An hour before Saturday’s game with Orlando City SC, the Columbus Crew SC lineup was released on Twitter. There was a noticeable absence from the team sheet in winger Justin Meram.
Since returning to the club in a trade with Orlando in early August, Meram started six of nine games and only didn’t play for Crew SC in the last seven matches when given rest against the Portland Timbers in mid-September during a three-game-in-a-week stretch. Yet not only was Meram not in the starting lineup for the Black & Gold, he was not even on the bench.