By The Numbers | Crew host Portland Timbers for 90’s Night

Charlie Hatch

It’s time to transport back to the OG days, when the Columbus Crew played at Ohio Stadium and Crew Cat was just a lil kitten.

OK, we don’t have to go back in time, but we can all celebrate the 90's on Saturday night when the Crew host the Portland Timbers at Lower.com Field.

Numbers to Know

4 – After playing a couple matches on the road, the Black & Gold return to Lower.com Field for three-straight games. Of course, that also includes the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals against CF Monterrey next Wednesday. But in terms of domestic play, Columbus is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 13 points from eight matches. In last Saturday’s match, head coach Wilfried Nancy deployed a rotated squad to earn a point at Real Salt Lake. With a massive Concacaf Champions Cup clash next week – the first continental semifinal in club history – it’ll be interesting to see what lineup Nancy implements against Portland.

108 – Signs suggest Darlington Nagbe is a human after all, but we still refuse to believe it. Nagbe wasn’t included in the matchday squad against Real Salt Lake due to rest, meaning his consecutive MLS regular season matches played streak halted at 108. That’s the second-longest run in MLS history, and it’s an incredible achievement for the 33-year-old midfielder who’s played in 393 regular season games. It should be noted he made 214 MLS appearances for Portland across seven seasons. In five seasons with the Crew, Nagbe has 123 league appearances – and two MLS Cups!

A Place in the History Books 📖

Darlington Nagbe’s MLS regular season consecutive match streak came to an end last night. His 108 match streak is the second-longest in MLS history. pic.twitter.com/4XL7NfOxk0
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) April 14, 2024

10a – The Timbers are getting a taste of 2023 MLS Cup Final competition. Last week, they drew, 2-2, at home to LAFC. Next up is Columbus. Portland sits 10th in the Western Conference standings with nine points from eight matches. Winless in their last five, the Timbers haven’t won a match since Mar. 9 against NYCFC. Note: That was on the road, though, so this won’t be an easy matchup.

10b – Evander is the Portland player to watch. Named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 9, the Brazilian midfielder has scored in his last three games. Through six appearances in 2024, he has an impressive four goals and three assists. For context he had nine goals and five assists in 2023, so he’s having a breakout second season in MLS. No need for him to prove that in Columbus, though.

When They Last Met

The last meeting was vintage #MLSAfterDark. On July 16, 2023, the Crew lost, 3-2, at Portland in a match that ended well past midnight. Dairon Asprilla scored two opening goals in the first half before Lucas Zelarayán equalized the match with a second-half brace. Sebastián Blanco produced the game winner in the 80th minute. As for the last match at Lower.com Field, the clubs drew, 1-1, on Sept. 18, 2022. Kevin Molino scored for Columbus before Santiago Moreno equalized in second-half stoppage time.