitle:	Head coach
Manager:	Caleb Porter
Stadium:	Mapfre Stadium
Cup1:	MLS Cup Playoffs
Cup1 Result:	Champions
Cup2:	U.S. Open Cup
Cup2 Result:	Canceled
Cup3:	MLS is Back Tournament
Cup3 Result:	Round of 16
League Topscorer:	Gyasi Zardes (12)
Season Topscorer:	Gyasi Zardes (15)
Average Attendance:	(Overall) (Pre-Covid)
Largest Win:	4–0 (July 11 vs. Cincinnati)
Largest Loss:	1–3 (Sept. 27 vs. Toronto)
Pattern La1:	_columbus19h
Pattern B1:	_columbus19H
Pattern Ra1:	_columbus19h
Pattern Sh1:	_columbus19h
Pattern So1:	_columbus19h
Leftarm1:	F6E500
Body1:	F6E500
Rightarm1:	F6E500
Shorts1:	F6E500
Socks1:	FFFF00
Pattern La2:	_columbus20a
Pattern B2:	_columbus20A
Pattern Ra2:	_columbus20a
Pattern So2:	_columbus20a
Leftarm2:	000000
Body2:	000000
Rightarm2:	000000
Shorts2:	000000
Socks2:	000000
American:	true
Prevseason:	2019
Nextseason:	2021

The 2020 Columbus Crew SC season was the club's twenty-fifth season of existence and their twenty-fifth consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. Columbus were also set to compete in the U.S. Open Cup, before its cancelation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season covers the period from November 11, 2019 to the start of the 2021 Major League Soccer season.

The 2020 season saw Columbus earn their second ever MLS Cup championship, their first since 2008. Columbus defeated Seattle Sounders FC, 3–0 in the championship match.

Roster

No.	Name	Nationality	Position(s)	Date of birth (age)	Signed in	Previous club
Goalkeepers
1				January 17, 2020	2019		29	0
13				February 20, 2020	2020		7	0
28				January 17, 2020	2020		16	0
Defenders
2				January 17, 2020	2019		8	0
3			CB, RB, LB	January 17, 2020	2017		142	9
4				January 17, 2020	2017		100	3
5				January 17, 2020	2020		2	0
14				January 17, 2020	2019		104	0
19			LB	January 17, 2020	2019		49	1
24				CB	September 23, 2020	2020		0	0
25				January 17, 2020	2015		138	6
30			CB, LB	January 17, 2020	2019		21	0
Midfielders
6				January 17, 2020	2019		15	1
7				January 17, 2020	2017		94	18
8			DM, AM, CM	January 17, 2020	2018		108	2
10				January 17, 2020	2020		16	6
12				January 17, 2020	2019		34	2
16			RM, LM, RB, LB	January 17, 2020	2014		133	2
18				January 17, 2020	2020		9	0
20			LW, RW	September 23, 2020	2020		10	0
21	Aidan Morris		MF	January 17, 2020	2020	Indiana	10	0
22			MF	September 23, 2020	2020		21	1
26			CM	September 23, 2020	2020		8	1
34	Youness Mokhtar		LM, RM, LW	January 17, 2020	2019	Stabæk	27	4
Forwards
9				January 17, 2020	2020		11	0
11				January 17, 2020	2018		82	44
17				January 17, 2020	2019		6	0
29				October 5, 2020	2020		4	1
Out on loan
24				January 17, 2020	2018		8	0
27			FW	September 23, 2020	2020		0	0

Non-competitive

Midseason

Competitive

MLS

See main article: 2020 Major League Soccer season.

Standings

Overall table

Match results

On December 5, 2019, the league announced the home openers for every club, with Columbus playing New York City FC at Mapfre Stadium. The schedule for the remainder of the season was released by the league on December 19, 2019.^[1] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the original schedule had to be shortened and was released in installments. The remainder of the regular season schedule was announced on September 22, 2020.^[2]

MLS is Back Tournament

See main article: MLS is Back Tournament.

Postseason

See main article: 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs.

U.S. Open Cup

See main article: 2020 U.S. Open Cup.

The 2020 edition of the U.S. Open Cup was canceled on August 17 due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.^[3]

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Under "Apps" for each section, the first number represents the number of starts, and the second number represents appearances as a substitute.

|-|colspan=12 align=center|Players who left Columbus during the season:|}

Disciplinary record

No.	Pos.	Name	MLS^[4]	MLS is Back Knockout stage	2020 MLS Cup Playoffs	Total
1	GK	Eloy Room	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
2	DF	Chris Cadden	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
3	DF	Josh Williams	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
4	DF	Jonathan Mensah	4	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
5	DF	Vito Wormgoor	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
6	MF	Darlington Nagbe	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
7	MF	Pedro Santos	4	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
8	MF	Artur	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
10	MF	Lucas Zelarayán	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
11	FW	Gyasi Zardes	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
12	MF	Luis Díaz	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
16	MF	Hector Jiménez	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
18	MF	Sebastian Berhalter	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
19	DF	Milton Valenzuela	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
20	FW	Emmanuel Boateng	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
21	MF	Aidan Morris	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
25	DF	Harrison Afful	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
26	MF	Fatai Alashe	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
30	DF	Aboubacar Keita	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
34	MF	Youness Mokhtar	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0

Clean sheets

No.	Name	MLS^[5]	MLS is Back Knockout stage	MLS Cup Playoffs	Total	Games Played
1	Eloy Room	7	0	1	8	18
2	Andrew Tarbell	2	0	2	4	9

Transfers

See also: List of Major League Soccer transfers 2020.

In

Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Source
MF	Darlington Nagbe	Atlanta United FC	Atlanta receives $700,000 in Targeted Allocation money (TAM), $150,000 in GAM and an international roster spot for the 2020 MLS season, as well as $200,000 in TAM for the 2021 MLS season.	Nov 13, 2019	^[6]
MF	Axel Sjöberg	Colorado Rapids	Claimed off waivers.	Dec 4, 2019	^[7]
GK	Matt Lampson	LA Galaxy	Signed as free agent.	Dec 12, 2019	^[8]
DF	Vito Wormgoor	SK Brann	Signed as free agent.	Dec 18, 2019	^[9]
MF	Lucas Zelarayán	Tigres UANL	Reported $7,000,000 transfer fee. Acquired as a designated player.	Dec 19, 2019	^[10]
MF	Aidan Morris	Indiana	Signed to Homegrown Player deal.	Jan 14, 2020	^[11]
MF	Sebastian Berhalter	North Carolina	Signed to Homegrown Player deal.	Jan 17, 2020	^[12]
FW	Fanendo Adi	FC Cincinnati	Selected off Major League Soccer's Waiver List.	Jan 27, 2020	^[13]
MF	Derrick Etienne	New York Red Bulls	Signed as a free agent.	Feb 4, 2020	^[14]
GK	Andrew Tarbell	San Jose Earthquakes	San Jose receives $75,000 in GAM.	Feb 19, 2020	^[15]
FW	Miguel Berry	San Diego	Selected in the First Round of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft (7th overall).	Feb 27, 2020	^[16]
MF	Emmanuel Boateng	DC United	DC United receives defender Axel Sjoberg.	Aug 14, 2020	^[17]
DF	Grant Lillard	Inter Miami CF	Inter Miami CF receives a Third Round Pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft.	Aug 14, 2020	^[18]
DF	Fatai Alashe	FC Cincinnati	FC Cincinnati receives a Second Round Pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. FC Cincinnati will instead receive $50,000 of General Allocation Money (GAM) for the 2021 MLS season should Alashe meet certain performance conditions.	Aug 17, 2020	^[19]
FW	Krisztián Németh	Dunajská Streda	Signed as free agent.	October 5, 2020	^[20]

SuperDraft

See also: 2020 MLS SuperDraft.

The following players were selected by Columbus in the MLS SuperDraft. Only Miguel Berry signed a contract with the club.

Pos.	Player	College	Notes	Date	Source
FW	Miguel Berry	San Diego	Selected in the First Round of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.	Jan 9, 2020	^[21]
GK	Remi Prieur	St. Mary's	Selected in the second round of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.	Jan 9, 2020
MF	Danny Griffin	Providence	Selected in the second round of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.	Jan 9, 2020

Out

Pos.	Player	Transferred to	Fee/notes	Date	Source
GK	Ben Lundgaard	Atlanta United 2	Option Declined.	Oct 21, 2019	^[22]
CB	Alex Crognale	Birmingham Legion	Option Declined.	Oct 21, 2019
DM	David Guzman	Saprissa	Option Declined.	Oct 21, 2019
MF	Edward Opoku		Option Declined.	Oct 21, 2019
MF	Eduardo Sosa	Fort Lauderdale CF	Option Declined.	Oct 21, 2019
MF	Ricardo Clark	N/A	Retired.	Oct 21, 2019
MF	Federico Higuain	D.C. United	Out of Contract.	Oct 21, 2019
MF	Luis Argudo	Inter Miami CF	Selected by Inter Miami CF in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft.	Nov 19, 2019	^[23]
DF	Lalas Abubakar	Colorado Rapids	Columbus receives $400,000 in 2020 General Allocation Money (GAM) and a 2020 international roster spot.	Nov 20, 2019	^[24]
MF	Connor Maloney	San Antonio FC	Option Declined.	Nov 21, 2020
FW	Romario Williams	Miami FC	Free Transfer	Jan 1, 2020
MF	Wil Trapp	Inter Miami CF	Columbus receives $100,000 in General Allocation Money and a 2020 international roster spot.	Jan 31, 2020	^[25]
FW	JJ Williams	Birmingham Legion	Waived	Feb 20, 2020	^[26]
MF	Axel Sjöberg	DC United	Columbus receives midfielder Emmanuel Boateng.	Aug 14, 2020	^[27]

Loan out

Pos.	Player	Loanee club	Division	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
GK	Jon Kempin	San Diego Loyal	USL Championship	Option to Recall	March 6, 2020	End of Season	^[28]
FW	Miguel Berry	San Diego Loyal	USL Championship	Option to Recall	August 28, 2020	End of Season	^[29]

Awards

MLS Team of the Week^[30] !Week!Starters!Bench!Opponent(s)!Link

1		Lucas Zelarayán	New York City FC	^[31]
2		Artur	Seattle Sounders FC	^[32]
MLS is Back – Round 1	Darlington NagbeLucas Zelarayán Gyasi Zardes			^[33]
MLS is Back – Round 2	Darlington NagbeJonathan Mensah	Lucas Zelarayán	New York Red Bulls	^[34]
MLS is Back – Round 3		Darlington Nagbe	Atlanta United FC	^[35]
6	Darlington Nagbe	Derrick Etienne		^[36]
9		Lucas Zelarayán	Philadelphia Union	^[37]
10	Gyasi Zardes		FC Cincinnati	^[38]
11	Gyasi Zardes		Chicago Fire FC	^[39]
12	Jonathan Mensah		Nashville SC	^[40]
13	Pedro SantosLucas Zelarayán			^[41]
19	Andrew Tarbell	Pedro SantosArtur	New York City FC	^[42]
22	Eloy Room	Artur	Philadelphia Union	^[43]

Kits

Type	Shirt	Shorts	Socks	First appearance / Record
Home	Gold	Gold	Gold	Match 1 vs. NYCFC
Away	Black	Black	Black	Match 2 vs. Seattle

See also

• Columbus Crew SC
• 2020 in American soccer
• 2020 Major League Soccer season

Notes and References

1. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC's 2020 MLS regular-season schedule unveiled. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Major League Soccer. December 21, 2019. December 19, 2019.
2. Web site: Columbus Crew's remainder of 2020 MLS regular-season schedule revealed. Crew SC Communications. MLS. September 22, 2020. September 22, 2020.
3. August 17, 2020 . 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Cancelled Due to COVID-19 . . August 31, 2020.
4. MLS counted the three group stage games of the MLS is Back Tournament as regular season matches
5. MLS counted the three group stage games of the MLS is Back Tournament as regular season matches
6. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC acquires Darlington Nagbe in trade with Atlanta United. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. November 13, 2019. November 13, 2019.
7. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC signs defender Axel Sjöberg. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. December 9, 2019. December 9, 2019.
8. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC adds two players to its 2020 roster. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. December 13, 2019. December 9, 2019.
9. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC signs Dutch defender Vito Wormgoor. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. December 21, 2019. December 18, 2019.
10. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC acquires attacking midfielder Lucas Zelarayan as a Designated Player. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. December 21, 2019. December 20, 2019.
11. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC signs Crew SC Academy product Aidan Morris. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. January 14, 2020. January 14, 2020.
12. Web site: MLS Communications. Columbus Crew SC sign Sebastian Berhalter, Gregg's son, to Homegrown deal. MLSsoccer.com. Major League Soccer. January 17, 2020. January 17, 2020.
13. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC selects forward Fanendo Adi off MLS waiver list. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. January 28, 2020. January 27, 2020.
14. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC signs midfielder Derrick Etienne Jr.. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. February 4, 2020. February 4, 2020.
15. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC acquires goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell in trade with the San Jose Earthquakes. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. February 20, 2020. February 19, 2020.
16. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC signs 2020 MLS SuperDraft selection, forward Miguel Berry. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. February 27, 2020. February 27, 2020.
17. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC acquires midfielder Emmanuel Boateng in trade with D.C. United. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. August 17, 2020. August 14, 2020.
18. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC acquires defender Grant Lillard in trade with Inter Miami CF. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. August 17, 2020. August 14, 2020.
19. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC acquires central midfielder Fatai Alashe in trade with FC Cincinnati. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. August 17, 2020. August 17, 2020.
20. Web site: Columbus Crew SC sign Krisztian Nemeth, former star with Sporting Kansas City. Ari Liljenwall. mlssoccer.com. MLS. October 5, 2020. November 13, 2020.
21. Web site: Berry headlines Crew's three selections in opening two rounds. ColumbusCrewSC.com. January 9, 2019.
22. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC announces roster updates ahead of 2020 season. ColumbusCrewSC.com. November 14, 2019. November 14, 2019.
23. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC midfielder Luis Argudo selected by Inter Miami CF in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft. ColumbusCrewSC.com. November 21, 2019. November 21, 2019.
24. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC acquires General Allocation Money and an international roster spot in trade with the Colorado Rapids. ColumbusCrewSC.com. November 20, 2019. November 20, 2019.
25. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC acquires Allocation Money and an international roster spot in trade with Inter Miami CF. ColumbusCrewSC.com. February 1, 2020. January 31, 2020.
26. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC waives forward JJ Williams. ColumbusCrewSC.com. February 20, 2020. February 20, 2020.
27. Web site: Crew SC Communications. Columbus Crew SC acquires midfielder Emmanuel Boateng in trade with D.C. United. ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. August 17, 2019. August 14, 2019.
28. Web site: Crew SC Communications. March 6, 2020. LOAN Columbus Crew SC sends goalkeeper Jon Kempin on loan. September 23, 2020. Columbus Crew.
29. Web site: Crew SC Communications. August 28, 2020. Columbus Crew SC sends forward Miguel Berry on loan. September 23, 2020. Columbus Crew SC.
30. Web site: December 6, 2020 . 2020 GAME GUIDE - COLUMBUS CREW SC vs. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230814005347/https://www.crewstadium.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1206clbne.pdf . August 14, 2023 . August 14, 2023 . Crewstadium.com.
31. Web site: Nicholas Quillen . Ian . 2020-03-02 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: Loons, Red Bulls show big in Week 1 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230814011626/https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/team-week-presented-audi-loons-red-bulls-show-big-week-1 . 2023-08-14 . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
32. Web site: Nicholas Quillen . Ian . March 9, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: Sporting KC, Atlanta United and Minnesota United dominate Week 2 MLSSoccer.com . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230814012354/https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/team-week-presented-audi-sporting-kc-atlanta-united-and-minnesota-united-dominat . 2023-08-14 . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
33. Web site: July 14, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: Columbus Crew get plenty of love in Round 1 MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
34. Web site: July 19, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: Young stars take center take in Round 2 of the MLS is Back Tournament MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
35. Web site: July 24, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: Homegrowns Jordan Morris and Mark McKenzie lead the way in Round 3 MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
36. Web site: August 24, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: The common theme of Week 6? Brace yourself MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
37. Web site: September 3, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: Houston Dynamo rewarded for Week 9 blowout win MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
38. Web site: September 7, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: We're living in the LA Galaxy's world in Week 10 MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
39. Web site: September 14, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: Sounders lead Week 11 honors after 7-goal romp MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
40. Web site: September 21, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: Franco Jara, Santiago Mosquera lead Week 12 honorees MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
41. Web site: Borg . Simon . September 24, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: Chicago Fire FC names lead the way in Week 13 MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
42. Web site: October 19, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: DC United defenders shine after snapping skid in Week 19 MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.
43. Web site: November 2, 2020 . Team of the Week presented by Audi: Week 22 was all about dynamic duos MLSSoccer.com . 2023-08-14 . mlssoccer . en.