Columbus Crew II

Match report

Columbus Crew II secured a 4-2 victory over New York City II at Historical Crew Stadium on Friday evening, settling a Group Stage encounter in MLS Next Pro. The result extends their unbeaten run at home and moves them further clear at the top of the table. They have not won since their defeat to New York Red Bulls II last week, but this performance suggests they are finding their rhythm again.

K. Gbamble opened the scoring in the fourteenth minute, a clinical finish that set the tone for what followed. The visitors equalised through C. Flax from the penalty spot just before half-time, a moment that shifted the momentum. O. Presthus then marked his first start with a goal in the fifty-fourth minute, before adding a second five minutes later to put the hosts in control.

By then, the match had opened up considerably. L. Sunjic pulled one back for City in the ninety-second minute, but K. Gbamble sealed the victory with his second goal of the night in the ninety-seventh minute. The academy graduate marked his first start with a goal, and his brace proved decisive in a game where three or four moments made all the difference.

Columbus dominated the attacking numbers despite City enjoying more possession. The hosts registered 142 attacks compared to 165 for their opponents, but their 8 shots on target yielded 4 goals while City managed only 7 on target for 2. The shots accuracy figures tell the story — 53 per cent for Columbus against 58 per cent for City, yet the hosts took their chances far more effectively.

On the table, Columbus remain in first place with 45 points from 25 games, while City sit fifth with 39 points. The six-point gap between them is significant in a group where every victory counts. This result means City will need to dig in for their remaining fixtures if they want to challenge for top spot.

Prepared from match data

Key numbers

Possession, % 46 – 54

Shots on target 8 – 7

Shots off target 2 – 3

Attacks 142 – 165

⚽ 14' K. Gbamble — Goal 🟨 21' R. Aoki — Yellow card 🟨 27' Yellow card ⚽ 45+5' C. Flax — Penalty ⇄ 46' C. Danquah — Substitution ⚽ 54' O. Presthus — Goal ⚽ 59' O. Presthus — Goal ⇄ 61' G. Di Noto — Substitution ⇄ 62' D. Duque — Substitution ⇄ 70' T. Brown — Substitution ⇄ 70' J. Danjaji — Substitution ⇄ 80' J. Ponce — Substitution ⇄ 80' A. Campos — Substitution ⇄ 84' O. Taylor — Substitution 🟨 85' I. Ewing — Yellow card ⚽ 90+2' L. Sunjic — Goal ⇄ 90+5' C. Flax — Substitution ⚽ 90+7' K. Gbamble — Goal

Match events

14' 1:0 Columbus Crew II Goal K. Gbamble assist: J. Munoz
21' 1:0 Columbus Crew II Yellow card R. Aoki
27' 1:0 New York City II Yellow card
45+5' 1:1 New York City II Penalty C. Flax
46' 1:1 New York City II Substitution C. Danquah off: J. Bilden
54' 2:1 Columbus Crew II Goal O. Presthus
59' 3:1 Columbus Crew II Goal O. Presthus
61' 3:1 Columbus Crew II Substitution G. Di Noto off: I. Heffess
62' 3:1 New York City II Substitution D. Duque off: J. Arroyave
70' 3:1 Columbus Crew II Substitution T. Brown off: P. Forfor
70' 3:1 Columbus Crew II Substitution J. Danjaji off: N. Rincon
80' 3:1 New York City II Substitution J. Ponce off: N. Vafiades
80' 3:1 New York City II Substitution A. Campos off: D. Kerr
84' 3:1 Columbus Crew II Substitution O. Taylor off: I. Ewing
85' 3:1 Columbus Crew II Yellow card I. Ewing
90+2' 3:2 New York City II Goal L. Sunjic assist: J. Suchecki
90+5' 3:2 New York City II Substitution C. Flax off: W. Kang
90+7' 4:2 Columbus Crew II Goal K. Gbamble assist: C. Rogers

Statistics

46 Possession, % 54

8 Shots on target 7

2 Shots off target 3

142 Attacks 165

4 Corners 3

10 Free kicks 15

2 Offsides 1

2 Yellow cards 0

0 Red cards 0

8 Goal kicks 3

20 Throw-ins 21

All statistics

5 Blocked shots 2

0.53 Shot accuracy 0.58

Recent form

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Recent matches

All team matches

New York City II

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