The Crew fell 1-0 to FC Cincinnati in game one of the first round of the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs Monday night at TQL Stadium. Referees lead the Columbus Crew and Vancouver Whitecaps onto the field before their June 15, 2025 match. Credit: Macy Erickson | Lantern Photographer
For more than one hour of play, the No. 7-seeded Columbus Crew were neck and neck with No. 2-seeded FC Cincinnati. But a loose ball in the box crushed the Crew’s dreams of pulling off an upset.
The Crew fell 1-0 to FC Cincinnati in game one of the first round of the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs Monday night at TQL Stadium.
Columbus’ offense never found its footing, as it struggled to generate pressure in Cincinnati’s zone. Crew midfielder Max Arfsten believes the team needs to be more aggressive.
“I think we’ve just got to be more bold in taking chances,” Arfsten said. “You’re right, it is the playoffs. There’s no time to say it’s coming, it’s coming.”
The first half was tight with both clubs trying to dictate the style of play. Cincinnati used the early energy from the crowd to start fast, pressing into Columbus territory with long passes towards the box.
As the crowd settled down, Columbus settled in. The Crew started to generate some positive momentum with their pass-heavy approach, but nothing ever seemed to truly threaten Cincinnati’s defense.
Cincinnati controlled the ball for more than 50% of the half, a rare occurrence against a Crew team ranked second in MLS possession.
With the lack of offense on both sides, goalkeeping stole the show in the first half. Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte made four saves and Cincinnati’s Roman Celentano had two.
Tension built in the second half as both teams were looking to strike first.
Columbus quickly got on the attack, recording two shots in the 48th minute, but failed to capitalize. Cincinnati replied with an attack in the following minutes, but could not capitalize.
With less than 20 minutes to play, it felt like the game would need a shootout to determine a winner.
Kévin Denkey felt otherwise.
In the 78th minute, the Cincinnati striker controlled a loose ball in the center of the box, sending it over the head of a grounded Schulte. The home crowd erupted as Cincinnati closed in on a one game series lead.
Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy did not like how his team defended the scoring play.
“We were not aggressive on this one on the first pass,” Nancy said. “On the last pass in terms of body position, we had bad body position to the ball in between. That’s why we conceded this goal.”
With time ticking away, the Crew tried everything they could to find an equalizer. A strong push in the 84th minute created an opportunity for striker Daniel Gazdag to tie the game, but Celentano remained a brick wall.
Despite dropping game one, Crew defender Sean Zawadzki stressed the importance of staying confident.
“Just maintain the confidence that we have,” Zawadzki said. “We’ve been able to come back and do these things, sticking together and fighting and now coming back home, we’re going to use our crowd and our fans to push us that extra five minutes, extra ten minutes, whatever it may be to get a [win] at home.”
Game two will take place Sunday, Nov. 2, in Columbus, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m.
