Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Nashville SC 1st with 54 points, Columbus Crew 13th with 23, 31 apart. Columbus Crew's recent output lagged their position: 30th on form over five rounds while 13th in the table. Against a league average of 1.6 goals per team per game, Nashville SC ran at 2 scored and 0.84 conceded, Columbus Crew at 1.4 and 1.68.
Nashville SC had banked 10 of the last 15 points on offer; Columbus Crew, 4.
8 meetings are on record — 4 won by Nashville SC, 1 by Columbus Crew, 3 drawn, at 2.5 goals per meeting.
GEODIS Park, capacity 30,000, hosted the game. Half-time and full-time told different stories: Nashville SC led 1-0 at the break, before 4 more goals closed it at 3-2.
Goal scorers
Nashville SC: Hany Mukhtar (27'), Reed Baker-Whiting (90'), Marcos Painter (90') · Columbus Crew: Mohamed Farsi (58'), André Gomes (68')
Key stats
Possession: Nashville SC 58% · Columbus Crew 42% · Total shots: 13-3 · On target: 7-2 · Corners: 8-1