[2026 MLS] Columbus Crew vs Charlotte FC Preview and Analysis Kick-off: October 14, 23:30 UTC
Columbus Crew host Charlotte FC in the MLS regular season at 08:30 Korea time on October 15. Columbus sit 13th in the Eastern Conference and welcome fifth-placed Charlotte, but the table alone does not capture either side’s recent form. The chances Columbus have created with their new attack and Charlotte’s transition play on the road are at the heart of this matchup.
1. Match overview and team form
The match will be played at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus. In the data center’s standings as of October 13, Columbus have 29 points and Charlotte have 46, a 17-point gap. Columbus are seven points off a playoff place with six regular-season games left. Charlotte can clinch a playoff berth with a win here, provided other results meet the club’s stated conditions. Both teams have clear reasons to go for the win.
After 28 matches Eastern Conference position and points: Columbus Crew 13th, 29 points / Charlotte FC fifth, 46 points Record: Columbus Crew 8 wins, 5 draws, 15 losses / Charlotte FC 13 wins, 7 draws, 8 losses Goals for and against: Columbus Crew 41 for, 46 against / Charlotte FC 50 for, 40 against
Columbus’s season record covers two distinct periods. After Henrik Rydström was dismissed 14 league matches into the season in May, interim manager Laurent Courtois recorded 5 wins, 1 draw and 8 losses in 14 games. The change in coach alone did not greatly alter the team’s points rate. The attack has looked different since summer arrivals Brais Méndez, Santiago Rodríguez and Josef Martínez began playing together. Since September, Columbus have won 4 and lost 1 of the five competitive matches in which all three started, scoring 11 goals and conceding 5. Five matches is a small sample, but it shows a level of attacking threat that the season standings do not reflect.
The recent away game against Orlando City SC showed both the potential and the weakness. Columbus lost 2-3 despite posting an expected goals figure of 3.07 and taking 27 shots. Opposing goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau made 12 saves, and Columbus conceded the winner on a counter in the 89th minute. Across their three recent league matches with available expected-goals data, Columbus had 5.86 xG and 2.46 xGA, while the actual goal difference was 6-4. Those figures show their ability to create chances, but three games against different opponents cannot determine how this match will finish.
Charlotte have recorded 6 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss in their last 10 league games, and are unbeaten in their last five away matches, with 3 wins and 2 draws. Their road form has also changed clearly. According to the club, they had 1 win, 1 draw and 4 losses away from home before the World Cup break, compared with 4 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss since then. Away points have followed when Allan Saint-Maximin has carried the ball forward from the left or played passes behind the opposition defence, with Pep Biel and Idan Toklomati involved in the goals. The club lists Biel with 12 goals and 12 assists in league play, and Toklomati with 11 goals.
That run cannot be explained by defensive stability alone. Charlotte have conceded 19 goals in their last 10 competitive away matches. In their last three league games with xGA data, they conceded 4 goals against 6.11 xGA. At D.C. United, they won 2-1 despite an xGA of 2.85, thanks in part to a string of saves from Kristijan Kahlina. Charlotte have earned points through their goalkeeper’s saves and their forwards’ finishing even in matches where they have allowed chances.
Recent lineups show the basic shape of both teams. Columbus have stuck with a 4-4-2 since mid-September, with Méndez and Martínez up front, using Rodríguez’s passing and the forward runs of right-back Mohamed Farsi. Under Dean Smith, Charlotte’s usual shape is a 4-3-3, with Ashley Westwood and Biel in midfield and Saint-Maximin, Toklomati and Liel Abada in attack. Smith changed the approach before half-time against FC Dallas, then came from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
There is a difference in the options available from the bench, too. Wessam Abou Ali’s season ended with a knee injury in April, but the summer signings have taken on his goalscoring role up front. Chase Adams and Cole Mrowka missed the last match through injury. Charlotte have fewer attacking options to bring on in the second half because Archie Goodwin, Nimfasha Berchimas and Aron John are unavailable. Reports say Tim Ream is available again after serving his suspension, but we will have to wait for the matchday squad to see the centre-back pairing.
Columbus also have a scheduling decision to manage. They travel to FC Cincinnati after this match, then face St. Louis City SC in the US Open Cup final on October 21 local time. Courtois has not suggested he will rest his starters, and he has largely kept the same lineup for the last two league games. Columbus lost both league games in September in which they changed the starting lineup. Charlotte have never won away at Columbus, but all four previous meetings there took place before 2025. The coaches and attacking players have changed since then, so that record alone tells us little about this matchup. Both teams played their last league game on October 11 Korea time, giving them the same number of rest days.
2. Matchup analysis
The key battle could be down Columbus’s right and Charlotte’s left. Farsi is tied for the team lead in Columbus attacking contributions with 2 goals and 5 assists. Away to CF Montréal, he won the ball in midfield, drove forward and scored the opener. Saint-Maximin usually starts on Charlotte’s left. His crosses and passes led to two goals away to Atlanta United FC, and a pass between the defenders also set up a goal in the August meeting with Columbus.
When Farsi joins the attack, Columbus can add passing and shots down the right. If they lose the ball in the same situation, Saint-Maximin can attack the space Farsi has left behind. Charlotte left-back David Schnegg has also contributed to goals with his crossing. Restricting Farsi’s forward runs could limit Charlotte’s transition chances, but it would also take away one of Columbus’s own attacking routes. This reading comes from recurring patterns in both teams’ attacks. Which side benefits will depend on how they respond when possession changes on that flank.
The difference in formation shows up in midfield. If recent lineups continue, Charlotte will start with three midfielders against Columbus’s two central midfielders. If Biel receives the ball facing forward, he can find Toklomati’s run or pass toward Saint-Maximin. Columbus, meanwhile, have Méndez and Martínez up front to take on Charlotte’s two centre-backs directly. Taha Habroune also runs in behind from the second line. His equaliser against Orlando, when he met Rodríguez’s through ball, is a reminder that Charlotte’s midfield will have to track those runs.
Charlotte’s recent success scoring on the counter away from home also shapes this midfield contest. Having more bodies in the middle does not mean Charlotte need to dominate possession. Biel can receive the ball and move it forward quickly. Columbus also created shots and corners against Inter Miami CF despite having less possession. The key is less about which team keeps the ball longer and more about whether Biel has time to play forward, and whether Columbus can get the ball to their front two and Habroune.
Both teams can test the opposition from set pieces. Columbus have scored from corners or won penalties after kicks from Méndez and Rodríguez, and Méndez has also scored directly from a free kick. Charlotte conceded after failing to clear a corner against Chicago Fire FC, and gave up a headed goal from a free kick away to D.C. United. At the other end, Biel’s corner led to the equaliser against FC Dallas. Columbus have also conceded recently from direct free kicks and corners. Even if one side has the upper hand during open play, a single set piece can change the score.
Kahlina’s saves are a major variable in whether Columbus can turn chances into goals. He made six saves in the first half alone against Chicago Fire FC and stopped an opposing shot on target after the equaliser away to D.C. United. Even if Columbus create as many shots as they did against Orlando, that does not guarantee the same number of goals. At the same time, if Charlotte keep allowing shots, Kahlina cannot be expected to deal with every chance. Columbus’s defenders will also need to clear the loose balls after corners to prevent follow-up shots.
The teams have different options after the break. Courtois has brought on Jamal Thiaré and Gonzalo Tapia after the 70th minute recently, and they have helped create goals. Smith can also change the setup at half-time or around the 60th to 70th minute, as he did against FC Dallas, but with Goodwin unavailable, Charlotte have fewer like-for-like attacking changes. If Columbus add another forward while the score is level, Charlotte’s defence could face more shots. Columbus also need to remember the counterattacking goals they conceded in the 89th minute against Orlando and the New York Red Bulls. Attacking substitutions helping to create goals do not automatically mean the defence will weaken, but Saint-Maximin can exploit the spaces that open up at that stage of this match.
Scoring first may not be enough to secure a win. Columbus have lost all four of their last nine competitive matches in which they trailed at half-time, though they still scored in those games. Away to FC Cincinnati, Charlotte took the lead and added defenders, but then allowed all 10 of the opposition’s final shots and conceded an equaliser. If Columbus score first, Charlotte still have Biel’s set pieces and Saint-Maximin’s transition threat. If Charlotte score first, Columbus can chase the game with corners and second-half attacking changes. Both teams have shown they can respond in those situations.
3. Final verdict and conclusion
If Columbus keep their first-choice attack together, we expect them to see more of the ball and create plenty of chances against Charlotte through through balls and corners. But Farsi’s forward runs and the introduction of attackers in the second half could also leave space for Saint-Maximin to exploit when he receives the ball. Kahlina’s saves have helped Charlotte concede fewer than their xGA in their last three league games, while Columbus have also had matches in which they conceded from limited chances and set pieces. That makes it hard to call a winner based on one side’s chance creation alone.
The market favours Columbus despite their lower position in the table. The attack they have assembled since the summer has indeed created more chances, which supports that view. Against this opponent, though, Columbus’s attacking approach can also create opportunities for Charlotte to counter. We rate Columbus’s attacking threat highly, but we cannot give the same weight to their chances of winning when Saint-Maximin has space to attack after those moves. On that basis, we make Columbus less likely to win than the market does.
Our score prediction is 2-2 or 1-2, with Columbus as the home team. If the first-choice attack starts, we expect Columbus to score twice through Rodríguez’s passing and Méndez’s set-piece delivery, while Charlotte respond twice with Saint-Maximin’s transition play and Biel’s set pieces to earn a draw. Columbus have more attacking options to bring on in the second half, but Charlotte have also scored when opponents push forward. If two or more of Méndez, Rodríguez and Martínez start on the bench, Columbus will have fewer ways to score, and our prediction shifts toward a one-goal Charlotte win. Conversely, if Columbus score first, then limit Farsi’s forward runs and leave no space behind their defence, Charlotte’s transition threat could be reduced and this prediction may not hold.
