Columbus 4-2 Toronto FC: Set-Piece Blitz Flips the East's Last Playoff Spot
Malte Amundsen scored twice as the Crew built a 4-0 lead and leapfrogged Toronto and New York in the race for ninth.
The fight for the Eastern Conference's final playoff place changed hands on Saturday. Columbus Crew beat Toronto FC 4-2, a fifth win in six matches that, per Waking the Red, lifted the Crew into ninth in the East — ahead of both Toronto and the New York Red Bulls — with three regular-season games left.
Four goals before the hour
Toronto actually started the brighter side, with early chances for Djordje Mihailovic, Lewis Morgan and Theo Corbeanu, but none went in — and Columbus punished every mistake. Gonzalo Tapia tapped in Mo Farsi's cross in the 16th minute after Santiago Rodríguez's lofted pass sprang the move. Five minutes later, Malte Amundsen headed in Dylan Chambost's corner, and Amundsen added his second from another set piece after the break. Brooks Lennon made it 4-0 just before the hour.
A comeback that ran out of road
Toronto got a lifeline when Columbus's Sékou Bangoura was sent off for a second yellow card, and pushed with the extra man. Daniel Salloi scored off the bench in the 70th minute — his second straight game doing so — and Josh Sargent placed one into the bottom corner in the 81st, moments after having a goal disallowed for a handball in the buildup. The third never came.
The stakes
Toronto sit 11th, two points behind Columbus, and had been chasing a first playoff berth since 2020. Their final home match of the regular season, Wednesday against D.C. United, now looks close to must-win. Columbus — days after losing the U.S. Open Cup final to St. Louis on penalties — visit FC Dallas next, riding the kind of late-season form the play-in race rewards.