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Columbus Crew Beat Chicago Fire 4-3 on Mendez Goal in Added Time

Brais Mendez scored in the fourth minute of added time at SeatGeek Stadium as Columbus came from behind three times to beat Chicago 4-3 on Decision Day and avoid the wild-card round.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Columbus Crew Beat Chicago Fire 4-3 on Mendez Goal in Added Time

Key points

  • Columbus Crew beat Chicago Fire 4-3 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, on Saturday, on the final day of the MLS regular season.
  • Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the 8th minute.
  • Mendez entered the game at the start of the second half, in place of Sekou Bangoura.

Columbus Crew beat Chicago Fire 4-3 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, on Saturday, on the final day of the MLS regular season. Columbus trailed three times in the game and went in 3-2 down at half time. Gonzalo Tapia scored twice, and substitute Brais Mendez scored the winning goal in the fourth minute of added time. The win put Columbus seventh in the Eastern Conference and out of the wild-card round.

Lewandowski penalties put Chicago ahead

Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the 8th minute. Tapia equalised for Columbus at 1-1 in the first half. Lewandowski scored a second penalty in the 22nd minute to put Chicago back in front. Anass Zaroury then equalised at 2-2, less than a minute after Lewandowski's second penalty. Chicago still led at the break. Haile-Selassie scored in the fourth minute of first-half added time to send the Fire in 3-2 ahead, and Columbus had to chase the game for a third time.

Tapia levels again, Mendez wins it

Mendez entered the game at the start of the second half, in place of Sekou Bangoura. It was his first appearance since he played more than 120 minutes in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final loss to St. Louis, after he recovered from a thigh injury. Tapia scored his second goal in the 62nd minute to level the game at 3-3. The winner came deep in added time. Brooks Lennon served a ball into the box, it came off a Fire defender's head to Mendez, and Mendez put his shot into the top right corner. Sportradar listed the goal at 90+3 and recorded full time at 90+6, with the score Chicago Fire 3, Columbus Crew 4.

What the win means

Columbus finished 14-15-5 with 47 points, seventh in the Eastern Conference, after going 9-1-0 in their final 10 MLS games. The win kept Columbus out of the wild-card round. A loss or a draw would have sent Columbus to a wild-card match at FC Cincinnati. Columbus will now face Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in a first-round best-of-three playoff series. Chicago, as the No. 4 seed, will face No. 5 seed Charlotte FC in the first round. Columbus start that series with the form of a team that has lost once in 10 games, and with a winning goal from a player who had just come back from injury.

Timeline

  1. Nov 7, 2026Robert Lewandowski scores two penalty kicks, in the 8th and 22nd minutes, and Haile-Selassie scores in first-half added time as Chicago lead Columbus 3-2 at half time.
  2. Nov 7, 2026Gonzalo Tapia scores his second goal in the 62nd minute to level the game at 3-3 at SeatGeek Stadium.
  3. Nov 7, 2026Brais Mendez, on at half time in his first appearance since the U.S. Open Cup Final, scores the winning goal in added time (listed at 90+3) and Columbus win 4-3.
  4. Nov 7, 2026Columbus finish seventh in the Eastern Conference with 47 points and avoid the wild-card round; they face Inter Miami in Round One.

Sources