Overview
- The No. 2 seed won the best-of-three first round 2-1 after dropping Game 2, eliminating No. 7 Columbus at TQL Stadium.
- Brenner scored in the 67th minute and again in the 86th from Samuel Gidi’s setup to overturn Jacen Russell-Rowe’s 63rd-minute opener.
- Russell-Rowe’s goal followed a Patrick Schulte long ball to Andrés Herrera, whose cross set up the finish for a 1-0 Crew lead.
- Cincinnati played without Yuya Kubo due to a Game 2 red-card suspension, and goalkeeper Roman Celentano recorded four saves to secure the win.
- Columbus’s loss ends the club’s season and marks the conclusion of Darlington Nagbe’s playing career, which he announced would end this year.