COLUMBUS
CREW
2021 REGULAR SEASON:
(7-11-6, 27 pts.)

NEW YORK
RED BULLS
2021 REGULAR SEASON:
(6-10-5, 23 pts.)

Date: Tuesday, September 14
Match Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Kickoff: 7:38 p.m. ET
Location: Lower.com Field (Columbus, OH)
Local TV: Bally Sports Ohio Neil Sika (play-by-play) Jordan Angeli (analyst)
Brett Hiltbrand (sideline)
97.1 The Fan [Radio]: Chris Doran (play-by-play)
ColumbusCrew.com Spanish Audio Stream: Juan Valladares (play-by-play)

OHIOHEALTH PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT

OUT: Artur – R Hip Injury Perry Kitchen – L Knee Injury Kevin Molino – R Knee Injury Aidan Morris – L Knee Injury

QUESTIONABLE None

Health and Safety Protocols

A player may be listed as “Questionable” or “Out” due to Health and Safety Protocols
for the following reasons:
• Quarantine due to participating in high risk behavior. • Quarantine related to being a high risk close contact. • Pending COVID-19 test results. • An inconclusive COVID-19 test result. • A positive COVID-19 test or a confirmed case of COVID-19. • Other illness not related to COVID-19.

LAST MATCH RECAP

COLUMBUS CREW FALLS IN ROAD CONTEST AGAINST INTER
MIAMI CF
On Saturday, Columbus Crew traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida
to battle Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium. The matchup was
the first regular-season meeting between the two sides, following
Miami’s expansion to MLS prior to the 2020 season. Inter Miami
scored the match’s only goal in the 16th minute through Gonzalo
Higuain, giving the hosts a 1-0 win. Defender Milton Valenzuela
returned from a 12-match injury absence, making his 50th start
for the Crew and playing 45 minutes.

COLUMBUS CREW VS. NEW YORK RED BULLS AT A GLANCE

Columbus Crew record: 30-31-12 (93 GF, 104 GA)
Home games: 18-12-7 (51 GF, 47 GA)*
Road games: 12-19-5 (42 GF, 57 GA)
*Includes MLS Is Back Tournament
07/28/2019 CLB 3 at NYRB 2 W Red Bull Arena
07/16/2020 CLB 2 vs. NYRB 0 W ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
08/18/2021 CLB 0 at NYRB 1 L Red Bull Arena

THE CREW FACES NEW YORK RED BULLS ON TUESDAY
Columbus Crew returns to Lower.com Field on Tuesday, September
14 when it faces off against the New York Red Bulls at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The match is set to be the 74th all-time regular-season meeting be- tween the two sides. The Black & Gold hold a 18-12-7 regular-season home record against New York, outscoring the Red Bulls 51-47 at
home.

LAST REGULAR-SEASON MEETING
The two sides last met on August 18, when the Columbus Crew
traveled to Harrison, New Jersey to face the New York Red Bulls at
Red Bull Arena. John Tolkin scored the match’s lone goal in the 33rd
minute, giving the Red Bulls a 1-0 win. Goalkeeper Eloy Room made
four saves and defender Jonathan Mensah provided eight clearances
for the Crew.

COACHES
Caleb Porter: 97-81-71 (Portland Timbers: ‘13 – ’17; Columbus Crew: ’19 – Present) vs.
Gerhart Struber: 6-10-5 (New York Red Bulls: ’20 – Present)
Records listed are MLS regular-season totals

COLUMBUS CREW AND NEW YORK RED BULLS SNAPSHOT

2021 MLS Regular Season: 2021 MLS Regular Season:
Points: 27 Points: 23
Points Per Game: 1.13 Points Per Game: 1.1
Eastern Conference: 10th Eastern Conference: 12th
Home: 5-3-3 Home: 5-3-3
Away: 2-8-3 Away: 1-7-2
Goals For: 27 Goals For: 24
Goals Against: 33 Goals Against: 26
+/-: -6 +/-: -2
2021 Regular-Season Leaders
Goals: Zelarayan (7) Goals: Three players tied (4)
Assists: Zelarayan (4) Assists: Fabio (7)
Shots: Zelarayan (59) Shots: Fabio (60)
Shots on Goal: Zelarayan (19) Shots on Goal: Klimala (12)
Fouls Suffered: Zelarayan (47) Fouls Suffered: Duncan (32)
Fouls Committed: Santos (35) Fouls Committed: Duncan (37)
Yellow Cards Issued: Three players tied (4) Yellow Cards Issued: Duncan (6)
Saves Leader: Room (62) Saves Leader: Coronel (60)
GAA Leader: Bush (1.00) GAA Leader: Coronel (1.24)
Wins: Room (6) Wins: Coronel (6)

BLACK & GOLD NOTES

WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Tuesday’s home match against the New York Red Bulls begins
at 7:30 p.m. ET and is set to be locally televised on Bally Sports
Ohio and via stream on the Bally Sports App. Neil Sika, Jordan Angeli and Brett Hiltbrand are slated to have the call in
English. Pre-match coverage will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET on Bally
Sports Ohio. The contest is also available in English on 97.1 The
Fan, as well as via stream on 971TheFan.com, with Chris Doran
calling the match. A Spanish audio stream is available on ColumbusCrew.com, with Juan Valladares on the call.

VALENZUELA MAKES 50TH REGULAR-SEASON START
Defender Milton Valenzuela made his 50th regular-season
start for the Crew in Saturday’s match against Inter Miami CF.
Valenzuela played the first 45 minutes for the Crew, making a
tackle and two clearances. Since joining the Black & Gold prior
to the 2018 season, Valenzuela has made 54 regular-season
appearances (50 starts), scoring one goal and providing nine
assists. This season, Valenzuela has made five appearances
(four starts).

CREW RIDING FIVE-MATCH UNBEATEN STREAK AT HOME
AGAINST NEW YORK RED BULLS
Entering Tuesday’s match against the New York Red Bulls, the
Crew currently holds a five-match regular-season unbeaten
home streak against New York, dating back to the 2015 regular
season. Over that stretch, the Black & Gold have a 2-0-3 home
record and have outscored the Red Bulls 8-6.

ZELARAYAN AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS IN KEY PASSES
Going into the 25th week of regular-season play, midfielder
Lucas Zelarayan has made 52 key passes, ranking fourth in the
League in that category. Additionally, Zelarayan has scored
seven goals while providing four assists in 23 appearances (20
starts). For a list of the MLS players with the highest key pass
totals of the season, please see the table below.
2021 MLS REGULAR SEASON KEY PASSES*
PLAYER KP

1. Carles Gil (NE) 79
2. Emanuel Reynoso (MIN) 63
3. Julian Gressel (DC) 59
4. Lucas Zelarayan (CLB) 52
5. Brooks Lennon (ATL) 51
   *2021 MLS regular season (as of 9/11/2021)

BERRY AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS IN GOALS PER 90
MINUTES
Through 24 weeks of MLS regular-season action, forward
Miguel Berry currently has the second-highest goals per 90
minutes ratio among players appearing with 250 minutes of
action or more. Berry has played 310 minutes this year for the
Crew, tallying four strikes – tying Gyasi Zardes for second-most
goals on the team. For a list of the MLS players with the highest goals per 90 minute average this season, please see the table on the next page.

COLUMBUS CREW SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CAPS (AS OF SEP. 7, 2021)
Player National Team Caps Last Appearance
Liam Fraser Canada 8 7/25/21 vs. Costa Rica (Concacaf Gold Cup)
Luis Diaz Costa Rica 7 7/25/21 vs. Canada (Concacaf Gold Cup)
Waylon Francis Costa Rica 7 3/22/19 vs. Guatemala (friendly)
Eloy Room Curacao 40 6/15/21 vs. Panama (FIFA World Cup qualifier)
Harrison Afful Ghana 77 9/08/18 vs. Kenya (AFCoN qua.)
Jonathan Mensah Ghana 61 9/6/21 vs. South Africa (FIFA World Cup qualifier)
Derrick Etienne Jr. Haiti 31 7/18/21 vs. Martinique (Concacaf Gold Cup)
Kevin Molino Trinidad & Tobago 53 7/18/21 vs. Guatemala (Concacaf Gold Cup)
Perry Kitchen United States 5 10/11/16 vs. New Zealand (friendly)
Darlington Nagbe United States 25 3/28/18 vs. Paraguay (friendly)
Gyasi Zardes United States 62 8/1/21 vs. Mexico (Concacaf Gold Cup

2021 MLS GOALS PER 90 MINUTE LEADERS*
PLAYER GPM

1. Ola Kamara (DC) 1.19
2. Miguel Berry (CLB) 1.16
3. Ramon Abila (MIN/DC) 1.04
4. Chicharito (LA) 0.97
5. Ricardo Pepi (DAL) 0.74
   *2021 MLS regular season (250 or more minutes only, as of 9/11/2021)

NAGBE AND HAIRSTON: PASS MASTERS
Through 24 matches in the 2021 MLS regular season, midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Marlon Hairston are among
the League leaders in passing accuracy among players who
have attempted 100 or more passes. Nagbe has made 22
starts while completing 1134 of his 1191 attempted passes
for a passing accuracy percentage of 95.21%, while Hairston
has made 11 appearances and completed 392 of his 417 attempted passes for a passing accuracy percentage of 94.0%.
For a list of the MLS players with the highest passing accuracy
in 2021, see the table below.
2021 PLAYERS WITH HIGHEST PASSING ACCURACY*
PLAYER ATT. COMP. %

1. Darlington Nagbe (CLB) 1191 1134 95.21
2. Marlon Hairston (CLB) 417 392 94.00
3. Kamohelo Mokotjo (CIN) 151 141 93.38
4. Anibal Godoy (NSH) 757 703 92.87
5. Florian Jungwirth (VAN) 168 156 92.86
   *2021 MLS regular season (100 or more passes only, as of 9/11/2021)

NAGBE FIRST IN PASSING ACCURACY OVER THE LAST DECADE
Since the beginning of the 2011 MLS season, Darlington
Nagbe’s MLS rookie year, only 18 players have attempted
10,000 or more passes in regular-season action. In addition
to being one of those 18 players, Nagbe leads the group in
passing accuracy. Over than span, Nagbe has completed
11,640 of his 12,943 passes for a passing accuracy percentage
of 89.93%. For a table of the passing accuracy leaders among
players who have attempted 10,000 or more passes, see the
table below.
MLS PLAYERS WITH HIGHEST PASSING ACCURACY SINCE 2011*
PLAYER ATT. COMP. %

1. Darlington Nagbe 12943 11640 89.93
2. Osvaldo Alonso 16373 14673 89.62
3. Wil Trapp 13925 12203 87.63
4. Michael Bradley 14391 12544 87.17
5. Diego Chara 14610 12724 87.09
   *MLS regular season (10,000 or more passes only since 2011, as of 9/11/2021)

LUCAS ZELARAYAN: THE FREE-KICK SPECIALIST
With his free-kick goal against FC Cincinnati on August 27, Lucas Zelarayan brought his total to five free-kick tallies in 2021
regular-season action. Zelarayan’s five free-kick goals ties him
with Sebastian Giovinco for second-most free-kick goals (five)
in a single MLS regular-season since 2003. Zelarayan is also tied with four other players for most free-kick goals in MLS since 2003, behind only Giovinco (14). For a list of the all-time free-kick goal leaders in MLS regular-season action and a list of the single-season free kick goal leaders, please see the tables in the next column. MOST DIRECT FREE-KICK GOALS IN A SINGLE MLS REGULAR SEASON
PLAYER G YEAR

1. Sebastian Giovinco (TOR) 6 2017
   T-2. Sebastian Giovinco (TOR) 5 2015
   T-2. Lucas Zelarayan (CLB) 5 2021
2. David Beckham (LA) 4 2012
   T-5. Eight players tied 3 –
   *Opta did not track free-kick goals until 2003

MOST DIRECT FREE-KICK GOALS IN MLS REGULAR-SEASON
ACTION*
PLAYER G

1. Sebastian Giovinco (TOR) 14
   T-2. Lucas Zelarayan (CLB) 6
   T-2. Federico Higuain (CLB) 6
   T-2. David Beckham (LA) 6
   T-2. Javier Morales (RSL) 6
   T-2. Didier Drogba (MTL) 6
   *Opta did not track free-kick goals until 2003

CREW TO HOLD HISPANIC HERITAGE NIGHT AT LOWER.COM
FIELD ON TUESDAY
Columbus Crew is set to hold Hispanic Heritage Night at
Lower.com Field on Tuesday, September 14 when it hosts the
New York Red Bulls. Hispanic Heritage Night at Lower.com
Field is set to celebrate the Hispanic community of Columbus
ahead of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 – October 15. The Hometown Hero for the match will be Sergeant Marcos Gasca of the Ohio Army National Guard,
and the Club’s selection for the Hard Hat Hero is slated to
be Josué Vicente, Executive Director of the Ohio Hispanic
Coalition. The U.S. National Anthem will be performed by
Columbus-based bilingual singer Karen Labra. Additionally,
several stadium announcements included the Starting XI will
be made in Spanish, while DJ Leek will play Hispanic Heritage
Night themed warm-up and halftime music.

BLACK & GOLD QUOTES

ON THE TEAM’S APPROACH ENTERING INTO TUESDAY’S MATCH
“I believe we have the players, I believe in myself, I believe in my
teammates and the coaching staff, so 10 games to go, I know we
can do it. “

• DARLINGTON NAGBE
  ON LOOKING AHEAD TO TUESDAY’S MATCH
  “We need to take those positives in the next game. We don’t
  have time to be frustrated or have any negativity. We have two
  days to get ready for a home game against New York [Red Bulls].
  The results went our way a little bit, and if we win this New York
  game, we’re right there.”
• CALEB PORTER

MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON

CALEB PORTER
• Has won 97 MLS regular-season matches as a head coach and is three wins
away from reaching 100 all-time.
LUIS DIAZ
• Has made 48 MLS regular-season appearances and needs two more to
reach 50.
DERRICK ETIENNE JR
• Has made 44 MLS regular-season starts and needs six more to reach 50.
LIAM FRASER
• Has made 46 MLS regular-season appearances and needs four more to
reach 50.
ERIK HURTADO
• Has made 148 MLS regular-season appearances and needs two more to
reach 150.
KEVIN MOLINO
• Has made 98 MLS regular-season starts and needs two more to reach 100.
DARLINGTON NAGBE
• Has made 295 MLS regular-season starts and needs five more to reach 300.
GYASI ZARDES
• Has made 97 regular-season appearances for the Crew and needs three
more to reach 100.
• Has scored 48 regular-season goals for the Crew and needs two more to
reach 50.

COURTESY CREW COMMUNICATIONS