History of Columbus Crew in Timeline

The Columbus Crew is a professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio, competing in Major League Soccer (MLS) as part of the Eastern Conference. As one of the league's original ten charter clubs, the Crew started playing in 1996. Currently, the team is owned by the Haslam family and Pete Edwards, marking the third ownership group in the club's history.

June 15, 1994: Columbus Announced as an MLS Founding Member

On June 15, 1994, Major League Soccer (MLS) announced that Columbus, Ohio, would be one of the ten founding members of the new league. The team was initially named the Columbus Eclipse, but later renamed "the Crew".

1994: Franchise Founded

In 1994, the Columbus Crew franchise was founded.

April 13, 1996: First Game

On April 13, 1996, The Crew played their first game, winning 4-0 against D.C. United in front of a home crowd of 25,266 in Ohio Stadium.

1996: Coaching Tenure

From 1996 to 2001, Tom Fitzgerald coached 161 of the Crew's first 183 MLS matches.

1996: Club Badge Featured People

From 1996 to 2014 the club badge featured three silhouetted males wearing construction hats beneath a stylized "Crew" wordmark.

1996: Crew Donned Black as Primary Uniform Color

From 1996 until 1999, the Crew donned black as their primary uniform color, as the league required teams to have a dark uniform and a white uniform.

1996: Inaugural Season at Ohio Stadium

From 1996, the Crew played its home games at Ohio Stadium, which is on the campus of Ohio State University.

1996: Inaugural Players and Ownership

In 1996, Lamar Hunt and his son Clark became the owners of the Columbus Crew. Doctor Khumalo and Brian McBride were the first players for the Crew. Brian McBride was selected as the first overall pick in MLS's first draft in 1996.

1996: Timo Liekoski became the first head coach

In 1996, Timo Liekoski became the first head coach of the Columbus Crew.

1996: Inaugural Season

In 1996, the Columbus Crew began play as one of the 10 charter clubs of Major League Soccer (MLS).

1996: Snickers becomes first shirt sponsor

In 1996, the Columbus Crew's first shirt sponsor was Mars' Snickers chocolate bar, in a five-year deal worth $6 million.

1996: Lawsuit Cites 1996 State Law

On March 5, 2018, Ohio attorney general Mike DeWine and Columbus city attorney Zach Klein filed a lawsuit against Precourt, citing a previously untested 1996 state law (the Modell Law) that prevents sports teams that benefited from public facilities or financial assistance from relocating to another city without a six-month notice and attempting to sell the team to a local ownership group. The bill was originally passed after the controversial relocation of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.

1996: Crew Unveiled a New Badge

On October 8, 2014, the Crew unveiled a new badge. The new circular-shaped badge features the club's classic black and gold colors, a minimized original crest with "96" overlaid on top, and the black and gold checkerboard pattern predominantly seen on flags waving in the Nordecke.

1997: Eastern Conference Finals Loss

In 1997, the Black & Gold finished 15-17, placing third in the Eastern Conference, and lost in the Conference Finals to D.C. United.

1998: Chicago defeated Columbus for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

In 1998, Chicago Fire defeated Columbus Crew for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

1998: Home Games at Ohio Stadium

In 1998, the Crew played its home games at Ohio Stadium, which is on the campus of Ohio State University.

1998: U.S. Open Cup Final and Stern John's Scoring Title

In 1998, the Crew reached the U.S. Open Cup Final but lost to the Chicago Fire. Stern John was the 1998 scoring champion, amassing 26 goals and 5 assists.

May 15, 1999: Columbus Crew Stadium Opens

On May 15, 1999, Columbus Crew Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer, opened. The Crew beat the New England Revolution 2–0 before a sold-out crowd of 24,741.

August 18, 1999: Dougherty's 50th Win

On August 18, 1999, Mark Dougherty became the first goalkeeper in league history to record 50 wins, with a 4–2 win over the MetroStars at Giants Stadium.

1999: Crew's Primary Uniform Color

From 1996 until 1999, the Crew donned black as their primary uniform color, as the league required teams to have a dark uniform and a white uniform.

1999: Move to Columbus Crew Stadium

In 1999, the Columbus Crew began playing home games at Historic Crew Stadium, which was the first soccer-specific stadium built for an MLS team.

2000: MLS All-Star Game Hosting

In 2000, the Crew hosted the MLS All-Star Game, with Mike Clark, Brian McBride, and Dante Washington representing Columbus in the game.

2000: Crew Unveiled Their First Yellow Jersey

In 2000, the Crew unveiled their first fully yellow jersey, but Columbus had to wait until 2004 to wear the yellow consistently at home, as league rules stated that a club could only wear their "light" jerseys four times at home.

2000: Snickers Sponsorship Ends

In 2000, the five-year sponsorship deal between the Columbus Crew and Snickers chocolate bar came to an end.

2001: No shirt sponsor

In 2001, Columbus Crew played without a shirt sponsor.

2002: U.S. Open Cup Win

In 2002, Columbus won the U.S. Open Cup, defeating LA Galaxy 1-0 in the final. Kyle Martino won rookie of the year in 2002, a first for the Crew.

2002: Pepsi becomes team sponsor

In 2002, Pepsi became the team sponsor for the Columbus Crew.

2003: CONCACAF Champions' Cup and McBride's Departure

In 2003, Columbus played in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, advancing to the second round. Brian McBride played his final season with Columbus before joining Fulham of the Premier League.

2004: Crew Started Wearing Yellow Consistently at Home

2004: Coach of the Year Award

In 2004, Andrulis won the MLS Coach of the Year Award.

2004: Supporters' Shield Win

In 2004, the Columbus Crew won the Supporters' Shield.

2004: Supporters' Shield Win and Fraser's Award

In 2004, the Crew won the Supporters' Shield and set a franchise record for points with 49. Robin Fraser won the Defender of the Year award.

2004: Pepsi sponsorship ends

In 2004, the sponsorship between Pepsi and the Columbus Crew came to an end.

2005: U.S. Open Cup game at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium

In 2005, Columbus Crew played a U.S. Open Cup game at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, which is owned by the Ohio State University.

2005: Coaching Change

Midway through the 2005 season, Andrulis was replaced by Robert Warzycha on an interim basis. Later Sigi Schmid was hired.

December 14, 2006: Death of Lamar Hunt

On December 14, 2006, team founder and owner Lamar Hunt died.

2006: Sigi Schmid Managed the team

From 2006 to 2008, Sigi Schmid managed the Columbus Crew for three seasons.

2006: Fans began traveling together to support the Crew during their away campaigns

In 2006 a large contingency of fans from the Nordecke began traveling together to support the Crew during their away campaigns.

April 19, 2007: Signing of Guillermo Barros Schelotto

On April 19, 2007, the Crew signed Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

2008: Departure of Sigi Schmid

After the 2008 season, Sigi Schmid declined a contract offer from Columbus and became coach of Seattle Sounders FC.

2008: Demolition of the North Stands

Before the 2008 season, the Columbus Crew front office demolished the north stands to build a stage for concerts, leading to the formation of the Nordecke supporters' group.

2008: Glidden announced as new sponsor

In 2008, Glidden was announced as the new sponsor for the Columbus Crew, with a three-year deal worth $1 million per year.

2008: MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield Wins

In 2008, the Columbus Crew won both the MLS Cup and the Supporters' Shield.

2008: Defeated Chicago in Eastern Conference Championship match

In the 2008 season, Columbus Crew defeated Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference Championship match.

2009: Supporters' Shield Win and Marshall's Award

In 2009, The club won their second consecutive Supporters' Shield. Chad Marshall won his second consecutive MLS Defender of the Year award.

2009: Supporters' Shield Victory

In 2009, the Columbus Crew won the Supporters' Shield.

2009: "NorOnTour" grew popular

In late 2009, the term "NorOnTour" grew popular on social networking, to describe the frequent fan traveling support.

2010: CONCACAF Champions League and U.S. Open Cup

In 2010, Columbus started the season in the CONCACAF Champions League, reaching the quarterfinals. The Crew lost 2–1 in the 2010 U.S. Open Cup Final to the Seattle Sounders.

2010: Glidden sponsorship ends

In 2010, the three-year sponsorship deal between Glidden and the Columbus Crew came to an end.

2010: "NorOnTour" grew popular

In early 2010, the term "NorOnTour" grew popular on social networking, to describe the frequent fan traveling support.

May 2011: Signing of Aaron Horton

In May 2011, the Crew signed its first ever homegrown player, Aaron Horton.

2011: No jersey sponsor

In 2011, the Columbus Crew did not have a jersey sponsor.

2011: Crew Lost Money

In 2011, the Columbus Crew lost money, leading to the establishment of financial goals for the following year.

2012: Financial goals set for Crew

In 2012, after losing money the previous year, the Columbus Crew set three financial goals including finding a jersey sponsor, selling naming rights to Columbus Crew Stadium, and increasing season-ticket sales.

2012: Death of Kirk Urso

In 2012, rookie midfielder Kirk Urso passed away from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

2012: Barbasol announced as new shirt sponsor

In 2012, the Columbus Crew announced a new shirt sponsorship deal with Barbasol, a shaving cream brand based in Dublin, Ohio, worth $900,000 annually for five years.

July 30, 2013: Anthony Precourt Becomes Investor-Operator

On July 30, 2013, Anthony Precourt became the second investor-operator in the history of the club.

September 2, 2013: Robert Warzycha Fired

On September 2, 2013, Robert Warzycha was fired as head coach and Brian Bliss became the interim coach.

September 2013: Robert Warzycha Parted Ways

In September 2013, Anthony Precourt parted ways with head coach Robert Warzycha.

November 16, 2013: Gregg Berhalter Hired

On November 16, 2013, Gregg Berhalter was hired as head coach and sporting director of the Columbus Crew.

March 2014: Financial Goals Still Unmet

As of March 2014, while the Columbus Crew had secured a jersey sponsor (Barbasol), they were still far from achieving their other two financial goals: selling naming rights to the stadium and significantly increasing season-ticket sales.

March 2014: Mark McCullers Stepped Down

In March 2014, Club president Mark McCullers stepped down.

August 2014: Andy Loughane Filled Vacancy

In August 2014, the vacancy was filled by Andy Loughane.

October 8, 2014: Crew Unveiled a New Badge

2014: Club Badge Featured People

From 1996 to 2014 the club badge featured three silhouetted males wearing construction hats beneath a stylized "Crew" wordmark.

2014: Attendance Records Set

In 2014, the Columbus Crew set all-time stadium attendance records for highest overall attendance and most sellouts in a single season.

March 3, 2015: Stadium naming rights partnership with MAPFRE Insurance

On March 3, 2015, the Columbus Crew announced a multimillion-dollar stadium naming rights partnership with MAPFRE Insurance.

2015: Stadium Seating Capacity

As of the 2015 season, the seating capacity of Historic Crew Stadium was 19,968.

2015: Introduction of S.C. Mascot

In 2015, "S.C.", the son of "Crew Cat", was introduced as the official mascot of the Columbus Crew for the MLS season.

February 2017: Sponsorship deal with Acura

In February 2017, the Crew announced a three-year deal with Acura, which was reported to be the largest annual commercial transaction in the club's history at $1.8 million per year.

2017: First match against FC Cincinnati

In 2017, the Columbus Crew first met FC Cincinnati in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match, which ended in a 1–0 win for FC Cincinnati and drew 30,000 spectators.

2018: New stadium proposal unveiled

In 2018, as part of a new ownership proposal, the Columbus Crew announced plans to construct a new $230 million stadium in the Arena District of Downtown Columbus.

2019: New stadium groundbreaking ceremony

In 2019, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Columbus Crew stadium took place.

2019: Return of Crew Cat Mascot

In the 2019 season, with new ownership, the older "Crew Cat" mascot returned to attend games alongside S.C.

February 27, 2020: Sponsorship deal with Nationwide

On February 27, 2020, the Columbus Crew announced a multi-year deal with Nationwide, a Columbus-based insurance company, with an annual value reported to be more than $3 million.

2020: New authority took ownership of Mapfre Stadium

In 2020, a new authority took ownership of Mapfre Stadium, which was soon renamed Historic Crew Stadium.

2020: MLS Cup Victory

In 2020, the Columbus Crew won the MLS Cup.

June 15, 2021: Stadium named Lower.com Field

On June 15, 2021, the new Columbus Crew stadium was named Lower.com Field through a sponsorship agreement with Lower.com, a real estate company.

June 2021: OhioHealth Performance Center Opened

In June 2021, the OhioHealth Performance Center, which is the training facility for the Columbus Crew, officially opened.

June 21, 2021: Formation of MLS Next Pro Announced

On June 21, 2021, Major League Soccer announced the formation of a new professional league, MLS Next Pro, to act as a developmental program for its clubs.

December 6, 2021: MLS Next Pro Unveiled

On December 6, 2021, the new professional league was unveiled as MLS Next Pro, with the Crew's team named Columbus Crew 2.

2021: Columbus Fired Caleb Porter

Due to results of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Columbus fired Caleb Porter and would go on to hire Wilfried Nancy as head coach.

2021: Opening of Lower.com Field

In 2021, Lower.com Field opened and became the home stadium for the Columbus Crew.

2021: The Crew Network Launched

In 2021, the Columbus Crew launched The Crew Network, which aims to promote soccer in Ohio and offer exclusive opportunities to boys, girls, coaches, and parents, operating across Ohio.