In a tightly contested race for the top four spots in the MLS group of the 2026 Leagues Cup, the Crew's 1-1 win (3-2 in penalties) over Pumas Aug. 11 was not the best possible outcome, but it was a favorable one.
After adding two points to their phase one total with the win, the Crew's night got even better. The club's in-state rival, FC Cincinnati, lost a 1-0 lead to Liga MX squad Atlas, who scored goals in the 79th and 85th minutes to hold Cincinnati at two wins.
Loud cheers echoed out of the Crew locker room after another stroke of luck: CF Pachuca, whom the Crew beat 2-1 on Aug. 7, scored a goal in the 91st minute to beat Charlotte, another team in the hunt.
"We're watching results, we're watching how the teams are going," said Crew goalie
Nicholas Hagen, whose clutch save in penalty kicks paved the way for the win over Pumas. "At first, we thought it wasn't going to be enough, and now there's a little bit of light in there."
How do Columbus Crew clinch the knockout round of the 2026 Leagues Cup?
The Crew ended their night at the top of the table, but four teams (in bold) can pass Columbus either in points or in the secondary tiebreakers. The top four teams on the table will advance to the knockout stage.
The standings:
1. Columbus Crew: 2-1-0, 8 pts, +3 goal differential
2. Real Salt Lake: 2-1-0, 7 pts, +7 goal differential
3. Austin FC: 2-0-0, 6 pts, +5 goal differential
4. Chicago Fire: 2-0-0, 6 pts, +4 goal differential
5. Charlotte FC: 2-0-1, 6 pts, +4 goal differential
6. FC Cincinnati: 2-0-1, 6 pts, +3 goal differential
7. FC Dallas: 2-0-0, 6 pts, +3 goal differential
8. LAFC: 1-1-0, 5 pts, +1 goal differential
Austin FC, FC Dallas and Chicago Fire, can pass the Crew with a regulation win, which is worth three points. All three teams can also earn a win via penalty kicks, worth two points, which would tie the Crew in the standings.
Assuming all three teams earn a penalty kick win, Austin and Chicago would pass the Crew in the standings due to a better goal differential, the first of six tiebreakers on the list.
Dallas, however, is tied with the Crew in goal differential. Since a penalty kick win, regardless of the score, is a net zero gain for goal differential, the Crew and Dallas would be ranked based on the third tiebreaker: greatest number of goals scored by the club. Dallas would need to score four regulation goals in a shootout win to pass the Crew in the standings with the goals scored tiebreaker.
If Dallas wins in penalty kicks against Toluca, here is what each regulation result would mean:
- 1-1 score: Crew above (goals scored)
- 2-2 score: Crew above (goals scored)
- 3-3: To be determined by Fair Play table tiebreaker, weighing teams based on yellow and red cards received.
- 4-4 … Dallas above
LAFC also still has a pathway to pass the Crew. At five points, a regulation win with three unanswered goals for LAFC would tie the Crew in points as well as pass them in the goal differential tiebreaker.
If LAFC wins in regulation against Queretaro:
- LAFC wins by one goal: Crew above (goal differential)
- LAFC wins by two goals: TBD based on score
- LAFC would need to score at least four goals: 3-1 or 2-0 and the Crew are above
- A 4-2 win would go to the Fair Play table. A 5-2 result, and LAFC goes above.
- LAFC win by 3 goals: LAFC above
In simplest terms: as long as one of the three six-point teams (Austin, Chicago and Dallas) loses, or LAFC fails to win in regulation, the Crew will clinch a knockout spot.
Here are the remaining games for the four teams mentioned above:
Wednesday, Aug. 12
- Toluca vs. FC Dallas - 10 p.m. ET
- LAFC vs. Queretaro - 10:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, Aug. 13
- Club America vs. Austin FC - 8:30 p.m.
- Cruz Azul vs. Chicago Fire - 9 p.m. ET
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew have yet to clinch Leagues Cup knockout spot. Here’s how they can
