Veteran MLS winger Kevin Molino won’t be back with Columbus Crew for the 2024 season. The club announced that the two sides agreed to a mutual contract termination, making Molino a free agent.

Molino was part of the Crew team that won the 2023 MLS Cup. He was limited to just nine appearances in the regular season due to injuries but managed to feature in five games during the playoffs. 

Crew general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a statement that Molino initiated the contract termination so he could “pursue other opportunities.”

“On behalf of the club, I would like to thank Kevin for his contributions to the Crew over the past three seasons. He is a talented and solid professional who brought good, positive energy to the team, on and off the field,” Bezbatchenko said.

Kevin Molino started his professional career in his native Trinidad and Tobago before securing a transfer to Orlando City in 2011. He received USL Pro MVP honors in 2012 and 2014 and helped Orlando win two USL Pro Cups.

Molino remained with Orlando during the club’s first two seasons in MLS, in 2015 and 2016, before making a switch to Minnesota United ahead of the 2017 campaign. He departed Minnesota as a free agent after the 2020 season and signed with Crew.

Molino played a total of 135 games in MLS, scoring 34 goals and adding 29 assists. He would likely have an even bigger impact if it wasn’t for a series of injuries that hampered him throughout his career.

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The Columbus Crew has finalized a deal with English Championship side Watford that saw them land talented forward Cucho Hernandez. According to reports, Crew paid a club-record $10 million to complete the transfer.

Hernandez reportedly inked a deal that will keep him with Crew throughout the 2025 MLS season. The 23-year-old is expected to make his debut this weekend when Columbus heads to Rio Tinto Stadium to face Real Salt Lake.

Crew president Tim Bezbatchenko issued a statement to confirm the deal and called Hernandez a “world-class” player who is expected to continue developing.

“Cucho is a versatile attacker whose agility, mobility, and unpredictability make him a constant threat for opponents as he has demonstrated while playing against top-level opponents in some of the best leagues in Europe,” Bezbatchenko added.

Cucho Hernandez joined Watford in 2017 but spent most of his time with the club on loans. He mostly played in Spain, where he suited up for Huesca, Mallorca, and Getafe. Hernandez only made his debut in England during the 2021–22 season and ended up making 27 appearances and scoring six goals in all competitions.

Hernandez’s experience playing on the big stage should help Crew bounce back after a slow start to the 2022 campaign. They currently find themselves 11th in Eastern Conference and trail the last playoff spot by three points. 

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The Columbus Crew will play in the MLS Cup Finals once again. Crew clinched their third finals appearance with a hard-fought 1-0 win over the New England Revolution on Sunday night.

Columbus looked like the better team starting the game but failed to convert their chances in the first half.

New England, on the other hand, looked like they were focused on keeping their goal protected while waiting for their opponent to make a mistake.

The second half continued in the same manner, but this time, Columbus managed to get a breakthrough.

Lucas Zelarayan came from the left side and delivered a nice cross to find defender Jonathan Mensah in the Revolution’s penalty box.

Instead of trying to get it done himself, Mensah laid off the ball to Artur, who had an easy job finding a way past Matt Turner.

New England’s attempts to tie the game fell short, with the Crew’s backup goalie Andrew Tarbell ready for every ball that found its way towards him.

The Columbus Crew, who won the MLS Cup back in 2008, now wait to see who they’ll play from the Western Conference. It’ll be either Minnesota United FC or the Seattle Sounders FC , depending on who wins their match.

The MLS Cup Finals is set for 12th December at Crew’s Mapfre Stadium.

“We’re one step away,” said Columbus head coach Caleb Porter after the game. “That’s what I keep going back to. The job’s not done.”

The post Columbus Crew Clinch MLS Cup Finals With 1-0 Win Over New England appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Columbus Crew is the latest team to make it to the knockout stage of MLS is Back Tournament. The crew secured the spot on Thursday night thanks to a 2-0 win against New York Red Bulls.

Crew dominated the game, for the most part, getting the lead in the 22’ minute thanks to forward Gyasi Zardes. After ending the first half with a lead, Columbus then immediately scored at the start of the second period. Midfielder Lucas Zelarayán increased the lead to two in the 47’ minute with a powerful and beautifully place shot outside the penalty box.

Red Bulls struggled to answer back, being disappointingly inefficient in front of the goal. They registered seven shots but none of them was on goal.

Columbus is on top of Group E with two wins in two games. Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati have one win and one loss each, while Atlanta United lost both of their games.

The group will be wrapped up on Tuesday when Atlanta plays Crew, and on Wednesday, when Red Bulls and Cincinnati get to head to head for the final knockout stage spot.

Orlando City and Philadelphia Union previously booked their ticket to the next phase of the competition from Group A.

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LA Galaxy hiring former Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter looked like a done deal just a few days ago, with only formalities needing to be ironed out. Now, according to ESPN‘s Jeff Carlisle, Porter decided to snub Galaxy’s offer and will take over Columbus Crew instead.

On Tuesday, reports started circling that Los Angeles Galaxy is resigning their star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to a new and improved contract while finalizing the deal with Caleb Porter to take the vacant head coaching position. Columbus Crew, who was left without a coach after Gregg Berhalter was appointed as manager of the USMNT, swooped in in the last moment, however, and made an offer to the 43-year-old that was too good to pass.

According to ESPN, Porter was all cleared to take the Galaxy job, but he felt the structure of the team in Columbus suited him better.

Caleb Porter started his coaching career at a collegiate level before taking over United States U23 in 2011. After two years with the team, he took over the Portland Timbers in 2013 and immediately won the 2013 MLS Coach of the Year after leading the team to the top seed in Western Conference. Although he had a great run in Portland, Porter and Timbers mutually parted ways following the 2017 MLS season.

Under Porter, Timbers made the playoffs four times and won the MLS Cup in 2015.

The post Caleb Porter Reportedly Snubs LA Galaxy, Will Take Over Columbus Crew appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Veteran MLS winger Kevin Molino won’t be back with Columbus Crew for the 2024 season. The club announced that the two sides agreed to a mutual contract termination, making Molino a free agent.

Molino was part of the Crew team that won the 2023 MLS Cup. He was limited to just nine appearances in the regular season due to injuries but managed to feature in five games during the playoffs. 

Crew general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a statement that Molino initiated the contract termination so he could “pursue other opportunities.”

“On behalf of the club, I would like to thank Kevin for his contributions to the Crew over the past three seasons. He is a talented and solid professional who brought good, positive energy to the team, on and off the field,” Bezbatchenko said.

Kevin Molino started his professional career in his native Trinidad and Tobago before securing a transfer to Orlando City in 2011. He received USL Pro MVP honors in 2012 and 2014 and helped Orlando win two USL Pro Cups.

Molino remained with Orlando during the club’s first two seasons in MLS, in 2015 and 2016, before making a switch to Minnesota United ahead of the 2017 campaign. He departed Minnesota as a free agent after the 2020 season and signed with Crew.

Molino played a total of 135 games in MLS, scoring 34 goals and adding 29 assists. He would likely have an even bigger impact if it wasn’t for a series of injuries that hampered him throughout his career.

The post Columbus Crew and Veteran Winger Kevin Molino Agree to Mutual Contract Termination appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Columbus Crew has finalized a deal with English Championship side Watford that saw them land talented forward Cucho Hernandez. According to reports, Crew paid a club-record $10 million to complete the transfer.

Hernandez reportedly inked a deal that will keep him with Crew throughout the 2025 MLS season. The 23-year-old is expected to make his debut this weekend when Columbus heads to Rio Tinto Stadium to face Real Salt Lake.

Crew president Tim Bezbatchenko issued a statement to confirm the deal and called Hernandez a “world-class” player who is expected to continue developing.

“Cucho is a versatile attacker whose agility, mobility, and unpredictability make him a constant threat for opponents as he has demonstrated while playing against top-level opponents in some of the best leagues in Europe,” Bezbatchenko added.

Cucho Hernandez joined Watford in 2017 but spent most of his time with the club on loans. He mostly played in Spain, where he suited up for Huesca, Mallorca, and Getafe. Hernandez only made his debut in England during the 2021–22 season and ended up making 27 appearances and scoring six goals in all competitions.

Hernandez’s experience playing on the big stage should help Crew bounce back after a slow start to the 2022 campaign. They currently find themselves 11th in Eastern Conference and trail the last playoff spot by three points. 

The post Columbus Crew Set Club Record with $10 Million Swoop for Cucho Hernandez appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Columbus Crew will play in the MLS Cup Finals once again. Crew clinched their third finals appearance with a hard-fought 1-0 win over the New England Revolution on Sunday night.

Columbus looked like the better team starting the game but failed to convert their chances in the first half.

New England, on the other hand, looked like they were focused on keeping their goal protected while waiting for their opponent to make a mistake.

The second half continued in the same manner, but this time, Columbus managed to get a breakthrough.

Lucas Zelarayan came from the left side and delivered a nice cross to find defender Jonathan Mensah in the Revolution’s penalty box.

Instead of trying to get it done himself, Mensah laid off the ball to Artur, who had an easy job finding a way past Matt Turner.

New England’s attempts to tie the game fell short, with the Crew’s backup goalie Andrew Tarbell ready for every ball that found its way towards him.

The Columbus Crew, who won the MLS Cup back in 2008, now wait to see who they’ll play from the Western Conference. It’ll be either Minnesota United FC or the Seattle Sounders FC , depending on who wins their match.

The MLS Cup Finals is set for 12th December at Crew’s Mapfre Stadium.

“We’re one step away,” said Columbus head coach Caleb Porter after the game. “That’s what I keep going back to. The job’s not done.”

The post Columbus Crew Clinch MLS Cup Finals With 1-0 Win Over New England appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Columbus Crew is the latest team to make it to the knockout stage of MLS is Back Tournament. The crew secured the spot on Thursday night thanks to a 2-0 win against New York Red Bulls.

Crew dominated the game, for the most part, getting the lead in the 22’ minute thanks to forward Gyasi Zardes. After ending the first half with a lead, Columbus then immediately scored at the start of the second period. Midfielder Lucas Zelarayán increased the lead to two in the 47’ minute with a powerful and beautifully place shot outside the penalty box.

Red Bulls struggled to answer back, being disappointingly inefficient in front of the goal. They registered seven shots but none of them was on goal.

Columbus is on top of Group E with two wins in two games. Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati have one win and one loss each, while Atlanta United lost both of their games.

The group will be wrapped up on Tuesday when Atlanta plays Crew, and on Wednesday, when Red Bulls and Cincinnati get to head to head for the final knockout stage spot.

Orlando City and Philadelphia Union previously booked their ticket to the next phase of the competition from Group A.

The post Crew Gets 2-0 Win against Red Bulls, Advance to Knockout Stage appeared first on SportzBonanza.

LA Galaxy hiring former Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter looked like a done deal just a few days ago, with only formalities needing to be ironed out. Now, according to ESPN‘s Jeff Carlisle, Porter decided to snub Galaxy’s offer and will take over Columbus Crew instead.

On Tuesday, reports started circling that Los Angeles Galaxy is resigning their star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to a new and improved contract while finalizing the deal with Caleb Porter to take the vacant head coaching position. Columbus Crew, who was left without a coach after Gregg Berhalter was appointed as manager of the USMNT, swooped in in the last moment, however, and made an offer to the 43-year-old that was too good to pass.

According to ESPN, Porter was all cleared to take the Galaxy job, but he felt the structure of the team in Columbus suited him better.

Caleb Porter started his coaching career at a collegiate level before taking over United States U23 in 2011. After two years with the team, he took over the Portland Timbers in 2013 and immediately won the 2013 MLS Coach of the Year after leading the team to the top seed in Western Conference. Although he had a great run in Portland, Porter and Timbers mutually parted ways following the 2017 MLS season.

Under Porter, Timbers made the playoffs four times and won the MLS Cup in 2015.

The post Caleb Porter Reportedly Snubs LA Galaxy, Will Take Over Columbus Crew appeared first on SportzBonanza.