Columbus Crew looked to remain unbeaten in league play taking on the New York Red Bulls at home after playing a midweek match that saw them advance to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. For the opposition, they came into this matchup carrying a 2-1 win over FC Dallas

The Crew nearly opened the scoring in the second minute, when Malte Amundsen played Yaw Yeboah behind the backline, similar to the pass in MLS Cup, but Carlos Coronel was able to swat the ball away.

Columbus found the breakthrough in the 14th minute when Amundsen and Yeboah connected yet again. Yeboah was able to square a pass towards the center of the box for Cucho Hernandez who placed it top shelf behind Coronel to give the home side a 1-0 lead.

The Crew nearly doubled their lead in the 27th minute when goalkeeper Patrick Schulte found Jacen Russell-Rowe. A misplayed ball by the Red Bulls backline saw Russell-Rowe all alone, but the ball was cleared out for a Crew corner. Just one minute later, Yeboah had a shot from distance but the attempt was just wide of the frame.

Hernandez nearly gifted the Red Bulls an opportunity with a turnover in his own defensive half, right to Red Bulls captain Emil Forsberg. A quick spell of passing ended with a Forsberg shot right at Schulte keeping the score 1-0 for the remainder of the first half and into halftime.

Columbus doubled their lead in the 57th minute with Russell-Rowe getting on the end of a through ball from Hernandez before comfortably behind Coronel.

In the 67th minute, Diego Rossi’s corner kick found the head of Sean Zawadzki who flicked it onto the back post to find Aidan Morris who put home Columbus’ third goal of the evening.

Hernandez looked to add a fourth to the tally in the 78th minute, but the left-footed shot from distance was wide of the net.

Columbus held on to the 3-0 lead throughout the second half, solidifying the win and remaining unbeaten in league play.

Columbus dominates

It was no secret that Columbus dominated the match, with just under 60% possession for the game. Passing played a role, with Columbus gaining just over 90%, keeping the Red Bulls to 86% passing accuracy.

Welcome back, Will Sands

For the first time since last April, Will Sands entered for the Crew late in the second half. This is Sands’ first competitive action for the Black & Gold since his ACL tear last year against Charlotte FC.

What’s next?

Columbus is on the road to the Queen City to take on Charlotte FC. Kickoff from Bank of America Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. You can watch the match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.