Columbus Crew quarterback Brooks Lennon warned his teammates not to focus on the playoffs with three regular season games remaining.
The Crew’s recent turnaround in form saw them move within a point of the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference, currently occupied by the New York Red Bulls.
Columbus has won five of its last six regular-season matches (L1), including the last three in a row, marking the club’s first three-match league winning streak since June 2025.
Last time out, Columbus won 4-2 over Toronto FC, leading 4-0 before Sekou Bangoura conceded either side of a red card.
Lennon scored the Crew’s fourth goal, his first MLS goal for the club since his summer move from Atlanta United.
Lennon, who started a crucial match for Columbus with a trip to FC Dallas, urged his teammates not to get ahead of themselves.
“Three games to go, we said it before Toronto, every game is a final for us,” Lennon said.
“You know, now we’re going into a big game in Dallas. They’re doing well in the West, but yeah, we’ve got to take it one game at a time.
“Right now we can’t focus on the playoffs. Yes, we want to get in, but you have to focus on the process, not the result, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Lennon’s first film Black and Gold, which stopped the attack of the crew, was well earned
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) October 27, 2026
Dallas will be a tough test for Columbus as they look to advance West; Dallas is one point behind the conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps.
They beat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0 over the weekend, with all three goals coming after the 82nd minute.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Dallas – Petar Musa
Moses scored two of Dallas’ three goals in Saturday’s win over San Jose, extending his club single-season record to 22 goals in 2026.
In his third season with the club, Musa scored 56 goals, second only to Jason Kreis’ 91 goals in Dallas’ MLS history.
Columbus Crew – Santiago Rodriguez
Rodriguez has recorded an assist in four straight matches, the longest active streak in MLS and the longest by a Crew player since Cucho Hernandez in 2024.
The last Crew player to assist in five consecutive regular season games was Guillermo Barros Schelotto in 2008.
Match prediction: FC DALLAS WIN
Dallas has won six of its last seven home matches in all competitions, including victories in each of its last three at Toyota Stadium.
It’s the first time Dallas has won three straight at home in all competitions since March-April 2013.
However, Columbus is unbeaten in six straight meetings with Dallas (W2 D4).
Indeed, Dallas’ last win over the Crew was in 2015. The Crew is unbeaten in Dallas since 2011, recording one win and four draws in five outings over the past 15 seasons.
The Crew have won six of their last 25 matches (D5 L14) before winning five of their last six, showing the impressive nature of their recent form.
OPTA WIN probability
FC Dallas – 46.2%
Win – 23.4%
Columbus Crew – 30.4%