If a team wants to win an MLS Cup or even make a run in the playoffs, there are two ways to do it these days. That team can either be really good and have elite players — see spend a lot of money — like Toronto FC last year or get hot at the right time. Columbus Crew SC isn’t a big spender in the league, but the team has made it a habit of playing its best when the season hits late August, moves into September and beyond.
“I think collectively people realize, we’re playing for the postseason and I think the games take on a different nature,” Crew SC head coach Gregg Berhalter said of this time of the year.