When the 2019 Major League Soccer season came to an end for the Columbus Crew, it also marked the final moments of a long era for the Black & Gold. When the club announced it wouldn’t bring the legendary Federico Higuain back for what would be his ninth year with the team in 2020, it was clear that things were about to change in Ohio.
The most important step of the process was finding the right player to take Higuain’s influential spot on the team and, after nearly 14 months since his departure from Columbus was announced, it’s fair to say the Crew’s front office and coaching staff got his decision absolutely right with Lucas Zelarayan.