DC United vs Columbus Crew Prediction: Columbus Crew are the superior team

The teams having highly contrasting seasons, DC United host Columbus Crew in an MLS Eastern Conference clash on September 29, 2024. DC United lies in a lowly 13th place, unable to string much consistency together, while Columbus Crew flies high in 3rd place, seeking home advantage in the playoffs. Both sides go into this fixture off the back of results that pretty much sum up their respective campaigns thus far: a heavy 4-0 loss by DC United to Philadelphia, while Columbus managed to escape with the spoils in an exciting 4-3 victory over Orlando. Pride and, indeed, playoff ambitions will be on the line, hence this presents an interesting affair where both teams take their respective sets of strengths and weaknesses head-on against each other.

Inconsistency has been the keyword for this season of DC United in Major League Soccer. With 8 wins, 9 draws, and 13 losses, which put them 13th in the Eastern Conference, they continued with this unstable form in their last five games, recording 2W, 1D, and 2L. Their last outing was an away drubbing to Philadelphia, 4-0, which underlined some of the defensive vulnerabilities; combined in the last two games, they conceded six goals. The team tends to concede, having let in 6 goals in their recent matches, not managing a clean sheet in eight. They have been sporadic on offense with very low chance creation and inefficiency in the final third, managing just 1 big chance in their last game.

They have adopted a 3-4-2-1 in an attempt to sure up the back, with wing-backs for width in attack. On paper, that sounds good, but in practice, it has been anything but ideal, as evidenced by their poor defensive record, with the team winning only 43% of its duels and 79% of defensive tackles in their last match. The offense hasn't flowed well, either, with limited creativity-just 1 big chance created against Philadelphia. With 25 fouls in their last game, discipline remains a sore point, too, contributing to the breakdown in play. Still, while their home form has been slightly better than their away form, their defensive frailties remain a glaring issue.

While Columbus Crew has been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season, Minnesota United FC is not that far behind. They are sitting comfortably in 3rd place on 16 wins, 8 draws, and 5 losses, while their recent form shows that they have been an attacking force in the league, accumulating 3W, 1D, and 1L. That thrilling 4-3 victory over Orlando epitomized their offensive capabilities, where they scored four goals through a spread of players. Columbus has been solid in defense and potent in attack, averaging 5 big chances per game, having kept good control in midfield with 60% possession in their last match. They have gone unbeaten in their last three matches to further point at their building momentum.

Meanwhile, Columbus Crew's setup in a 3-4-2-1 has been far more effective. Crew plays a possession-based game; there are sustained periods of time where they have the ball and are creating quality chances of goal-scoring. Their attack is varied because different players show up to score, as was seen in their win over Orlando by a score of 4-3. They are strong at the back, defensively: they win 64% of their defensive tackles and concede fewer fouls, such as six against Orlando. Columbus presses effectively higher up the pitch, too, in transitional moments of play where DC United might struggle with.

In head-to-head matches, Columbus is in front, with 11 wins against DC United's 6 out of the 20 matches played; they have drawn 3 times. This goes to show the dominance Columbus has enjoyed in this fixture over the years.

The most recent was in April 2024, when both teams played a 1-1 draw at home for Columbus. With Columbus dominant, DC United managed to hold onto the point for resilience in that particular fixture. This fixture, though, could be a little one-sided with the current form of Columbus and their attacking threats.

With their form and tactics in mind, Columbus Crew do appear to be the more potent side coming into this match. The poor form of DC United's defense, added to the lack of creativity in attack, would suggest they will struggle to cope with the potent offense of Columbus, who dominate possession, create multiple chances, and also show superior defensive organization in the process. DC United can get a consolation, but Columbus's firepower and midfield control should see them run out winners 3-1 to extend the unbeaten run.

Both teams have been involved in low corner-count games, with DC United seeing under 10.5 corners in their last 5 and Columbus in 4 of their last 5. Expect this trend to continue.

• Away/Draw & Over 1.5 Goals @ 1.69 Odds
• Away Win @ 2.31 Odds
• Correct Score 1:3 @ 17.00 Odds