Columbus Crew

The Crew is iced out.

Columbus Crew players received championship rings to conmemorate their 2023 MLS Cup title before playing their season opener against Atlanta United this Saturday.

The ring, also given to coaching staff and club management, is 10-karat yellow gold and studded with approximately 250 diamonds. The conmemorative piece was revealed at the stadium in a ceremony held before the start of the match.

The Columbus Crew outlasted LAFC 2-1 to win MLS Cup on Saturday in front 20,802 fans at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. An unbelievable Malte Amundsen assist to Yaw Yeboah gave the Crew their second and game-winning goal.

Amundsen might just have won himself the assist of the season as the Danish center back delivered an inch-perfect ball that cut LAFC’s back line wide open.

Amundsen assist vs LAFC in MLS Cup

TWO FOR THE CREW

Major League Soccer has become synonym to having some of the biggest soccer stars in the world and the list of their most valuable players shows just how much the league has grown in value over the past decades.

League play has come to a halt but watching Matchday 26, you’d never be able to tell. With the All-Star Game around the corner and the highly advertised Leagues Cup set to kick off in less than a week, teams were still in high gear across the league. 

What’s better than late-night soccer on the Fourth of July? With a few games remaining before the summer break, MLS treated its fans to a midweek smattering of entertaining fixtures for Matchday 23, including one of the league’s great rivalries at one of the nation’s most storied venues. 

The summer transfer window is almost here, and we’re about to see some real changes. There’ll be new faces and some returning aces, but they aren’t allowed to take the field just yet. For now, teams are still struggling with players out on international duty in a stretch that can make or break a team’s season.

Just six games were contested on Matchday 19 as many teams enjoyed a week off before having to do it all again this coming Wednesday. With 29 teams, the league schedule can easily become discombobulated, especially with rescheduled matches and bye weeks. To accommodate this, MLS Matchday 19 gave these teams a chance to catch up and re-level the playing field. While there may have been fewer games, the quality on display was as high as ever.

As we approach the halfway point in the season, destinies become clear. Moments become more important as every point carries increased weight in the race for the postseason. Hosting in the playoffs is great, but winning is better, and many teams have set themselves up for both outcomes after Matchday 17.