**Columbus rolls out the welcome mat at home, but Charlotte's hot streak has other plans.** 🔥 The Crew are winless in three, while Charlotte's pulling off wins left and right—this is the classic "form matters more than home turf" fixture.

Columbus have been leaky defending (three losses in five), and losing **W. Abou Ali** to ACL injury hurts the backline depth. Charlotte, meanwhile, are riding **A. Saint-Maximin** and co. with genuine momentum—3 wins in their last 5 is no joke.

Key storylines:

- **Columbus's defense** needs to tighten up fast; Charlotte's attack thrives on chaos and transition play
- **Charlotte's road resilience** has been quietly impressive—winning away at **DC United** shows they travel well
- **G. Tapia** and the Crew midfield hold the key to controlling tempo and breaking down Charlotte's compact shape

Expected lineups:

- **Columbus Crew**: P. Schulte, S. Zawadzki, M. Amundsen, C. Ruvalcaba, S. Moreira, B. Méndez, T. Habroune, T. Karumanchi, A. Gomes, G. Tapia, C. Adams
- **Charlotte FC**: K. Kahlina, D. Schnegg, H. Kessler, T. Ream, W. Cleary, P. Biel, A. Westwood, D. Diani, A. Saint-Maximin, I. Toklomati, L. Abada

Prediction:

**Charlotte 2–1 Columbus.** Charlotte's form and Charlotte's H2H edge give them a slight favorite lean; Columbus just look short on defensive cohesion right now.