The Columbus Crew hosted CF Montreal on Major League Soccer’s Decision Day with playoff seeding implications in play. The Crew came out 2-1 winners on Fan Appreciation Night.

The Black & Gold started on the front foot early, earning a corner kick within the first minute, but couldn’t capitalize on the set piece. Minutes later, Columbus and the soldout crowd at Lower.com Field appealed for handling inside of the penalty box, but referee Drew Fischer had a perfect angle and waved to play on.

Just a minute later, Montreal opened the scoring when Malte Amundsen couldn’t intercept a cross from the right hand side. The play saw Sunusi Ibrahim on the end of it put it into the back of the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

In the 16th minute, Amundsen found Crew forward Cucho Hernandez breaking between the Montreal backline with a serviced ball forward, but the Colombian couldn’t get on the end of the cross. But it was only a matter of time before Columbus found their equalizer in the 17th minute.

After a loose ball was found by the foot of Steven Moreira, the French defenseman dribbled just inside the penalty box, leaving the ball for Hernandez. The MVP candidate curled it into the top corner and into the net.

Hernandez came close to getting another in the 31st minute when Moreira crossed a mid-range ball to the foot of Hernandez, but the attempt went just high over the crossbar.

With the game there for the taking by both teams, it was level at 1-1 heading into the break.

Just after halftime, the Crew had its foot on the gas.

Six minutes after the break, Amundsen dribbled into the penalty area before squaring a ball to Darlington Nagbe just outside the box. The captain’s strike was finessed into the back of the net, giving the Black & Gold a 2-1 lead.

In the 72nd minute, Jacen Russell-Rowe found Hernandez to his left with a slotted ball, making the forward all alone on goal. The shot, however, was saved by Jonathan Sirois, forcing a Columbus corner.

Lower.com Field remains a Fortress

With the 2-1 win over CF Montreal, the Columbus Crew only saw one loss at their home stadium against Inter Miami CF early in the season. A place that is loud and gives Columbus a definite advantage will become even more raucous when it sees its first playoff game.

Crew finishes in third place

The win against Montreal and the New England Revolution win over the Philadelphia Union saw Columbus lock up third place in the Eastern Conference, giving the Crew hosting rights to the first round.

What’s next

Columbus will play host to Atlanta United in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs presented by Audi. The Crew and Five Stripes will play a Best-of-3 series, with Columbus taking the first leg.