MLS
There are storybook endings, and then there’s what happened Saturday night in Columbus — a home crowd bathed in gold, a captain getting serenaded with “Hey Nagbe” to the tune of “Hey Jude,” and a team refusing to let his night end on anything but a high. On an emotional evening at Lower.com Field, the Columbus Crew flipped an early deficit into a 3–1 win over the New York Red Bulls, sealing a playoff spot and setting up a first-round Hell Is Real derby against FC Cincinnati.
It was part farewell tour, part statement win — the kind of night where emotion and execution danced in perfect sync.
If the first ten minutes were a gut punch, the rest of the match was pure catharsis.
The night didn’t start like a fairy tale — at least not immediately. The Red Bulls drew first blood when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (yeah, that Choupo-Moting) ripped a half-volley that caught the Crew flat-footed. 1–0 Red Bulls, silence in the stands, and maybe a few Crew fans whispering, “Not tonight, man.”
But this Columbus team — and this version of Wilfried Nancy’s Crew — don’t crumble. They adjust, they evolve, and they respond.
Moments later, Finnish winger Lassi Lappalainen dropped a dime across the 18-yard box, and Andres Herrera finished it like he had something to prove. It was the same combo that linked up in Orlando two weeks ago — only this time, the stakes were way higher.
That equalizer didn’t just level the score. It reset the vibe in Lower.com Field. The drums in the Nordecke got louder, the “6OAT” signs started waving again, and suddenly, it felt like destiny might have some black and gold in mind after all.
For all the tactical tweaks Nancy’s made this season, one of his best moves on the night came at halftime — unleashing Daniel Gazdag.
Gazdag, who’s been searching for his Union-era form since joining Columbus, looked like a man on a mission. He pressed, he drifted, he hunted for chances inside the box. And then, when the Crew needed a hero, he delivered.
Off a perfectly weighted pass from 19-year-old Taha Habroune — who quietly looked like the future of this midfield — Gazdag buried the go-ahead goal. 2–1 Crew, crowd eruption, redemption arc unlocked.
Habroune deserves a shout too. The kid played like he’d grown up watching Nagbe clips on repeat — smooth, poised, proactive. If this was the captain’s farewell, Habroune looked ready to carry the torch.
With New York pushing numbers forward late, chaos was inevitable. And when chaos comes knocking, Ibrahi Aliyu always seems to answer.
Subbed on to inject pace, Aliyu punished Red Bulls keeper John McCarthy for a sloppy pass out of the back — intercepting it, slotting home coolly, and sending the stadium into pure euphoria.
3–1. Curtain call. Lower.com Field was shaking.
It wasn’t just a win — it was a send-off performance straight out of a script Nagbe himself would’ve written: calm under pressure, clinical when it mattered, and unbothered by the chaos swirling around him.
Stat sheet truthers will point to Gazdag’s goal or Aliyu’s finish, but this night belonged to No. 6.
Darlington Nagbe — the “6OAT” (Greatest of All Time in the six role) — put on one last clinic in control. Two misplaced passes. Total. Over 90 minutes. The man treated possession like sacred art.
He didn’t need a goal, a flashy assist, or a viral moment. He just needed to be Darlington Nagbe — the quiet conductor who made everything around him better. Even the Red Bulls midfield looked like they wanted to hug him goodbye at the final whistle.
Wilfried Nancy put it best after the match: “He could have played in Europe if he wanted to. But he stayed. For different reasons. He had fulfillment here — and for me, that’s the most important.”
Nancy even added, “I would like my son to become like this.”
You don’t get higher praise than that from your manager.
Before kickoff, the Nordecke dropped a tifo of Nagbe’s locker — a golden shrine to his legacy. Six minutes in, fans lifted #6OAT signs in unison. Later, another banner unfurled: “6 Won 4.” A nod to both his number and the championships he helped bring home.
And when the final whistle blew, the emotions hit. Nagbe’s family, teammates, and coaches joined him on the field. The highlight reel played, the chants grew louder, and the captain — usually unshakable — fought back tears.
“It was surreal,” he said. “You’re trying to focus on the game, but you feel all that love. I’m just grateful I got to do this here — at home.”
Gazdag’s goal flipped everything. Before that moment, Columbus was flirting with danger — solid in possession but lacking incision. That one sequence, a young playmaker feeding a veteran finisher, symbolized everything Nancy preaches: proactivity breeds luck.
“I don’t believe in luck,” Nancy said postgame. “I believe luck goes to proactive people.”
Saturday night proved him right.
This win wasn’t just about playoff math — it was about momentum, pride, and narrative. Columbus climbed from the wildcard line to the seventh seed, avoiding a messy play-in and instead booking a Hell Is Real playoff series against FC Cincinnati.
Let’s be honest — that’s must-see soccer.
The Crew took four points off Cincy this year, including a wild 4–2 road win in July that might’ve been their best performance of the season. But this version of the matchup? It’s going to be war.
The two-seed vs. the seven-seed. Ohio bragging rights on the line. And Nagbe’s last dance.
If Diego Rossi’s hamstring heals and Abou Ali makes his return (he’s reportedly close for Game 3), this is a low-seed no one wants to deal with.
Nancy’s got the Crew peaking at the right time — tactical confidence, emotional fuel, and just enough chaos in the final third to make anyone nervous.
The Crew didn’t just win a game — they sent off a legend with a statement. Nagbe’s career has always been about quiet excellence: no drama, no ego, just results. And fittingly, his farewell regular-season match ended with a composed, complete team performance.
It was one of those nights that remind you why we love this sport — not because of analytics or formations, but because of moments. Because of guys like Nagbe, who make every pass feel like poetry.
Next stop: Cincinnati.
Next chapter: chaos.
And if Saturday was any indication, Columbus is more than ready to write it.
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