Columbus Crew II took all three points from Huntsville City at Joe W. Davis Stadium on Saturday night, securing a 1-0 victory in the MLS Next Pro Group Stage. The result was decided in the dying moments when M. Molina struck in the 90th minute plus seven seconds. By then, Huntsville had held firm for ninety minutes, but the visitors found their breakthrough when it mattered most.
The match was defined by its tension rather than clear-cut opportunities. Huntsville enjoyed 56 per cent possession and registered seven attacks to Columbus's six, yet the visitors were more clinical on target. Columbus landed eleven shots on goal compared to five for the hosts, though only one found the net. And here's the thing — Huntsville's accuracy rate of twenty-nine per cent tells you they weren't creating the right sort of chances.
Discipline was an issue throughout, with five yellow cards shown in total. J. Knight picked up two bookings in quick succession for Huntsville before half-time, while G. Di Noto and R. Aoki also went to the referee. Columbus's pair came from M. Molina and an unnamed player at the final whistle. The substitutions tumbled in during the second half, with both coaches making three changes each.
The statistics paint a picture of a match where Huntsville controlled territory but Columbus controlled the moments. The hosts had six corners to five, but more tellingly, Columbus had five shots blocked compared to four for Huntsville. That suggests the visitors were probing more persistently. The goal difference between the sides in the table remains wide — Columbus sit top with forty-five points from twenty-four games, Huntsville fifth with thirty-eight from twenty-five.
This result extends Columbus's position at the summit while Huntsville's winless run in the group continues. The visitors' recent form has been mixed, with losses to New York Red Bulls II and Connecticut among their last five, but this victory keeps them clear. Huntsville will take nothing from a match where they were outshot and outlasted. Things came to a head late, and Columbus made their move count.
