Crew Rally Past Fire to Secure Seventh in East

Columbus rallied from three deficits to defeat Chicago 4-3 on November 7, avoiding an Eastern Conference wild-card game. The Crew moved from ninth to seventh after Cincinnati lost to Nashville, and will face second-seeded Inter Miami in a best-of-three opening-round series. Chicago remained fourth despite the loss and will host Charlotte in its first-round opener.

Robert Lewandowski put the Fire ahead with a penalty in the eighth minute. Gonzalo Tapia equalized in the 16th, but Lewandowski converted another penalty six minutes later. Anass Zaroury made it 2-2 in the 23rd minute before Maren Haile-Selassie restored Chicago’s lead in first-half stoppage time.

Tapia scored again in the 62nd minute, with Taha Habroune assisting, to bring Columbus level. Méndez then scored the decisive goal in stoppage time. Tapia now has two goals in the match; Méndez finished his inaugural full league campaign with six goals and four assists over 14 appearances.

The Crew finished the regular season unbeaten in their last seven matches, winning six and drawing one. Patrick Schulte made three saves for Columbus, while Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady stopped two shots. The teams had drawn 0-0 in Ohio at the start of March.