The 2021 Columbus Crew season has had its fair share of down moments. Before the Major League Soccer season kicked off, Homegrown midfielder Aidan Morris tore his ACL, rendering him unavailable for the entire year. New signings Marlon Hairston and Kevin Molino struggled to get healthy at the beginning of the season, made an impact when they started logging minutes in June but both now sit back on the injury list. Columbus suffered a historic losing streak, matching the club record of six straight losses.
That isn’t even all of it. There are levels to the despair, all juxtaposed to a magical moment in December when Columbus ended a pandemic-riddled season holding up the MLS Cup trophy.