Report.az
The US club "Columbus Crew", which has included Azerbaijani national football player Nariman Akhundzade in its squad, was founded on June 15, 1994.
According to "Report", the representative of Columbus, Ohio, has been playing in the MLS championship since 1996.
The club is currently managed by the Haslam family and a property group led by the team's former doctor, Pete Edwards. The Haslam/Edwards group is the third ownership group in the history of the US representative.
The current head coach from Sweden, Henrik Rydstrom, was appointed to this position on December 31 last year.
The team plays its home games at the "Scotts Miracle-Gro Field" stadium with a capacity of 20,371 fans. The club hosted its rivals at the "Ohio Stadium" located on the territory of Ohio State University in 1996–1998. In 2023, "Columbus Crew" set records in club history in terms of both total seasonal viewership and the number of all tickets sold.
"Columbus Crew" has won the MLS Cup three times in its history. "Crew", the team known as "black and gold", won the title in 2008, 2020 and 2023.
The team competing in the Eastern Conference of the MLS finished the regular championship in the first place in 2004, 2008 and 2009. In addition, the team won the US Open Cup in 2002 and the League Cup in 2024 (with the participation of representatives of the MLS and the Mexican League).
"Columbus Crew" has qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup (or CONCACAF Champions League) 6 times in its history, and has reached the 1/4 finals in this tournament 5 times.
The club last changed its logo in 2021.
The current squad of the MLS representative also includes football players from Guatemala, Argentina, France, Hungary, Palestine, Uruguay, Nigeria, Denmark, Ukraine, Algeria, Cabo Verde, Belarus, Guinea and Senegal. There is also a familiar face for Azerbaijani football fans in this team. Guatemalan goalkeeper Nicolas Hagen, who wore the Sabail uniform in the 2020/2021 season, is currently working for the success of the US club.
In addition, Diego Rossi, who previously played for Fenerbahce, is also in the squad. The 27-year-old Uruguayan forward, who will be one of Nariman's competitors in Columbus Crew, was remembered for 16 goals and 5 assists in the MLS in the 2025 season, and 2 goals in the League Cup.
"Columbus Crew" finished the 2025 regular season in seventh place with 54 points. The team lost the duel with Cincinnati in the 1/8 finals.
Let us remind you that Nariman Akhundzade's contract with Columbus Crew is planned until the summer of 2029.
