Columbus is unbeaten in its last five games against expansion teams (W3 D2), including knocking then-newcomers Nashville out of the 2020 playoffs. The Crew have lost only one of their last 11 home matches against expansion sides (W8 D2, incl. playoffs), a 2-0 defeat to Atlanta in July 2017.
The Crew have lost three of their last four home matches, including a 2-0 defeat to LAFC on May 21, their last home MLS game. Prior to this run, Columbus had suffered just five defeats in its previous 38 home MLS matches (W27 D6, including playoffs) dating back to July 2019.
Charlotte FC earned its sixth win of the season on Saturday, beating the Red Bulls, 2-0, at home. All six of Charlotte’s wins, and 18 of its 19 points, have come at home this season. On the road, Charlotte has collected just one point while being outscored, 13-4.
The Crew are the least accurate shooting team in MLS this season, hitting just 26.3 percent of their shots on target. Of the six Crew players to attempt 10 or more shots this season, only one, Derrick Etienne (10/23 – 43.5%) has hit more than one-third of his shots on target.
Charlotte’s first goal on Saturday, a Ben Bender strike, was scored from outside the box, the expansion side’s fifth goal from outside the box this season. One-third (5/15) of Charlotte’s goals have come from outside the box, with only Columbus scoring more (6) times or a higher percentage (35%) of their goals from outside the area.
