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Columbus Crew drop another second-half lead, tie Toronto: Takeaways
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- Columbus Crew drop another second-half lead, tie Toronto: Takeaways
Wilfried Nancy walked off the sideline after a 1-1 tie against Toronto FC on Sept. 20 with the same feeling he's had on multiple occasions this season - the Crew could have won that game.
"We have to face this," Nancy said. "This is not easy. It was not our best game tonight, but we had enough to win the game, we didn't do it. It's a difficult cycle."
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Replay: Columbus Crew concede lead vs Toronto, fail to record win in second straight game
The Crew are 1-3-3 in their most recent games, but in four of those draws and losses they had second-half leads.
Against Toronto, striker Wessam Abou Ali put the Crew ahead 1-0 in the 16th minute when he capitalized on defender Kosi Thompson stumbling inside the box. It was Abou Ali's third goal in as many games.
Abou Ali was forced to leave the game with a right ankle injury before halftime.
The Crew led until defender Richie Laryea beat defender Malte Amundsen to collect a pass and score on Toronto's first shot of the game at the 51-minute mark.
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"There was a run that I didn't see in time," Amundsen said. "He (Laryea) gets in behind, and unfortunately, he scores."
Following Laryea's goal, the Crew increased their attack and took seven shots, five of which were blocked by Toronto defenders. Only a shot from midfielder Andres Herrera reached goalkeeper Luka Gavran in the second half.
Crew forward Wessam Abou Ali scores against Toronto FC on Sept. 20.
The inability to break through Toronto's backline left the Crew with a draw against a bottom-four team in the Eastern Conference, causing the result to feel more like a loss.
"Everyone feels that way," Crew midfielder Max Arfsten said. "But our coach said earlier to us … we can either be sad about it and feel sorry for ourselves or look the other way and just choose to believe and do whatever we can to just take it game by game and just control what we can control. And I believe it's the only way we can handle this."
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Columbus Crew second-half struggles worsen due to injuries, fatigue
During the summer transfer window, the Crew opted against bringing in an additional center back despite former all-star defender Rudy Camacho being unavailable during his recovery from a preseason injury.
While the Crew have four defenders who regularly record playing time this season, they haveonly three available because Sean Zawadzki has been sidelined by a knee injury for multiple weeks.
The Crew's backline, having limited options, has physically impacted the entire team's defense in the past three games , which were played across the span of eight days.
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However, the Crew's current pattern of dropping leads goes beyond missing players.
"It's the same story that we've been talking about," Arfsten said. "It's frustrating. We need to be more disciplined and mentally focused in those late-game moments, especially the second half. Maybe we're a bit more fatigued, but just mentally, need to stay sharper."
Columbus Crew forward Wessam Abou Ali (9) receives attention from the medial staff in the first half at Lower.com Field on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus Crew take another hit with Wessam Abou Ali injury
It was less than 10 minutes after scoring that Abou Ali went to swipe the ball from Thompson, which was the play that seemingly caused the ankle injury. Abou Ali spent several minutes attempting to walk off the injury before needing medical attention.
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Following the game, Nancy had no official update on Abou Ali's status and said he hopes the injury "won't be too bad."
"This is not easy when to come in like this and have to provide something," Nancy said. "He did it for the moment. I'm sad for him. ... Obviously, he brought something. Now, we'll see if he's going to be able to come back."
Abou Ali was an offensive spark for the Crew during his first five games with the team, recording an assist along with his three goals.
The Crew's attack already took a blow against Atlanta United on Sept. 13 when team-leading scorer Diego Rossi injured his right hamstring , which is expected to keep him out for two to four weeks.
Crew midfielder Hugo Picard reacts during a tie against Toronto on Sept. 20.
Columbus Crew continue to fall in Eastern Conference standings
The Crew dropped to eighth in the Eastern Conference, which is the first wild card spot.
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A silver lining for the Crew is that there are just three points that separate them and third-ranked Charlotte FC.
With five teams sitting in the 53-to-50-point range, there is room for movement in the standings during the final three games of the regular season.
"We have everything in our control," Nancy said. "This is not like this is the last game, and we have to wait after all the results of the other teams. I know that the standings will change or something like that, but again, I'm not watching that. The most important is we know that we have three games coming, we know that we have everything in our control to win games."
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The Crew go back on the road to face the Chicago Fire on Sept. 27, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew drop lead vs Toronto FC amid injuries: Takeaways
