# 2019 Columbus Crew SC season

The 2019 Columbus Crew SC season was the club's twenty-fourth season of existence and their twenty-fourth consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. This was the club's first season under head coach Caleb Porter. Columbus also competed in the U.S. Open Cup and took part in the Carolina Challenge Cup during preseason. The season covered the period from November 12, 2018 to the start of the 2020 Major League Soccer season.

## Non-competitive
### Preseason

On December 21, 2018, Crew SC officially announced its preseason schedule, with three confirmed matches. The club began preseason by spending two days in Lewis Center, Ohio before traveling to Chula Vista, California, for a week-long training camp. On January 21, Columbus announced the addition of two friendly matches, both taking place while the club trains in California and behind closed doors. Crew SC began their friendlies by playing Japanese club Vissel Kobe to a 0–0 draw, and followed up the draw with a 1–0 victory over Mexican club Tijuana. An ACL tear to Milton Valenzuela ended his 2019 season before it ever started, which caused Crew SC to acquire former player Waylon Francis for cover. The following preseason game, the club beat fellow MLS side Los Angeles FC 4–2. A Jonathan Mensah own goal followed by a Patrick Mullens strike meant that Columbus were deadlocked at halftime, before scoring three goals in the second half – a brace by JJ Williams and a goal by Justin Meram. After another week in Ohio, Columbus traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to play in the Carolina Challenge Cup, where Crew SC would tie the first two games 1–1, coming from behind to tie in both games, with goals scored by Gyasi Zardes and Robinho, respectively. The final match of the Carolina Challenge Cup had Columbus facing off against FC Cincinnati, where Columbus emerged victorious, winning 3–0 off a Zardes brace and Pedro Santos goal, and claiming the Carolina Challenge Cup for the third consecutive season.

## Competitive

The 2019 Major League Soccer schedule was released by the league on January 7, 2019
Crew SC's season began with a 1–1 draw at home to the New York Red Bulls on March 2, with a headed goal from Gastón Sauro off of a corner from Federico Higuaín. That goal would be Sauro's first for the club. Robinho would come in to the game in the 79th minute to make his Crew SC debut, while Waylon Francis made his return to the Black and Gold after spending the 2018 season with the Seattle Sounders. The following week led Crew SC to Foxborough to take on the New England Revolution, where Columbus would earn their first road win on the season due in part to two goals by Gyasi Zardes and a penalty save by Zack Steffen, while this loss for the Revolution snapped their 12-game home opener unbeaten streak. On March 16, Columbus would earn their third straight result, a 1–0 win thanks to a Sauro header off of a corner – this time from Pedro Santos. Justin Meram recorded his 200th regular-season appearance for Crew SC in this game as well. Columbus visited Philadelphia on March 23 and suffered a heavy 3–0 defeat as Crew SC had two debuts for the club: Joe Bendik and JJ Williams. The first month of the 2019 season ended on a high note as Crew SC beat Atlanta United 2–0 on a wet evening in Columbus, with Pedro Santos scoring in the second minute Gyasi Zardes scoring in the 39th. This contest would be Harrison Afful's 100th regular-season appearance for Crew SC.
The month of April was turbulent for Columbus as they managed to score just two goals in the entire month. The first was on an April 6th clash at home against the Revolution. A headed goal from Josh Williams from a Higuaín set-piece, as well as a double yellow card by the Revolution's Michael Mancienne gave Crew SC a 1–0 win. The following week, the club were blanked in Montréal on the 13th, and then travelled home for two straight games, a 3–1 loss versus Portland on the 20th, with the loan Columbus goal being scored by Santos via a chip over goalkeeper Jeff Attinella. This was Columbus's first home loss on the year. Crew SC completed their second straight home match with a 1–0 loss midweek versus D.C. United, and subsequently followed that shutout with a second one, a 2–0 loss at Houston.
The first match in May led to similar results as the previous four. while in the nation's capital, D.C. United took the lead when Luciano Acosta capitalized on a deflection from a set piece. Just before halftime, Wayne Rooney converted a penalty in stoppage time following a handball by Wil Trapp. In the 61st minute, Paul Arriola extended D.C. United's lead to 3–0 with a far-post shot. Crew SC pulled one back in the 75th minute when a Robinho corner slipped through goalkeeper Bill Hamid's hands and into the net. in the following match, Crew SC got back to their winning ways, beating an LA Galaxy side at home 3–1, with Zardes, Higuain and Hector Jimenez scoring the goals. This was Jimenez's first goal in over five years. History was also made in this game, as Higuain passed Robert Warzycha for the most assists in the regular season for the Black and Gold, while David Guzmán made his Columbus debut as well. The May 11th clash was against another Los Angeles side - league leaders in Los Angeles FC. A game which saw the Crew SC debut of David Accam was largely forgettable, as Crew SC lost 3–0 at Mapfre Stadium. The following weekend was a shutout loss at Minnesota United, with the only goal of the match coming in the 70th minute from former Crew SC player Ethan Finlay. on May 25, After Columbus came back from two one-goal deficits, the Colorado Rapids secured a 3–2 victory with an 89th-minute goal in Commerce City, Colorado. The Rapids opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Tommy Smith headed in a Jack Price corner at the near post. Crew SC responded five minutes later with Pedro Santos scoring from his left foot after a headed pass from Héctor Jiménez. Colorado regained the lead in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time, as Jonathan Lewis's low shot deflected into the near post. In the 54th minute, Columbus equalized again when Federico Higuaín's cross found Gyasi Zardes, who redirected the ball past Tim Howard. The match remained level until the 89th minute, when Colorado's Nicolás Mezquida capitalized on a loose ball from a corner, tucking it into the top-left corner for the game-winner. Injury news befell the team, as Designated Player Federico Higuaín tore his ACL during this game and would miss the remainder of the season.
Beginning in June, the final match before the Gold Cup break, Columbus took on New York City FC at home and scored first, with the goal coming in the 28th minute via a penalty kick taken by Zardes. NYCFC scored second in the 57th minute to tie it up, only for Pedro Santos to net four minutes later to allow Columbus a one-goal lead. Columbus, however, would not hold on to this lead as NYCFC scored in the 76th minute to take one point from Columbus. This game would be the final game for Zack Steffen in Columbus, as he transferred to Manchester City on July 9th. After the Gold Cup break and the resumption of league play, Columbus were shut out in back-to-back games at home, first losing 1–0 to Sporting Kansas City, including a red card shown to Harrison Afful, followed by a 2–0 loss to Orlando City.
The club's torrid form continued into July, with Columbus once again getting shut out, this time in Sandy, Utah by Real Salt Lake, 1–0. This game marked the Crew SC debut for homegrown Aboubacar Keita. On July 6, Crew SC scored their first goal in league play in over a month while facing off against the Seattle Sounders. Pedro Santos tucked home a penalty in the 14th minute. Columbus would wind up losing, as Nico Lodeiro scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time to put his club ahead 2–1 and snatch an away victory for the Sounders. Columbus would lose their next game at Orlando City 1–0, and the following game would come from behind to tie Chicago Fire 2–2 thanks to a 90th minute header by debutant Romario Williams. The July 20th affair between the Crew and the Montreal Impact came with the debut of Eloy Room, as well as the first league goal for David Accam as Columbus beat the Quebecois side 2–1, with Josh Williams scoring the other goal for the Black and Gold. the following week was another victory for Crew SC, including several firsts for players: Luis Argudo scored his first goal, and Pedro Santos scored his first brace for the club as Columbus won 3–2 at New York Red Bulls.

### MLS
#### Standings
##### Eastern Conference

2019 MLS Eastern Conference standings :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 8 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 55 | 47 | +8 | 42 | |
| 9 | Montreal Impact (V) | 34 | 12 | 17 | 5 | 47 | 60 | −13 | 41 | 2020 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 10 | Columbus Crew SC | 34 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 39 | 47 | −8 | 38 | |
| 11 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 44 | 52 | −8 | 37 | |
| 12 | FC Cincinnati | 34 | 6 | 22 | 6 | 31 | 75 | −44 | 24 | |
* ↑ Canadian clubs could not qualify for the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League through MLS play.
* ↑ as 2019 Canadian Championship winners

##### Overall table

2019 MLS regular season standings :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 18 | Montreal Impact (V) | 34 | 12 | 17 | 5 | 47 | 60 | −13 | 41 | 2020 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 19 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 49 | 59 | −10 | 40 | |
| 20 | Columbus Crew SC | 34 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 39 | 47 | −8 | 38 | |
| 21 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 49 | 67 | −18 | 38 | |
| 22 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 44 | 52 | −8 | 37 | |
* ↑ As 2019 Canadian Championship champions (CAN1)

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Pld | Pts | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 34 | 38 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 39 | 47 | −8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 22 | −1 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 18 | 25 | −7 |
Source: MLS standings Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Stadium | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A |
| Result | D | W | W | L | W | W | L | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | D | L | L | L | L | L | D | W | W | D | D | D | L | W | D | W | D | W | L |

#### Match results

On December 20, 2018, the league announced the home openers for every club. Columbus will make their season debut at Mapfre Stadium on the opening day of the season, playing host to New York Red Bulls – the team that eliminated Crew SC from the playoffs in 2017. Columbus will also take part in the home-opening matches for two other clubs, with a trip to Gillette Stadium to face New England Revolution on March 9 and a visit to Saputo Stadium to take on Montreal Impact on April 13.

### U.S. Open Cup
## Roster and statistics

    As of match played October 6, 2019
| No. | Name | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Signed in | Previous club | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||
| 1 | Eloy Room | GK | (1989-02-06)February 6, 1989 (aged 30) | 2019 | PSV | 12 | 0 |
| 24 | Jon Kempin | GK | (1993-04-08)April 8, 1993 (aged 26) | 2018 | LA Galaxy | 10 | 0 |
| Defenders |||||||||
| 3 | Josh Williams | CB, RB, LB | (1988-04-18)April 18, 1988 (aged 31) | 2017 | Toronto FC | 142 | 9 |
| 4 | Jonathan Mensah | CB | (1990-07-13)July 13, 1990 (aged 29) | 2017 | Anzhi Makhachkala | 85 | 3 |
| 14 | Waylon Francis | LB | (1990-09-20)September 20, 1990 (aged 29) | 2019 | Seattle Sounders FC | 111 | 0 |
| 19 | Milton Valenzuela | DF | (1998-08-13)August 13, 1998 (aged 21) | 2019 | Newell's Old Boys | 34 | 1 |
| 21 | Alex Crognale | CB | (1994-08-27)August 27, 1994 (aged 25) | 2017 | Maryland Terrapins | 38 | 1 |
| 25 | Harrison Afful | RB | (1986-07-24)July 24, 1986 (aged 33) | 2015 | ES Tunis | 132 | 6 |
| 30 | Aboubacar Keita | CB, LB | (2000-04-06)April 6, 2000 (aged 19) | 2019 | Virginia Cavaliers | 10 | 0 |
| 31 | Connor Maloney | RB, LB | (1995-05-18)May 18, 1995 (aged 24) | 2017 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 15 | 0 |
| Midfielders |||||||||
| 2 | Luis Argudo | DM, LM, RM, AM, LW | (1995-12-13)December 13, 1995 (aged 23) | 2018 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 44 | 1 |
| 6 | Wil Trapp | DM, CM | (1993-01-15)January 15, 1993 (aged 26) | 2013 | Akron Zips | 205 | 2 |
| 7 | Pedro Santos | RM, LM, AM, RW, LW, LB | (1988-04-22)April 22, 1988 (aged 31) | 2017 | Braga | 82 | 12 |
| 8 | Artur | DM, AM, CM | (1996-03-11)March 11, 1996 (aged 23) | 2018 | São Paulo | 95 | 1 |
| 9 | David Guzmán | DM, AM, CM | (1990-02-18)February 18, 1990 (aged 29) | 2019 | Portland Timbers | 18 | 0 |
| 10 | Federico Higuaín | AM | (1984-10-25)October 25, 1984 (aged 34) | 2012 | Colón | 210 | 59 |
| 13 | Ricardo Clark | DM | (1983-02-10)February 10, 1983 (aged 36) | 2018 | Houston Dynamo | 20 | 1 |
| 16 | Hector Jiménez | RM, LM, RB, LB | (1988-11-03)November 3, 1988 (aged 30) | 2014 | LA Galaxy | 141 | 2 |
| 18 | Luis Díaz | RM, LM, RW | (1998-12-06)December 6, 1998 (aged 20) | 2019 | Herediano | 13 | 2 |
| 20 | Eduardo Sosa | AM, LM, CM | (1996-06-20)June 20, 1996 (aged 23) | 2018 | Zamora | 19 | 1 |
| 29 | David Accam | LM, RM, LW | (1990-07-28)July 28, 1990 (aged 29) | 2019 | Philadelphia Union | 17 | 4 |
| 34 | Youness Mokhtar | LM, RM, LW | (1991-08-29)August 29, 1991 (aged 28) | 2019 | Stabæk | 8 | 1 |
| Forwards |||||||||
| 5 | Jordan Hamilton | ST | (1996-03-17)March 17, 1996 (aged 23) | 2019 | Toronto FC | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | Gyasi Zardes | ST | (1991-09-02)September 2, 1991 (aged 28) | 2018 | LA Galaxy | 64 | 33 |
| 17 | Romario Williams | ST | (1994-08-15)August 15, 1994 (aged 25) | 2019 | Atlanta United FC | 7 | 1 |
| Out on loan |||||||||
| 12 | Ben Lundgaard | GK | (1995-09-02)September 2, 1995 (aged 24) | 2018 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Edward Opoku | MF | (1996-08-01)August 1, 1996 (aged 23) | 2018 | Virginia Cavaliers | 6 | 0 |
| 33 | JJ Williams | ST | (1998-01-04)January 4, 1998 (aged 21) | 2019 | Kentucky Wildcats | 9 | 0 |
| — | Lalas Abubakar | CB | (1994-12-25)December 25, 1994 (aged 24) | 2017 | Dayton Flyers | 36 | 2 |
| | Chris Cadden | DF | (1996-09-19)September 19, 1996 (aged 23) | 2019 | Motherwell | 0 | 0 |

### Appearances and goals

Federico Higuaín entered the season with 196 career appearances for Crew SC, good for eighth place all-time, and 58 goals for the club, good for third place. In order to move up the charts in each category, he needed to appear in four matches and score 17 goals. He appeared for the fourth time on the season on March 23, moving up the charts in the Crew's defeat against Philadelphia Union.
Justin Meram also came into the 2019 season sitting in the top ten in club history in both appearances and goals: his 225 appearances were good for fifth place in club history, and his 43 goals were good for sixth. In order to move up, Meram needed to play in 17 games and score 10 goals. He was traded on May 7, however, after playing just nine matches without scoring, departing without moving up in either category.
Club captain Wil Trapp was tenth place in club history in appearances coming into the season, with 177 games played for the Crew. In order to move up, he needed to appear at least 11 times in all competitions. Trapp made his 11th appearance on May 8, starting in the club's victory against LA Galaxy.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | MLS | MLS | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | CUW | Eloy Room | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | MF | USA | Luis Argudo | 23 | 1 | 10+11 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | USA | Josh Williams | 16 | 2 | 15+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | GHA | Jonathan Mensah | 24 | 0 | 23+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | FW | CAN | Jordan Hamilton | 4 | 0 | 0+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | USA | Wil Trapp | 28 | 0 | 26+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | POR | Pedro Santos | 35 | 11 | 30+3 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | BRA | Artur | 32 | 0 | 28+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | MF | CRC | David Guzmán | 18 | 0 | 13+3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ARG | Federico Higuaín | 14 | 1 | 13+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | USA | Gyasi Zardes | 28 | 13 | 28 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | GK | USA | Ben Lundgaard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | USA | Ricardo Clark | 7 | 0 | 4+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | CRC | Waylon Francis | 18 | 0 | 16+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | USA | Hector Jiménez | 25 | 1 | 19+4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | JAM | Romario Williams | 7 | 1 | 1+6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | CRC | Luis Díaz | 13 | 2 | 9+4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | ARG | Milton Valenzuela | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | VEN | Eduardo Sosa | 8 | 0 | 4+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | USA | Alex Crognale | 14 | 0 | 9+3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | GK | USA | Jon Kempin | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | GHA | Harrison Afful | 24 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | GHA | Edward Opoku | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | GHA | David Accam | 17 | 4 | 8+7 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 30 | DF | USA | Aboubacar Keita | 10 | 0 | 8+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | USA | Connor Maloney | 11 | 0 | 9+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 33 | FW | USA | JJ Williams | 9 | 0 | 3+4 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | MAR | Youness Mokhtar | 8 | 1 | 5+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| — | DF | GHA | Lalas Abubakar | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Chris Cadden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who left Columbus during the season: ||||||||||
| 1 | GK | USA | Joe Bendik | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | MF | IRQ | Justin Meram | 9 | 0 | 4+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | BRA | Robinho | 21 | 0 | 13+6 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | ARG | Gastón Sauro | 17 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | GK | USA | Zack Steffen | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | DEN | Niko Hansen | 9 | 0 | 2+7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | USA | Patrick Mullins | 11 | 0 | 2+7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Source: Columbus stats

### Disciplinary record

| No. | Pos. | Name | MLS | MLS | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup | Total | Total |
| 1 | GK | Eloy Room | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | MF | Luis Argudo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Josh Williams | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Jonathan Mensah | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | Wil Trapp | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Pedro Santos | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Artur | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | MF | David Guzmán | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Federico Higuaín | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | Waylon Francis | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | Hector Jiménez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | Luis Díaz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Eduardo Sosa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Alex Crognale | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Harrison Afful | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 29 | MF | David Accam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | Connor Maloney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | Youness Mokhtar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Players who left Columbus during the season: |||||||||
| 22 | DF | Gastón Sauro | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 23 | GK | Zack Steffen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | Niko Hansen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | Patrick Mullins | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Source: Columbus stats

### Clean sheets

Zack Steffen came into the season with the fifth-most shutouts in club history, keeping 22 through his first three seasons with the club. In order to move up on the all-time charts, he needed to keep two clean sheets in 2019. Steffen accomplished that mark in just three matches, moving up the chart following a clean sheet against FC Dallas on March 16.
| No. | Name | MLS | U.S. Open Cup | Total | Games Played |
| No. | Name | 1 | Eloy Room | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| 12 | Ben Lundgaard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Jon Kempin | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Players who left Columbus during the season: ||||||
| 1 | Joe Bendik | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 23 | Zack Steffen | 4 | 0 | 4 | 13 |
Source: Columbus stats

## Transfers
### In

| Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee/notes | Date |
| DF | Milton Valenzuela | Newell's Old Boys | Completed permanent transfer. Signed as a Young Designated Player. | Dec 21, 2018 |
| GK | Joe Bendik | Orlando City SC | Orlando receives $50,000 in targeted allocation money. | Dec 27, 2018 |
| FW | JJ Williams | Kentucky Wildcats | Selected in the First Round of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Signed as a Generation Adidas player. | Jan 11, 2019 |
| MF | Robinho | Ceará | Ceará receives an undisclosed transfer fee. | Jan 18, 2019 |
| DF | Aboubacar Keita | Virginia Cavaliers | Signed as a Homegrown Player. | Jan 22, 2019 |
| DF | Waylon Francis | Seattle Sounders FC | Seattle receives $50,000 in general allocation money. | Feb 5, 2019 |
| MF | David Guzmán | Portland Timbers | Portland receives a 2019 International Roster Spot. | May 7, 2019 |
| MF | David Accam | Philadelphia Union | Philadelphia receives $500,000 in allocation money, a 2019 International Roster Spot. | May 8, 2019 |
| FW | Romario Williams | Atlanta United FC | Atlanta receives $100,000 in general allocation money. | Jul 1, 2019 |
| MF | Luis Díaz | Herediano | Herediano receives a $1,000,000 transfer fee. Signed as a Young Designated Player. | Jul 2, 2019 |
| GK | Eloy Room | PSV | Signed as a free agent. | Jul 5, 2019 |
| FW | Jordan Hamilton | Toronto FC | Toronto receives FW Patrick Mullins. | Jul 11, 2019 |
| MF | Youness Mokhtar | Stabæk | Signed as a free agent. | Jul 19, 2019 |
| DF | Chris Cadden | Motherwell | Terms of the deal were undisclosed. | Jul 23, 2019 |

#### SuperDraft

The following players were selected by Columbus in the MLS SuperDraft, but did not sign a contract with the club. Crew SC passed with the 91st overall pick.
| Pos. | Player | College | Notes | Date | Source |
| FW | Justin Donawa | Dartmouth Big Green | Selected in the Third Round of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Signed for Darlington on Jul 29, 2019. | Jan 14, 2019 | |
| MF | Rafael Mentzingen | Valparaiso Crusaders | Selected in the Fourth Round of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Signed for Lansing Ignite on Dec 14, 2018. | Jan 14, 2019 | |

### Out

| Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes | Date |
| MF | Mike Grella | | Option declined. Retired. | Nov 26, 2018 |
| FW | Adam Jahn | Phoenix Rising | Option declined. Signed for Phoenix on Dec 10, 2018. | Nov 26, 2018 |
| GK | Logan Ketterer | El Paso Locomotive | Option declined. Signed for El Paso on Jan 18, 2019. | Nov 26, 2018 |
| MF | Cristian Martínez | Chicago Fire | Option declined. Selected by Chicago in the 2018 MLS Waiver Draft. | Nov 26, 2018 |
| MF | Justin Meram | Atlanta United FC | Columbus receives $100,000 in general allocation money, a second round pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, future considerations. | May 7, 2019 |
| GK | Zack Steffen | Manchester City | Columbus receives a £7,000,000 transfer fee. | Jul 9, 2019 |
| MF | Robinho | Orlando City SC | Columbus receives $50,000 in targeted allocation money, future considerations. | Jul 11, 2019 |
| FW | Patrick Mullins | Toronto FC | Columbus receives FW Jordan Hamilton, $50,000 in targeted allocation money, a 2019 International Roster Spot, future considerations. | Jul 11, 2019 |
| GK | Joe Bendik | Philadelphia Union | Columbus receives a second round pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, future considerations. | Jul 19, 2019 |
| DF | Gastón Sauro | Toluca | Columbus receives an undisclosed transfer fee. | Aug 7, 2019 |
| MF | Niko Hansen | Houston Dynamo | Columbus receives $75,000 in targeted allocation money. | Aug 8, 2019 |

### Loan out

| Pos. | Player | Loanee club | Length/Notes | Beginning | End |
| DF | Aboubacar Keita | Richmond Kickers | On a match-by-match basis. | Mar 6, 2019 | Jun 23, 2019 |
| GK | Ben Lundgaard | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | On a match-by-match basis. | Mar 6, 2019 | Jun 21, 2019 |
| GK | Ben Lundgaard | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | On a match-by-match basis. | Oct 7, 2019 | Nov 3, 2019 |
| DF | Alex Crognale | Indy Eleven | On a match-by-match basis. | Mar 15, 2019 | May 11, 2019 |
| MF | Edward Opoku | Birmingham Legion | On a match-by-match basis. | Mar 22, 2019 | |
| MF | Luis Argudo | Hartford Athletic | On a match-by-match basis. | Apr 11, 2019 | Apr 23, 2019 |
| GK | Jon Kempin | Hartford Athletic | On a match-by-match basis. | Apr 11, 2019 | Apr 23, 2019 |
| FW | JJ Williams | Birmingham Legion | On a match-by-match basis. | Apr 12, 2019 | Apr 20, 2019 |
| FW | JJ Williams | Birmingham Legion | On a match-by-match basis. | May 9, 2019 | Jun 23, 2019 |
| FW | JJ Williams | Birmingham Legion | On a match-by-match basis. | Jul 13, 2019 | |
| DF | Lalas Abubakar | Colorado Rapids | Remainder of the 2019 Major League Soccer season. Columbus receives $125,000 in targeted allocation money. | May 8, 2019 | |
| DF | Chris Cadden | Oxford United | Remainder of the 2019 Major League Soccer season. | Jul 23, 2019 | |

## Awards

MLS Team of the Week :
| Week | Starters | Bench | Opponent(s) |
| 1 | Gastón Sauro | | New York Red Bulls |
| 2 | Caleb Porter (coach) Gyasi Zardes | | New England Revolution |
| 3 | Gastón Sauro | Zack Steffen | FC Dallas |
| 5 | | Zack Steffen | Atlanta United FC |
| 6 | | Zack Steffen | New England Revolution |
| 11 | | Federico Higuaín | LA Galaxy Los Angeles FC |
| 14 | Pedro Santos | | New York City FC |
| 20 | | David Accam | Chicago Fire Montreal Impact |
| 21 | Pedro Santos | | New York Red Bulls |
| 22 | | Eloy Room | San Jose Earthquakes |
| 23 | Pedro Santos | | FC Cincinnati |
| 25 | | Gyasi Zardes | New York City FC FC Cincinnati |
| 28 | Luis Díaz | Harrison Afful | Atlanta United FC |
| 30 | | Pedro Santos | Philadelphia Union |

## Kits

| Home | Away | Specialty |
| Type | Shirt | Shorts | Socks | First appearance / Record |
| Home | Gold | Gold | Gold | Match 1 vs. NYRB / 8–12–4 |
| Away | Black | Black | Black | Match 3 vs. Dallas / 3–4–4 |
| Specialty | Teal | Teal | Teal | Match 8 vs. Portland / 0–1–0 |