Columbus Crew returned to the win column with a much-needed 2-1 victory over the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night at Lower.com Field. Behind early goals from Ibrahim Aliyu and Diego Rossi, the Black & Gold snapped a six-match winless streak and climbed to third place in the Eastern Conference standings.
With several starters absent due to Gold Cup duty and injuries, both sides entered the match with adjusted lineups. But it was Columbus who made the most of their opportunity, turning in one of their most confident attacking performances of the season. The victory marked the Crew’s first since May 3rd and came just two weeks after a humbling 5-1 loss to Inter Miami.
Columbus wasted no time setting the tone. In the 2nd minute, Andrés Herrera released Lassi Lappalainen down the right flank. The Finnish winger surged toward the box before cutting a pass across goal to Aliyu, who roofed a first-time finish past Yohei Takaoka for an ideal start.
Vancouver responded quickly in the 6th minute. Andrés Cubas threaded a clever outside-foot pass through the Crew’s back line to Mathías Laborda, who centered to Daniel Ríos at the top of the six-yard box. Ríos’s shot, aided by a slight deflection, beat Evan Bush to level the match at 1-1.
The Crew would find their winner in the 23rd minute, capitalizing on a costly Whitecaps turnover. After a poor touch from defender Tristan Blackmon, Daniel Gazdag pounced and slipped a pass left to Rossi, who calmly slotted a right-footed shot into the far corner. The goal was Rossi’s team-leading sixth of the season, while the assist marked Gazdag’s first in a Crew uniform.
Despite the final scoreline, the Crew’s dominance extended beyond the scoreboard. Columbus had three goals disallowed for offside, including a clever AZ Jackson finish in the 58th minute, a second Rossi tap-in in the 75th, and a would-be goal from Herrera in the 80th minute. Each was ruled back after tight VAR reviews, highlighting the high line Vancouver employed defensively.
The Whitecaps’ best chance to equalize came in the 69th minute, when Édier Ocampo shot just wide of the far post after a solo run down the right wing. Takaoka later denied Jacen Russell-Rowe in stoppage time with a spectacular leaping save to keep the score within reach, but the Crew held firm.
Veteran goalkeeper Evan Bush, starting in place of the injured Patrick Schulte, became the oldest player ever to start a match for Columbus at 39 years and 100 days old. With Wilfried Nancy’s squad navigating a congested summer fixture list and international absences, rotation proved essential. Depth players like Bush, Lappalainen, Amar Sejdić, and Tristan Brown all made valuable contributions in what the team hopes is a turning point in the 2025 campaign.
Saturday’s win came against a Whitecaps team atop the Supporters’ Shield standings, just one week removed from a dominant 3-0 win over Seattle. Though missing several key pieces themselves, Vancouver’s effort couldn’t overcome early defensive miscues and Columbus’s urgency in the final third.
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Match Details
Competition: Major League Soccer
Date: June 14, 2025
Venue: Lower.com Field, Columbus, OH
Kickoff Time: 7:30 PM ET
Goal Scorers
2′ – Ibrahim Aliyu (Columbus Crew)
6′ – Daniel Ríos (Vancouver Whitecaps)
23′ – Diego Rossi (Columbus Crew)
Starting Lineups
Columbus Crew: Evan Bush; Andrés Herrera, Sean Zawadzki, Yevhen Cheberko, Lassi Lappalainen (Farsi); Amar Sejdić (Russell-Rowe), Darlington Nagbe, AZ Jackson (Habroune); Ibrahim Aliyu (Tristan Brown), Diego Rossi, Dániel Gazdag (Chambost)
Vancouver Whitecaps: Yohei Takaoka; Édier Ocampo, Bjørn Inge Utvik (Elloumi), Tristan Blackmon, Ranko Veselinović, Mathías Laborda (Johnson); J.C. Ngando (Selemani), Andrés Cubas, Ralph Priso (Badwal); Pedro Vite, Daniel Ríos
