The Major League Soccer regular season meanders through 34 games for almost eight months, a test of skill, endurance and guts.
Through twists and turns that included a feud between its top players, a blockbuster trade and injuries to key players, Crew SC stubbornly kept up the fight for one of six playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
But a 2-2 tie with the last-place Chicago Fire on Thursday night in Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, means the fight is over.
Crew forward Adam Jahn tied the score in the 80th minute, but Columbus couldn’t take advantage of several promising chances after that and was eliminated from playoff contention with two games left.