Columbus Crew 2
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The Columbus Crew 2 is a professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that competes in the MLS Next Pro league, the third division of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of the Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew. The team plays home matches at Historic Crew Stadium. The team was announced as a member of MLS Next Pro on December 6, 2021.
History
On December 6, 2021, the Columbus Crew announced the formation of a reserve team in MLS Next Pro that would begin play in the 2022 season and that they would play at Historic Crew Stadium (the parent club's former home venue) in Columbus, Ohio. At the same time, the club announced its first manager, Corey Wrey, who is the Crew's current Assistant General Manager, a position he will continue to hold. The Crew 2 will be one of 21 teams that play in the newly formed league. On January 28, 2022, the Crew announced that Laurent Courtois would serve as the team's first head coach.
The club played their first match on March 26, 2022, which ended in a 0–2 loss to Inter Miami CF II at DRV PNK Stadium. The first win came the following week with a 1–0 victory over Chicago Fire FC II.
Crew 2 won the first ever MLS Next Pro Cup title, defeating St. Louis City SC 2 4-1 on October 8, 2022.
The following year, the team once again qualified for the playoffs and made it to the Cup Final. They were defeated 1–3 by Austin FC II.
Players and staff
Current roster
As of September 10, 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. Pos. Nation Player 30 MF COL Nicolás Rincón 31 FW CIV Kevin Gbamblé 33 MF USA Moses Nyeman 36 DF USA Isaac Heffess 37 DF JPN Rui Aoki 39 FW FRA Inza Koné 40 MF HON Johann Chirinos 42 FW USA Brent Adu-Gyamfi | No. Pos. Nation Player 44 FW USA Anthony Alaouieh 50 MF USA Tarun Karumanchi 51 MF USA Gio De Libera 55 DF USA Chris Rogers (Captain) 63 DF USA Gianmarco Di Noto | No. Pos. Nation Player 65 FW USA Prince Forfor | |
| 30 | MF | COL | Nicolás Rincón |
| 31 | FW | CIV | Kevin Gbamblé |
| 33 | MF | USA | Moses Nyeman |
| 36 | DF | USA | Isaac Heffess |
| 37 | DF | JPN | Rui Aoki |
| 39 | FW | FRA | Inza Koné |
| 40 | MF | HON | Johann Chirinos |
| 42 | FW | USA | Brent Adu-Gyamfi |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 44 | FW | USA | Anthony Alaouieh |
| 50 | MF | USA | Tarun Karumanchi |
| 51 | MF | USA | Gio De Libera |
| 55 | DF | USA | Chris Rogers (Captain) |
| 63 | DF | USA | Gianmarco Di Noto |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 65 | FW | USA | Prince Forfor |
Staff
As of February 21, 2025
| Front office | |
|---|---|
| Investor-operators | Dee and Jimmy Haslam JW and Whitney Johnson Dr. Pete Edwards |
| President | Issa Tall |
| General Manager | |
| Director of Player Development | Dan Lock |
| Coaching staff | |
| Head coach | Federico Higuaín |
| Assistant coach | Josh Williams |
| Goalkeeper coach | Alex Blackburn |
| Performance coach | Jorge Gonzalez |
| Additional staff | |
| Manager of Soccer Operations | Claire Quaassdorff |
| Head Athletic Trainer | Sara Kusner |
| Assistant Athletic Trainer | Alex Nucerino |
| Equipment Manager | Caden Fergison |
| Video & Data Analyst | Marc O'Neill |
Last updated: 14:20, February 21, 2025 (UTC) Source:
Team records
Season-by-season
As of March 19, 2025
| Season | MLS Next Pro | Playoffs | Top Scorer | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Div. | Conf. | Overall | Player | Goals | ||
| 2022 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 62 | 22 | +40 | 55 | 1st | 1st | 1st | Champions | Canada Jacen Russell-Rowe | 21 |
| 2023 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 9 | 58 | 46 | +12 | 54 | 1st | 3rd | 5th | Runner-up | United States Gibran Rayo | 12 |
| 2024 | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 51 | 47 | +4 | 45 | 5th | 7th | 12th | Conference Finals | United States Chase Adams | 9 |
| 2025 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 40 | 64 | –24 | 22 | 8th | 15th | 29th | DNQ | United States Chase Adams | 10 |
Head coaches record
As of August 9, 2026
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurent Courtois | France | January 28, 2022 | January 8, 2024 | 59 | 38 | 8 | 13 | 137 | 77 | 064.41 |
| Kelvin Jones | United States | March 13, 2024 | December 10, 2024 | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 51 | 47 | 039.29 |
| Federico Higuaín | Argentina Argentina | January 29, 2025 | Present | 51 | 16 | 11 | 24 | 84 | 99 | 031.37 |
Honors
| National | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| MLS Next Pro Cup | 1 | 2022 |
| MLS Next Pro Regular Season | 1 | 2022 |
| Eastern Conference | 1 | 2022 |
| Eastern Conference (Playoffs) | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| Eastern Conference Central Division | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
Monthly Awards
Player of the Month
- May 2022: Jacen Russell-Rowe
- June 2022: Jacen Russell-Rowe
Goalkeeper of the Month
- August 2022: Patrick Schulte
Annual Awards
MLS Next Pro Most Valuable Player
- 2022: Jacen Russell-Rowe
Golden Boot
- 2022: Jacen Russell-Rowe
Goalkeeper of the Year
- 2022: Patrick Schulte
Coach of the Year
- 2022: Laurent Courtois
MLS Next Pro Cup MVP
- 2022: Marco Micaletto