The Fire returned to Columbus Crew for the first time since Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s first game in charge of the Fire. The match was a homecoming for the coach, returning him to the city where he had built a coaching reputation that saw him appointed to the head post of the U.S. Men's National team. That game, the Fire showed the promise – and the peril – of the squad, in a game where the Fire had two leads but couldn’t hold on, falling 4-2.
This time, the Fire showed strength and resilience in a gutsy performance where the squad’s depth was tested, but Fire homegrown Dylan Borso answered the call, getting the Fire’s best chance of the night and showing up big in his MLS debut in a goalless draw where the Fire withstood pressure and asked good questions of the Crew in the second half.
The game marks the first time the Crew haven’t had a win in their home opener since 2021, in their first game in what was then called Lower.com Field, playing spoiler for the home opener called Crewmas in Columbus.
Neither team was able to field an entirely choice lineup for the match. The Fire were without their natural starting striker as well as left back with neither Hugo Cuypers nor Andrew Gutman fit to play. At left back, the Fire’s normal backup at the position, Jonathan Dean, was suspended following a straight red card last week in the Fire’s home opener.
In their stead, Maren Haile-Selassie once again trekked across the pitch from the previous match, starting at left back a week after being positioned on the right wing at kickoff, and Chris Mueller started – if only nominally – at striker for the first time in his fourth season with the team.
The Crew were without Mohamad Farsi, a dynamic right wing-back, and midfielder Dylan Chambost, whose ironman streak from 2025 was, like Gutman’s, ended early in 2026 after being injured in the Crew’s season opener.
Still searching for his first win as Crew head coach, Henrik Rydström lined up his squad in their third formation in as many games in charge of the team. The Swedish manager opted for 4-4-2 formation for his third game in charge in the team's home opener, keeping the team in a back four after starting in a 3-5-2 on opening day before switching to a 4-3-3 against Sporting Kansas City last week.
After an opening 15 minutes that saw both teams feeling each other out but neither coming close to breaking though, Columbus took control of the game, earning three corners in a row between the 17th to 20th minutes – part of 7 that the Crew would get in the first half.
A few minutes later, disaster struck, when U22 Initiative signing Leo Barroso, who had one of his best games in a Fire uniform last week, went down with an injury and had to be subbed off.
That forced Berhalter to look to his bench early – and instead of pointing to Victor Radojević, another U22 signing who joined the Fire last August and made a Fire matchday squad for the first time, he instead pointed to Fire homegrown Dylan Borso for his MLS debut. Speaking after the game, Berhalter explaind why it wasn't the natural fullback that came off the bench. "The only thing that was holding him back today was the clock," the Fire head coach said. "He's not ready to play more than 45 minutes." With over an hour to go, that meant his MLS debut would have to wait.
Borso, normally a midfielder, did get a runout at right back playing out of a back four last week with Fire II in MLS Next Pro, but has primarily played as a winger with the reserve team.
The Fire managed to weather the Crew's attack and although the visitors weren’t able to much going the other direction, they returned to the locker room at half with every reason to feel growing confidence with the game remaining goalless in the first half.
Early in the second half, the hosts were again the protagonists. Startin in the 51st minute, Columbus had a furious series of attacks on Brady’s net, starting with a shot right by the six-yard box from Designated Player Wessam Abou Ali was blocked but not cleared past the Crew’s Taha Habroune who found the rebound and sent it on target.
Chris Brady made the save – but left a rebound. The Crew’s Max Arfsten then got on it – only to have his attempt cleared off the line by debutant Borso.
Weathering that storm seemed to galvanize the Fire. Mueller carried the ball on the break for the Fire a moment later, getting the ball to Jonathan Bamba but his shot went wide.
Just when it seemed the Fire might be about to break through, another injury struck the Fire at an already depleted possession. This time, it was Chris Mueller who went down with a non-contact injury – the Fire’s makeshift forward needing to come off just when it looked like he might be able to help the Fire break through.
That caused Gregg Berhalter to go to his bench for the second time in the evening, putting on Robin Lod for the stricken Mueller. Mauricio Pineda also gave way to Djé D’Avilla, returning the Ivorian midfielder to serious minutes after a short cameo in last week’s win over Montréal.
The subs kept the Fire in the game. With just over 20 minutes to go in regulation, Jonathan Bamba got the Fire’s first shot on target of the night. Moments later, though, it was Borso who almost became the unlikely hero for the Fire, with a fantastic header from just outside the six yard box in the 71st minute.
The result improves the Fire to a 1-1-1 record, good for four points and fifth in the Eastern Conference after Saturday's action acround the league.
The Fire are back at Soldier Field next Saturday when they take on D.C. United, marking the second game when D.C. are playing in an NFL venue after hosting Inter Miami in Baltimore’s M&T Stadium on Saturday in a game that ended in a 2-1 defeat for the itinerant home team.
