The Columbus Crew went out to the Western Conference to take on the Portland Timbers. Without forward Cucho Hernandez and head coach Wilfried Nancy, both of whom were suspended after receiving red cards in the Black & Gold’s match against New York City FC last week.

Columbus went down early after allowing two goals in the span of two minutes in the first half. The Crew fought back, with Lucas Zelarayan with goals before halftime and in the 65th minute to level the game. Portland, though, had the last laugh, scoring the winner goal in the 80th minute, sending the Black & Gold home 3-2 losers.

As the players head into the MLS break for the All-Star Game and Leagues Cup, here is how the players performed in the Rose City.

Starters

Patrick Schulte (5.0) – After his best performance of the season, Schulte had one of his worst performances against the Timbers. The goalkeeper only recorded two saves on five shots on target and misplayed the corner, leading to Portland’s first goal of the night. While defensive miscues certainly made Schulte’s job more difficult, the second-year pro failed to manifest the impenetrable play he demonstrated a week prior.

Sean Zawadzki (7.0) – Zawadzki has been excellent for the Crew playing out of position in the defensive backline. However, on Saturday, the midfielder-turned-center-back made some mistakes defensively. The most costly of those mistakes was in the 30^th minute when he over-pursued a thrown-in and Franck Boli was able to take a beautiful touch that beat Zawadzki and sprung the Timbers’ attack, leading to the second goal in as many minutes, putting the Black & Gold in a 2-0 hole. Zawadzki recorded four tackles, five interceptions, a clearance and a blocked shot, however, a few critical miscues highlighted his performance.

Steven Moreira (6.0) – Moreira’s best actions of the night came on the offensive side of the ball, where he was consistently involved in the build up and recorded an assist after working into the attack. Defensively, however, the center back was ineffective, problematic when he is supposed to anchor the backline. Moreira finished the night with only a single tackle, and his lack of defensive coverage showed clearly how much this team needs a defensive center back who can still play the ball.

Malte Amundsen (6.0) – Amundsen was similarly involved in the attack, recording two shots for Columbus, but also struggled with mistakes in key areas that led to opportunities for Portland. It was Amundsen in the 73^rd minute who was late to Yimmi Chara and almost let the Timbers go ahead. The left center back also let up a great opportunity in the 86^th minute with a ball rolled right between his legs as he was late to cover Sebastian Blanco.

Mohamed Farsi (6.5) – Before his 77^th minute substitution, Farsi did was was asked of him. Defensively, the right wing back recorded a tackle, an interception and two clearances. Offensively, Farsi made an excellent run in the 64^th minute, but the finish left something to be desired. Immediately after, Farsi earned the secondary assist with a good pass to help set up the Crew’s second goal.

Yaw Yeboah (6.5) – Inconsistency is a good word to describe Yeboah’s performance in this match. Defensively, the left wing backk had a tackle and two interceptions. Offensively Yeboah had two shots, neither of which was able to test Portland goalkeeper David Bingham. He did create two excellent chances for the Black & Gold, including making an overlapping run in the 49^th minute and then finding a lovely, chipped pass that didn’t amount to anything.

Aidan Morris (6.5) – Making his first start since leaving the United States Men’s National Team camp for personal reasons, Morris picked off where he left off for the Black & Gold with his energy but failed to create many opportunities in the attack. While the central midfielder wasn’t the same ball-hounding central midfielder Columbus fans expect, Morris still played smart and helped control a wild game with some solid passing through the center of the field.

Darlington Nagbe (7.5) – On his return to Portland, Nagbe was very effective in linking the Crew’s midfield with the attack, creating multiple effective chances for the Black & Gold. Nagbe completed 60 of 62 passes, and was 33-of-34 passing on attempts greater than 15 yards. Although the Timbers often swarmed him, Nagbe served as an effective release valve against the pressure.

Lucas Zelarayán (9.0) – Playing without his star counterpart, Hernandez, Zelarayán was magnificent, working with and through the team to almost help the visitors leave with at least a share of the points. Other than his two goals, Zelarayán also led the team with 0.4 expected assists and had five key passes that led to shot opportunities. Zelarayán has often struggled by trying to do too much individually when playing as the lone star, but on Saturday, the Armenian international played both the role of facilitator and finisher, picking the moments to showcase his extraordinary skill and when to work with and through the rest of the team.

Jacen Russell-Rowe (6.0) – Starting in place of Hernandez, Russell-Rowe created plenty of opportunities with some excellent movement. However, he struggled to finish chances, failing to challenge the goalkeeper on his four shots. In the 69^th minute, Russell-Rowe skyed what could have been the go-ahead goal for Columbu that might have changed the outcome.

Christian Ramírez (7.0) – Ramirez had several clear-cut opportunities with his head that he failed to put on target, including in the 40^th minute and the 49^th minute. This is an area the forward, who has been so effective for the Crew scoring with his feet, can improve as he hasn’t scored a headed goal since 2018 with Minnesota United. Otherwise, Ramirez created multiple opportunities and was unlucky not to create a goal.

Substitutes

Max Arfsten (5.5) – A 78^th minute sub, Arfsten didn’t create much for the Black & Gold with only 12 touches and was unsuccessful in helping Columbus find a late equalizer.

Luis Diaz (4.0) – After his return last week, Diaz showed that he still has the game-breaking speed that has terrorized defenders throughout his five seasons in MLS. However, it was the poor decision-making that has limited Diaz throughout his career that reared its head in this match, including an errant pass in the 86th minute that nearly led to a fourth goal for Portland. Critically, Diaz got caught flat footed in the box in the 80th minute, failing to cover Blanco who was wide open for his game-winning goal.

Jimmy Medranda (6.5) – Medranda only came on in the 88^th minute, but in his limited time, the wing back played well on the left side, widening the field and crossing the ball effectively.

Head voach

Kwame Ampadu (5.0) – Ampadu filled in for Nancy after the red card last week. That left assistant Ampadu to fill in — although Nacny was in the stadium and handled most of the pre-game planning — and manage a hectic end-to-end game that saw the Crew struggle to defend with no center backs on the field. While the Black & Gold initially found success playing a back three of Zawadzki, Moreira and Amundsen, it wasn’t effective against the Timbers, and despite a sensational performance from Lucas Zelarayán, Columbus heads into the All-Star break with the team’s first loss in the past nine games.