Just as the playoff gods seemed to bless the Columbus Crew with a favorable Eastern Conference semifinal matchup when Nashville SC upset Toronto FC, the COVID-19 gods blight the Black & Gold with lineup uncertainty. As he prepares his team for Nashville, head coach Caleb Porter must do so without two regular starters and several key depth pieces due to positive COVID-19 tests.
In a season rife with injuries, an altered and condensed schedule and new faces in the lineup, predicting a starting XI was becoming next to impossible in 2020. With news breaking late this week that six total Crew players testing positive for COVID-19, matters only got more uncertain.