In 2015, Columbus Crew SC finished tied for the second-best record in Major League Soccer and hosted the MLS Cup Final. But two years later that seems like a distant memory.
That season, the Black & Gold were propelled by an offense that finished tied for second in the league with 58 goals for, or 1.71 per game. In the same number of matches a year ago, Crew SC, albeit without Kei Kamara or Federico Higuain for significant portions of the season, scored eight fewer goals and regressed by 17 points.
While 2017 started brightly, a 3-1-1 record to begin the year and Justin Meram and Ola Kamara scoring nearly at will, the team is 4-8-0 in the last 12 contests and has a -8 goal differential over that stretch.