The Columbus Crew succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Eastern Conference rivals Orlando City at home Friday night. Despite taking the lead through a decisive penalty kick from Diego Rossi, two successive goals from substitute Ramiro Enrique and a final blow at the death from Martin Ojeda sealed all three points for the visitors. The result marks a second defeat across three matches for the Black & Gold, a fifth loss in MLS this season, and the team’s first loss at Lower.com Field in 2025.

Rossi tested Pedro Gallese in the 2nd minute with a powerful shot from a tight angle. Receiving the ball at the edge of the 18-yard box, Rossi took a big touch forward into space on the right of the 18-yard box, before launching a diagonal strike at Gallese. The Orlando goalkeeper got low, and the ball deflected off his leg to squander the chance.  

In the 21st minute, Patrick Schulte came up big in goal to prevent the visitors from taking the lead. A shot from Marco Pasalic deflected off Yevhen Cheberko and into the path of Luis Muriel. With just Schulte to beat, Muriel fired off a shot from the edge of the six-yard box toward the middle of the net at Schulte, forcing the keeper to spread his reach to cover more ground. The shot ricocheted off of Schulte’s right shoulder and out of danger.

The Black & Gold kept up the pressure, with Steven Moreira creating an opportunity brought about by his tricky footwork in the 25th minute. Dribbling along the right touchline, the defender first faked a cross, sending one defender sliding the opposite direction, before faking out his next opponent to create space. With the outside of his foot, Moreira played a low pass to Jacen Russell-Rowe, who hit the ball first-time, aiming it just wide of the left post, with Rossi mistiming a potential tap-in as the ball rolled out of play.

Russell-Rowe didn’t let up, lurking dangerously in front of goal once again in the 28th minute. On the receiving end of a cross from Ibrahim Aliyu on the right flank, Russell-Rowe, who patiently timed his run into the 18-yard box, hit the ball out of the air on the volley with his right foot toward the right post, forcing a diving save from Gallese. 

Orlando City capitalized on a poor giveaway from the Crew in the 30th minute, nearly opening the scoring for the visitors. Schulte played a long ground pass in the direction of Rossi, but Alex Freeman was able to intercept before the forward could reach it. Upon receiving the ball from Freeman, Pasalic carried it past several defenders before launching a shot from distance with his left foot toward the bottom left corner of the net. Schulte managed to get low, making the save, but deflecting the ball back into play. In a flurry, Zawadzki and Muriel raced to the ball, with the Crew defender sliding in with a crunching, clean tackle to arrive first, returning possession to Schulte. 

In the 64th minute, play was paused to allow referee Timothy Ford to consult with the VAR concerning a potential handball from Pasalic in the 18-yard box. Ford ruled in favor of the Black & Gold, determining that a cross from Dylan Chambost had made contact with Pasalic’s hand, resulting in a penalty kick for the Crew. Two minutes later, Rossi stepped up to the spot. He shot the ball into the bottom left corner; Gallese dove to the right. With his 12th goal of the MLS season, the Uruguayan forward fired the Black & Gold into the lead. 

This is where the tide turned. Immediately following the deficit, substitute Ramiro Enrique entered the pitch for Orlando City in place of Muriel. 

In the 76th minute, Enrique made his presence known, scoring the equalizer and silencing the home crowd in the process. Iván Angulo provided the assist, receiving the ball on the left flank before sending in a curled left-footed cross into the box. Enrique rose high and met the ball with his head, knocking it into the bottom left corner of the goal and leaving Schulte zero time to react.

Schulte prevented a near chance from Pasalic just two minutes later. The midfielder possessed the ball on the left side of the penalty area before striking the ball toward the near post with his left foot. Columbus’ shotstopper was quick to react, reflexively clearing the ball in the air with both gloves before it was further dealt with by his defense. 

With neither player seemingly content with just one goal contribution, Enrique struck again in the 79th minute to put Orlando ahead, with Angulo once more providing the assist. Angulo received the ball on the left side of the 18-yard box, sending a first-time driven pass across the box. The ball just managed to scrape by the outstretched arms of Schulte, arriving at the feet of Enrique, who found the back of the open net with ease.

Martin Ojeda put the nail in the coffin in the sixth minute of injury time, clinching the win for Orlando with his side’s third goal of the night. Carrying the ball 30 yards from goal on the right side of the field, Freeman played a diagonal, leftward through ball into the path of Ojeda as he approached the 18-yard box. Ojeda took one touch to control the ball, and a second to tuck the ball into the left corner of the net with a low, firm, left-footed shot past Schulte to seal a 3-1 win over the Columbus Crew. 

Though the result tells a different story, the Black & Gold looked the favorites for most of the match, seemingly taking their foot off the gas once Rossi had put the team ahead in the 66th minute. As has been the case in several matches this season, missed opportunities proved the difference in a match that easily could have favored the home side. Despite recording 19 shots, eight of which were on target, the Crew managed only a single goal—a penalty kick awarded due to a handball. The inability to capitalize on key chances and bounce back from Enrique flipping the game on its head ultimately proved to be conclusive. With the result, the Black & Gold remain in 4th and Orlando City remain in 6th in the Eastern Conference, but the point differential between the sides has been halved, from six points to three. 

While the Black & Gold currently sit amongst the top Eastern Conference sides ahead of the Leagues Cup break, Crew fans can expect some new faces as the club makes additions in MLS’ Secondary Transfer Window. 

The Black & Gold announced the signing of 22-year-old midfielder Hugo Picard from Ligue 2 side En Avant Guingamp on July 14th. He joins as a U22 Initiative Player on a guaranteed deal through 2028 with a Club option for 2029. The Frenchman has scored eight goals and provided 13 assists across 92 Ligue 2 matches since joining Guingamp in 2022. Crew General Manager Issa Tall spoke highly of the Black & Gold’s new pickup as his signing was announced. “Hugo is a dynamic player who possesses a tremendous work ethic,” Tall said. “His tactical acumen and ability in the final third will help continue to elevate the level of our team.” 

More recently, all signs point to Wessam Abou Ali’s imminent arrival in Columbus from Egyptian side Al Ahly SC as the Black & Gold’s new number nine. Just before kickoff against Orlando City, journalist Tom Bogert reported that the transfer is a done deal, with the Palestinian international forward set to sign for a $7.5 million transfer fee, plus $1 million in add-ons, with Al Ahly set to hold a 10% sell-on clause. While the Columbus Crew has yet to confirm the signing themselves, keep an eye out for an announcement in the coming days. 

Looking ahead to Leagues Cup, the Black & Gold begin their quest to repeat their 2024 tournament triumph against Liga MX side Toluca at 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 29, at Lower.com Field.