The result may be meaningless, but getting beat 4-1 still stings. It was clear that NYCFC needed all three points and kicked into a higher gear. Crew SC with nothing to play for couldn't match that intensity and the home side pulled away in the second half. Incentives matter, NYCFC had something to play for and Columbus didn’t.

The master of flow

While the result didn't matter in the grand scheme, there was still plenty to take from the game starting with Federico Higuain's return. Coming off an injury plagued season, he was impressive in the way he looked for the ball and controlled the tempo.