Coming up: Columbus Crew return to Lower.com Field vs Toronto FC

Columbus Crew concede lead vs Toronto, fail to record win in second straight game: ReplayBrianna Mac Kay
 
Columbus DispatchFor the second consecutive game, the Crew have conceded an advantage in the second half, finishing with a 1-1 draw against Toronto FC on Sept. 20.Striker Wessam Abou Ali put the Crew ahead with a goal in the 15th minute, but had to be substituted out later in the first half after suffering an apparent right-ankle injury.The injury was the result of a collision with Toronto defender Kosi Thompson. The striker spent several minutes trying to walk off the injury before eventually having to leave the game.The Crew held onto the lead until the 51-minute mark when Toronto defender Richie Laryea beat out Crew defender Malte Amundsen on an upfield run to receive a pass and score.Following Laryea’s goal, the Crew failed to connect of any of their seven shot attempts, which was five more than Toronto.The Crew were coming off a 3-2 loss to New York City FC after holding a one-goal lead during the matchup. Additionally, the Crew had allowed Toronto to comeback from a one-goal deficit and record a 1-1 draw in their previous meeting on Aug. 16.BLACK & GOLD: Sign up for our weekly Columbus Crew newsletter(90+5′) Andres Herrera’s shot saved by Toronto GK Luke GavranCrew midfielder Andre Herrera launched a shot from the left side of Toronto’s box that goalkeeper Luke Gavran saved with his fingertips. Gavran sent the ball out of play, setting up a corner kick in which the Crew were unable to use to create an attack.Score: 1-1(90′) Patrick Schulte records save on Toronto set pieceCrew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte kept Toronto from taking the lead by securing a save off a shot from Sigurd Rosted. Rosted’s shot was set up by a free kick from outside the Crew’s box.Score: 1-1(86′) Columbus Crew fail to capitalize on free kick and corner kickThe Crew were awarded a free kick several feet outside Toronto’s box following a foul against defender Steven Moreira. Midfielder Andre Herrera executed the kick, but had his shot hit out of play, setting up a corner kick.From the right side, midfielder Max Arfsten took the corner and sent the ball into the box, where it was quickly cleared out by Toronto.Score: 1-1(74′) Columbus Crew make multiple substitutions vs Toronto FCThe Crew made two changes to the lineup, substituting forward Jacen Russell-Rowe for Daniel Gazdag and midfielder Dylan Chambost for Taha Habroune.Score: 1-1(51′) Toronto FC evens score vs Columbus CrewThe Crew have given up their one-goal lead with Toronto defender Richie Laryea scoring from the right side of Columbus’ box.Laryea beat out Crew defender Malte Amundsen on a run upfield, putting him in position to collect a pass from Jonathan Osorio. Entering the box following the pass, Laryea took his shot before multiple Crew players could contest and just had to send the ball past goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.Richie Laryea with the equalizer for @TorontoFC and we’re level in Columbus 💥📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/S1C0uA1T6Y pic.twitter.com/K5KzRTjFAr— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 21, 2025Score: 1-1Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC first-half statsPossession rate: Crew (46.5%), Toronto (53.5%)Shots: Crew (3), Toronto (0)Shots on goal: Crew (1), Toronto (0)Goalkeeper saves: Crew (0), Toronto (0)Fouls: Crew (8), Toronto (6)(42′) Daniel Gazdag shown first yellow card of matchupCrew forward Daniel Gazdag was given the first yellow card of the game following a foul against Toronto forward Theo Corbeanu.Score: Crew 1-0(33′) Crew striker Wessam Abou Ali leaves game following injuryCrew striker went down with what appeared to be a right ankle injury several minutes after a collision with Toronto defender Kosi Thompson. Abou Ali needed medical attention on the field before jogging to the sideline on his own.Once getting to the Crew’s bench, Abou Ali had his ankle taped by medical staff, but was still substituted out of the lineup for forward Ibrahim Aliyu.Score: Crew 1-0(28′) Wessam Abou Ali seen limping following collision with Toronto defenderCrew striker looked to be dealing with discomfort in his right ankle following a collision with Toronto defender Kosi Thompson that resulted in a foul charged to Abou Ali. In the minutes following the foul, Abou Ali was seen trying to shake off the injury.Score: Crew 1-0(15′) Wessam Abou Ali scores in third-consecutive gameStriker scored his third goal in three games, and his second consecutive goal off an assist from midfielder Max Arfsten, to give the Crew an early advantage.Score: Crew 1-0Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC previous matchupThe Crew last faced Toronto on Aug. 16, finishing with a 1-1 draw in the road matchup.Forward Diego Rossi, who is unavailable for this matchup due to a hamstring injury, scored for the Crew within the first 10 minutes of the game. The Crew remained ahead until the 77th minute when forward Jules-Anthony Vilsaint scored in his first matchup for Toronto.Who’s unavailable for Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC?The Crew had three players listed as out with injuries going into the matchup against Toronto – Rudy Camacho (thigh), Diego Rossi (thigh) and Sean Zawadzki (knee).Midfielder Mo Farsi was listed as questionable with a pelvic injury, and was officially ruled out when he was left off the gameday roster.Who are the referees for Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC?Here are the officials for the Crew vs Toronto tonight:Referee: Elijio ArreguinAssistant Referee 1: Corey ParkerAssistant Referee 2: Lyes ArfaFourth Official: Guido Gonzales Jr.VAR: Jose Carlos RiveroAssistant VAR: Jonathan JohnsonToronto FC starting lineup vs Columbus CrewHere is the starting 11 for Toronto vs Columbus:GK: Luke GavranDF: Richie LaryeaDF: Raoul PetrettaDF: Sigurd RostedDF: Kosi ThompsonMF: Jose CifuentesMF: Alonso CoelloMF: Djordje MihailovicFW: Theo CorbeanuFW: Derrick Etienne Jr.FW: Jonathan OsorioOur XI vs @ColumbusCrew ⬇️📝Watch on #MLSSeasonPass and Apple TV+ 📺: https://t.co/eQiOtbDmLxPresented by @LGCanada pic.twitter.com/gx289xWL0L— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) September 20, 2025Columbus Crew starting lineup vs Toronto FCHere is the starting 11 for Columbus vs Toronto:GK: Patrick SchulteDF: Malte AmundsenDF: Yevhen CheberkoDF: Steven MoreiraMF: Max ArfstenMF: Dylan ChambostMF: Andres HerreraMF: Darlington NagbeMF: Hugo PicardFW: Wessam Abou AliFW: Daniel GazdagNuestro XI inicial 📋#Crew96 | #CLBvTOR pic.twitter.com/vXqsCam2kQ— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) September 20, 2025Where do Columbus Crew, Toronto FC rank in Eastern Conference standings?The Crew (13-6-11, 49 points) sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, while Toronto (5-13-11, 26 points) is ranked 12th, which already eliminates the team from the MLS Cup playoffs.Here are the top five teams in the MLS Eastern Conference:Philadelphia Union (18-7-6: 60 points)FC Cincinnati (17-9-4: 55 points)Charlotte FC (17-12-2: 53 points)Nashville SC (15-10-5: 50 points)Inter Miami (14-6-7: 49 points)Ho