Columbus Crew vs Houston Dynamo: MLS Preview: Predictions, team news, lineups, and more | OneFootball

Tuesday night at BMO Stadium couldn’t have gone much worse for Columbus. A 3-0 loss to LAFC in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup round-of-16 tie has left the Crew with a mountain to climb in the return leg next week. But before they can think about trying to pull off the impossible, Wilfried Nancy’s side must shift their focus back to league play, where they’ve started the season on the right foot.

On paper, Columbus’ MLS form looks solid, with wins over Chicago and New England to open the campaign. This marks just the third time in club history that the Crew have won their first two regular-season matches (previously in 2014 and 2018), and they have only managed a perfect nine points through three games once, back in 2014. However, those early victories have come against teams that aren’t exactly among the league’s elite. Last time out, Jacen Russell-Rowe’s lone goal was enough to secure a narrow win over the Revolution, but the Crew will need a much stronger attacking display after being completely shut down by LAFC in midweek. Despite controlling nearly 70 percent of possession, Columbus managed just one shot on target, struggling to break through a well-organized LAFC defense. Now, Nancy will be demanding a response as they return home to face Houston.

A look at the visitors

Houston Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen admits his team is still searching for the right formula after a rough start to the 2025 season. Back-to-back losses, including a humbling 4-1 defeat to an Inter Miami side missing Lionel Messi, have left the Dynamo at the bottom of the Western Conference. It’s the second time in three seasons that Houston has opened with consecutive defeats, a stark contrast to their early-season consistency from 2006 to 2022, when they collected at least one point in their first two matches of every MLS campaign.

Saturday marks Houston’s first road game of the campaign, and they’ll be hoping to channel the form that made them one of MLS’s best away teams last season. In 2024, the Dynamo set club records with eight road wins and 26 points away from home. However, they’ll have to overcome a brutal history in Columbus, where the Crew are unbeaten in 11 straight home matches against Houston in all competitions (W7 D4). The only meeting in Columbus over the last six years came in last season’s Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16, a scoreless draw. The Crew will look to extend that dominance and maintain their perfect start to league play before turning their attention back to their Champions Cup mountain next week.

Predicted Crew XI

I’m predicting the strongest available Columbus lineup, but with one modification. Steven Moreira had a disastrous first half against LAFC, giving the ball away for the opening goal before being subbed off at halftime. Nancy later revealed that Moreira “felt something,” which makes it unlikely he’ll feature on Saturday. Sean Zawadzki, who replaced him midweek, is who I expect to start in the back three, while Taha Habroune could step into midfield to provide fresh legs. Ideally, Darlington Nagbe would get a rest, but after such a poor team performance in Los Angeles, Columbus may be best served by brushing it off with a strong win before shifting focus back to the second leg.

This is the strongest lineup available, though the bench is youthful and lacks real game-changing options, making it tough to rotate beyond two or three spots. Injury news practically the same with the same faces still out for this game. The Black & Gold did however sign a free agent recently, but will mainly serve as squad depth, welcome Amar Sejdić! The window is closing soon, and from the outside looking in, there are still glaring needs—most notably a midfield replacement for Aidan Morris and a focal point in attack after losing both Cucho Hernández and Christian Ramirez, who thrived in central Ohio.

Even with those concerns, I’m still backing the Crew to win, 3-1. Houston hasn’t impressed, losing both of their opening matches to rivals FC Dallas and a Messi-less Inter Miami. This is a great opportunity for Columbus to get back on track before their uphill battle on Tuesday.