Columbus Crew SC vs Nashville SC, MLS 2026 CONFERENCE SEMI FINALS
Overview
Match Preview
Columbus Crew SC vs Nashville SC — MLS at MAPFRE Stadium.
- Columbus Crew SC 15 games · 16 pts (2026/26)
- Nashville SC 14 games · 33 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Andrew Bigelow
- Referee Armando Villarreal
- Referee Nima Saghafi
- Referee Cory Richardson
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 14 | 33 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 15 | 31 |
| 3 | Chicago Fire FC | 14 | 26 |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 14 | 25 |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 15 | 22 |
| 6 | Charlotte FC | 15 | 21 |
| 7 | FC Cincinnati | 15 | 20 |
| 8 | New York City FC | 15 | 19 |
| 9 | D.C. United SC | 15 | 18 |
| 10 | Columbus Crew SC | 15 | 16 |
| 11 | Toronto FC | 14 | 14 |
| 12 | Montreal Impact FC | 14 | 14 |
| 13 | Orlando City SC | 15 | 14 |
| 14 | Atlanta United FC | 14 | 11 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Union | 15 | 7 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 14 | 32 |
| 17 | San Jose Earthquakes | 15 | 32 |
| 18 | Real Salt Lake | 14 | 26 |
| 19 | FC Dallas | 15 | 25 |
| 20 | Los Angeles FC | 15 | 24 |
| 21 | Seattle Sounders FC | 13 | 24 |
| 22 | Houston Dynamo | 14 | 22 |
| 23 | Minnesota United FC | 15 | 22 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 15 | 20 |
| 25 | San Diego FC | 15 | 17 |
| 26 | Colorado Rapids SC | 15 | 16 |
| 27 | St. Louis City | 14 | 16 |
| 28 | Portland Timbers | 14 | 14 |
| 29 | Austin FC | 15 | 14 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 14 | 11 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Nov | Nashville SC | H | 2–0 | W |
| 21 Nov | New York Red Bulls | H | 3–2 | W |
| 08 Nov | Atlanta United FC | H | 2–1 | W |
| 05 Nov | Orlando City SC | A | 1–2 | L |
| 01 Nov | Philadelphia Union | H | 2–1 | W |
| 29 Oct | D.C. United SC | A | 0–1 | L |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Nov | Columbus Crew SC | A | 0–2 | L |
| 24 Nov | Toronto FC | A | 1–0 | W |
| 21 Nov | Internacional CF Miami | H | 3–0 | W |
| 08 Nov | Orlando City SC | A | 3–2 | W |
| 05 Nov | FC Dallas | H | 0–1 | L |
| 01 Nov | Chicago Fire FC | H | 1–1 | D |
Season Stats
| Columbus Crew SC | Nashville SC | |
|---|---|---|
| #10 | Position | #1 |
| 16 | Points | 33 |
| 15 | Played | 14 |
| 4 / 4 / 7 | W / D / L | 10 / 3 / 1 |
| 21 | Scored | 31 |
| 23 | Conceded | 11 |
| -2 | GD | +20 |
| 1.07 | PPG | 2.36 |
| 27% | Win % | 71% |
Key Stats
33%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (12 games)
H2H (12 games)
33%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
27%
Clean Sheets
Columbus Crew SC this season
Columbus Crew SC this season
43%
Clean Sheets
Nashville SC this season
Nashville SC this season
Columbus Crew SC are 10th (16 pts). Nashville SC are 1st (33 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Columbus Crew SC
0-15
2/3
16-30
2/1
31-45
2/1
46-60
3/2
61-75
1/2
76+
1/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Nashville SC
0-15
2/1
16-30
4/3
31-45
–/1
46-60
3/–
61-75
3/2
76+
3/1
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Events
Match Events
- 0' Three points are at stake. Columbus Crew SC host Nashville SC — let the battle begin!
- 5' Nashville SC has dominated the recent head-to-head record, winning 1 of the last 1 meetings.
- 10' Columbus Crew SC have won 426 goals from 284 games. They will be desperate to add to that tally today.
- 15' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Andrew Tarbell made 279 appearances and scored 0 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 20' It looks like no one’s ball. Nashville SC is used to counterattacking playing. None of the sides are ready to take the lead.
- 25' The midfield battle is intense right now. Both Columbus Crew SC and Nashville SC are fighting for every inch of the pitch.
- 30' Columbus Crew SC are enjoying more possession but struggling to find a way through a disciplined Nashville SC backline.
- 35' The energy levels are beginning to show. Gary Smith might look to freshen things up shortly.
- 40' Spectators are craving for more action. Both teams play very cautiously. They need to put some more energy.
- 42' A moment of madness from Alistair Johnston on 42 minutes earns him a Yellow card. Nashville SC will be frustrated.
- 47' Both keepers have barely been tested. Columbus Crew SC and Nashville SC are cancelling each other out in the centre of the park.
- 52' named a earlier, and opted for a in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 57' Supporters expect more eagerness from Darlington Nagbe, as he is very good at scoring at MAPFRE Stadium with 2 goals in the last 2 games.
- 62' Matchday of the Array and both teams know exactly what is at stake tonight.
- 67' The clock is ticking and both teams know a goal could change everything at this point.
- 72' It’s high time Caleb Porter made some changes to put the his team’s game back to action.
- 73' Brian Anunga makes way for Derrick Jones at the 73 minute mark. A tactical switch from Nashville SC.
- 78' A quiet spell here at MAPFRE Stadium. Nashville SC seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
- 83' Gyasi Zardes is a natural and has been asked to do a very specific job for Columbus Crew SC tonight.
- 88' Nashville SC started playing very sharply right from the kick off. However, it slowed down the tempo rapidly by 88.
- The final whistle goes. A composed, disciplined performance from Columbus Crew SC to claim maximum points.
Lineups
Columbus Crew SC Lineups
Starting XI
- 13
- 19
- 4
- 25
-
11
Gyasi Zardes ↓ Krisztian Nemeth 113'
- 7
- 8
- 3
- 6
-
12
Luis Diaz ↓ Ema Boateng 109'
- 10
Bench
-
29
Krisztian Nemeth ↑ 113'
-
20
Ema Boateng ↑ 109'
-
2
Christopher Cadden ↑ 116'
- 16
- 28
- 9
- 30
- 21
Coach
Caleb Porter
Nashville SC Lineups
Starting XI
- 4
-
29
Alex Muyl ↓ Handwalla Bwana 105'
- 1
- 25
- 8
-
99
Jhonder Cadiz ↓ Daniel Rios 91'
- 6
- 2
- 10
-
27
Brian Anunga ↓ Derrick Jones 73'
-
12
Alistair Johnston ↓ Eric Miller 105'
Bench
- 3
-
21
Derrick Jones ↑ 73'
-
70
Handwalla Bwana ↑ 105'
-
15
Eric Miller ↑ 105'
- 7
-
23
Taylor Washington ↑ 91'
- 22
-
14
Daniel Rios ↑ 91'
- 30
Coach
Gary Smith
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Hany Mukhtar | 5 |
| Sean Zawadzki | 2 |
| Gyasi Zardes | 2 |
| Christian Ramirez | 2 |
| Pedro Santos | 2 |
| Diego Rossi | 2 |
| Sam Surridge | 2 |
| Anibal Godoy | 1 |
Head to Head
Columbus Crew SC Form
2020-11-30
Columbus Crew SC
2–0
Nashville SC
W
2020-11-21
Columbus Crew SC
3–2
New York Red Bulls
W
2020-11-08
Columbus Crew SC
2–1
Atlanta United FC
W
2020-11-05
Orlando City SC
2–1
Columbus Crew SC
L
2020-11-01
Columbus Crew SC
2–1
Philadelphia Union
W
2020-10-29
D.C. United SC
1–0
Columbus Crew SC
L
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
1.36
Columbus Crew SC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.32
Nashville SC xG
I would bet for:
Columbus Crew SC or Nashville SC 73%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Columbus Crew SC win
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 2.68
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 91% |
|
9% |
| ± 1.5 | 75% |
|
25% |
| ± 2.5 | 49% |
|
51% |
| ± 3.5 | 28% |
|
72% |
| ± 4.5 | 14% |
|
86% |
Double Chance
Columbus Crew SC or Draw
69%
Draw or Nashville SC
58%
Columbus Crew SC or Nashville SC
73%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
13.3%
0 – 0
8.9%
1 – 0
8.3%
0 – 1
8.1%
2 – 1
8%
1 – 2
7.8%
2 – 0
Actual
0 – 2
5.9%
2 – 2
5.4%
3 – 1
3.7%
1 – 3
3.4%
3 – 0
2.8%
Asian Handicap — Columbus Crew SC
| Handicap | Columbus Crew SC covers | Push | Nashville SC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 6% | — | 94% |
| -2 | 6% | 11% | 83% |
| -1.5 | 17% | — | 83% |
| -1 | 17% | 19% | 63% |
| -0.5 | 37% | — | 63% |
| +0.5 | 65% | — | 35% |
| +1 | 65% | 19% | 16% |
| +1.5 | 84% | — | 16% |
| +2 | 84% | 10% | 6% |
| +2.5 | 94% | — | 6% |
Clean Sheet
Columbus Crew SC keeps clean sheet
28%
✗
Nashville SC keeps clean sheet
26%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.