I wish I could write about this like it’s just another game. Even just another Columbus rivalry game. I wish I could offer some tactical breakdowns and talk about what a result would mean for the Fire at this stage of the season and how important it is to not roll over for That Yellow Fucking Team. I wish— and I suspect a lot of Crew fans would agree— that I could pretend that it was still a year or more ago.
But this isn’t another just game. Because Anthony Precourt is a fucking 80s movie villain and he’s preparing to take an MLS OG club out of the town that nurtured it for three decades now, for no better reason than because he can.