As the 2025 season approaches, the staff here at Massive Report have banded together to give their 2025 predictions for the Columbus Crew, including where they think the Club will finish. Here’s what the staff had to say:

Collin Johnson:

Finish: 3rd in MLS, MLS Cup Finalist

Look, I’ve always been an optimistic person. It’s been a brutal offseason but we still l have every reason to trust this front office despite Issa Tall’s first winter window looking more like a fire sale than a team keeping its championship window open. One constant remains and that is Wilfried Nancy. Nancy has had nothing but success in MLS and I don’t expect that to change. Sure the beginning of the season might be rocky but the ship will be righted with at least one (if not multiple) DP acquisition who fits the Nancy system. This team has earned my trust until they give me a reason not to trust them.

MVP: TBD

I expect Diego Rossi to step up in a big way during the first half of the season but that will hopefully be over-shone by whatever summer acquisition comes in to replace Cucho Hernandez. Golden Boot: Diego Rossi Rossi will have to carry the goal-scoring weight for the first half of the season and whomever the Crew add later on will only take the pressure off of him and let him continue to score goals.

DPOY: Yevhen Cheberko

This is a huge season for Cheberko. He has the opportunity to seize the reigns on the spot in the middle of the back three (which creates an interesting question on the left) and Columbus will need him to do so if they expect to have a deep playoff run. Rudy Camacho should be ready to return to form after a longer offseason but he’s not getting any younger.

Grant Miller:

Finish: 5th in the East

For the past 3 seasons the Eastern Conference has been an absolute bloodbath. Teams have spent big money this offseason in their attempt at breaking away from the pack. Columbus has been at or near the front at times but with the heavy losses up top and the rest of the league improving I see the Crew dropping down a bit, but not completely falling out. The system in place is strong, the team is battle tested and has shown immense improvement in defense since Nancy first got to town. Expect some tough early days until reinforcements arrive in the Summer.

MVP: Darlington Nagbe

It’s not about goals or even assists with this pick. That system I just mentioned and how the floor of this team is so high based on how the team plays and executes Wilfried Nancy’s vision, that works because of Darlington Nagbe. If the Crew continue to succeed this year it will because new players step up into the spotlight, and Nagbe makes that so much easier for the players around him. It would be great if he scored a few more sensational goals though.

Golden Boot: Diego Rossi

I have no doubt Diego Rossi will lead this team in goals this season. Even if Cucho and Christian Ramirez were still on the roster the case for Rossi would be strong. Last season Rossi stepped up in a big way when Cucho was absent for parts of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. I expect a similar rise to the occasion if he can avoid a slow start.

DPOY: Steven Moreira 

League defensive player of the year and all around spark plug. Moreira can lead the attack from the back, overlap into the attacking box or shut down the opponents best player. He plays every minute of every game and has become one of the most reliable players in the league. I won’t be foolish and bet against him.

Adam Miller:

Finish: 4th in East, 7th in Supporters Shield

The new look Columbus Crew have a tough task ahead of them, in at least the first part of the 2025 campaign ahead of the summer transfer window. Losing Cucho Hernandez on January deadline day, followed shortly by trading Christian Ramirez to defending champions LA Galaxy has left the Columbus attack looking bare. With Jacen Russel Rowe and Diego Rossi, the Crew still have attacking talent, but the depth is certainly in question.

Despite their relative lack of attacking options, the Crew are still built to have success in MLS play under Wilfried Nancy. Nancy’s system,combined with the Crew’s quality and experience in other parts of the pitch should keep the Crew in the top half of the East for the beginning of the year. If/when the Crew are able to sign a DP striker in the summer window, the Black & Gold could make a big jump towards the end of the campaign, similar to the 2023 season.

MVP: Diego Rossi

There’s a good chance the MVP of the 2025 campaign isn’t yet on the roster. However, if that player is on the roster, it’s most likely going to be Diego Rossi. Rossi will be tasked with being the main man for Columbus in 2025. Rossi is a perfect fit for Nancy’s attack, hence why the Crew chose to acquire him instead of hanging on to Lucas Zelarayan in 2023. If the Crew are going to be near the top of the East, it’s probably because Rossi is going to play a big part. 

Golden Boot: Jacen Russel-Rowe

Wilfried Nancy’s center forwards always score goals. It has been true in each of his four seasons as an MLS Head Coach. In fact, in 3 of these seasons, the central forward has scored in double digits, the outlier being his first season in Montreal. Thus, Jacen Russel Rowe seems the obvious choice to me. While I have my own concerns about Russel Rowe’s consistency in front of the net, he is going to have plenty of chances to score over the course of the year. Double digit goals for the young Canadian striker seems a safe bet.

DPOY: Steven Moreira

Steven Moreira has been one of the most underrated players for the Crew and the MLS in general over the last several seasons. The 30 year old Cape Verde international has hardly put a foot wrong since joining the Black & Gold in 2021. Having transitioned from a wide full back to a right sided centre back in Nancy’s back three, Moreira has excelled as a ball carrying centre back who can break lines with his dribbling and passing. Moreira’s defensive instincts allow him to defend on the front foot when Columbus are pressing, as well as cover the space in behind the backline when needed. Expect more of the same for Moreira in 2025.

Caleb Denorme:

Finish: 4th in the East

Everyone is thinking that the Crew are hopelessly sunk due to the departure of Cucho Hernandez and Christian Ramirez, but that is not the entire truth. Columbus still has its entire defense core still intact with Darlington Nagbe running the midfield and two excellent young wingbacks. Diego Rossi has grown into Nancy’s system as well, so the only questionable holes are the two attacking positions and a midfielder alongside Nagbe. Quite possibly the biggest retention though was head coach Wilfried Nancy. The Frenchman has proved that he can take middle level players and make them top shelf, which is exactly what will allow the Crew to stay afloat until reinforcements come in the summer.

MVP: Diego Rossi

I said last season that my MVP pick was Rossi, and I’m sticking with the Uruguayan this year as well. Since coming to Columbus, Rossi has taken massive steps forward. He played in 34 MLS matches last season, scored 12 goals and dished out 11 assists. With Hernandez now in Spain he will likely need to step up in the goalscoring department, but this team’s attack will go as Rossi goes moving forward.

Golden Boot: Diego Rossi

Rossi will need to take another step forward and become a lethal goal scoring threat if the Black & Gold have any chance at trophies this season. We’ve talked about the holes in the attack, but I expect Jacen Russell-Rowe, Dylan Chambost and Aziel Jackson to become attacking threats as well. Until those three can get in a rhythm and emerge as consistent threats to score, Rossi will likely have to carry the scoring burden. 

DPOY: Yevhen Cheberko

It’s hard to argue for another player to be the DPOY on a team that had Steven Moreira — who was named the best defender in all of MLS last season — but I’m going to anyway. We started to see the regression of Rudy Camacho late last season, which meant Yevhen Cheberko had to move into a more vital role. I still expect Camacho to start early in the season, but Cheberko could take over later in the year if Camacho does not return to his prior form in the center of defense. If that change does come, look for the Ukrainian to turn some heads as the anchor of the Crew defensive line.

Tyler Fisher:

Finish: 6th in the Eastern Conference

Trust me, I know this is not what you all were expecting from me. But the Columbus Crew have now dropped to sixth in the conference for me, after the departures of Cucho Hernandez and Christian Ramirez. Now, I’m not saying that players like Diego Rossi, Dylan Chambost or Jacen Russell-Rowe can’t help guide this team back to MLS Cup, but the goal contributions from them do not match the stats that were left by Hernandez and Ramirez. Rossi now has a weight on his shoulders as he will be the main focus to record 15+ goal contribtions, with Russell-Rowe following behind as he looks to get substantial minutes. Before, the Crew were sitting between 3rd and 5th for me.

It also reflects on how minimal the Club has done during the transfer window. It’s my understanding that General Manager Issa Tall is working diligently to bring in reinforcements, but has had some roadblocks pop up. Totally understandable. I don’t expect him to snap his fingers and have signings magically appear, that would be silly. But the goalscoring is now lackluster at the front, and doesn’t bode well for the start of the season for the Black & Gold.

MVP: Darlington Nagbe

The Lakewood, Ohio native is just good. Simple as that. The poise he has on the ball, the commanding attention from defenders to free up space for the likes of Rossi to drive on goal, is just all the signs of a good player and captain. He is THE leader for the Black & Gold and he executes Wilfried Nancy’s style to perfection.

Golden Boot: Diego Rossi

Diego Rossi, now is your time to shine. We’ve seen what you can do in 1.5 seasons with the Club. Now, is your time. Can we see 2020 Rossi again? By all means, I think we can. After posting 23 goal contributions in MLS play, Rossi showed that he is up for the task. Now, he needs to execute more often and deliver goals his own way, and not try to replicate Hernandez. He has his own style, and I’m sure Nancy is going to have him flourish throughout the season.

DPOY: Yevhen Cheberko

Yevhen Cheberko made great use of his time, appearing in 25 games (17 starts), for the Black & Gold. He’s gotten more settled into the system, and has been an anchor on the LCB side for the Crew. He is destined for a big year, starting with the season opener tonight against the Chicago Fire. The Crew are without Rudy Camacho (thigh), so it’s going to be Cheberko who holds down that central CB spot for the Crew, allowing Steven Moreira and Malte Amundsen to move forward into the attack more.

Let us know in the comments below, or on X (@MassiveReport) your predictions for the 2025 MLS season for the Columbus Crew.