Columbus Crew

The Columbus Crew were founded on 15 June 1994, when MLS named Columbus one of its ten original clubs, and began play in 1996. The name came from a public contest, and the first crest, three men in hard hats, presented the team as a crew of construction workers; the colours are black and gold. After three seasons at Ohio Stadium, the Crew opened Columbus Crew Stadium in 1999, the first stadium built for an MLS team, and in 2021 moved downtown to what is now ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, named Lower.com Field until 2025.

The Crew have won MLS Cup three times: in 2008, when Guillermo Barros Schelotto was league MVP, in 2020, and in 2023 under Wilfried Nancy. They also won the Supporters' Shield in 2004, 2008 and 2009, the 2002 U.S. Open Cup and the 2024 Leagues Cup, and reached the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup final. In 2017 owner Anthony Precourt announced a possible move to Austin; fans answered with the Save the Crew campaign, and in January 2019 the Haslam family and team doctor Pete Edwards took over, keeping the club in Columbus.