Columbus Crew Grabs Final Eastern Playoff Berth With Dallas Win

The Columbus Crew clinched the final available playoff position in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday night, defeating FC Dallas 2-0 to extend their winning streak to four games. The result places the Crew at 12-15-5, locking them into the ninth seed for the postseason with two matches left on the schedule.

Gonzalo Tapia opened the scoring in the 18th minute, converting a setup from Santiago Rodríguez to make it 1-0. Tapia has now scored in three consecutive matches across his first nine appearances in Major League Soccer. Rodríguez, who also provided the first assist of the season for Anass Zaroury in the build-up, added the decisive goal in the 70th minute to seal the victory.

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte preserved the clean sheet with seven saves, marking his seventh shutout in 32 starts this season. For Dallas, goalkeeper Daniel De Sousa Britto recorded one save in the defeat. The result drops the Western Conference regulars to an 8-3-5 home record, though they had already secured their own playoff berth prior to this match.

The loss marks only the second defeat for Dallas in their last 11 contests. Columbus improves its away record to 4-9-3. Rodríguez’s goal was his third of the campaign in his 10th appearance.

Both teams return to action on Saturday. Columbus will host D.C. United at home, while Dallas travels to Sporting Kansas City.