By The Numbers pres. by Ohio Business Machines | Crew hosts Toronto FC in Trillium Cup

Charlie Hatch

The rivalry matches roll on! After the Columbus Crew dominated FC Cincinnati in the Hell is Real Derby last weekend, the Black & Gold returns to Lower.com Field on Saturday night to host Toronto FC in the Trillium Cup.

Three Things to Know

1 – Well, we all know MLS Power Rankings don’t win you trophies, but the recognition can help reiterate the hard work being put in. So, it’s worth highlighting that following the 3-0 Hell is Real Derby win, ESPN released a power ranking listing the Crew as No. 1 in the league. The Crew is fifth in the Eastern Conference, but recent performances and acquisitions have the Black & Gold on the upswing. The club that already topped MLS in scoring just put three past the league leaders, and we’ve still only seen roughly 30 minutes from Designated Player Diego Rossi since his recent arrival. Plenty can happen across the final 10 matches of the regular season, but the prevailing feeling is hope around the Ohio capital. Can the same be said a little farther south?

8 – Let’s give a little love to Aidan Morris. The U.S. international midfielder completely bossed the midfield alongside Darlington Nagbe against Cincinnati, and it was another example of his quality on both ends of the pitch. While we all saw his beautiful first-half finish, he was voted Man of the Match for his other contributions, too. The 21-year-old took 100 touches and completed 86 of his 88 passing attempts. Plus, he won three tackles. In 2022, he made 20 starts and provided one assist, but also completed 88.3% of his passes. He’s already at 20 starts in 2023, has four goals, four assists and a passing clip of 92.4%. His efforts aren’t always highlighted but they’re not unnoticed.

14 – Like Inter Miami CF, Toronto FC resides near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Unlike Miami, Lionel Messi did not just join the club. TFC is usually an Eastern Conference power, but both the head coach and general manager have already been replaced this season. The Reds have lost nine-straight games and are winless in their last 12. May 27 was their last win – nearly two months ago. It’ll be important for the Crew to play on the front foot early and produce a professional performance.

When They Last Met

Saturday marks the second and final meeting between the sides in 2023. Back on March 11, they played to a 1-1 draw, as TFC scored in the first half before Jimmy Medranda produced a second-half equalizer two minutes after he entered the match. The last meeting at Lower.com Field was a 2-1 Crew win on March 12, 2022. That evening, Toronto took an early lead before goals from Lucas Zelarayán and Derrick Etienne Jr.