Columbus Crew Cruise Past Lifeless Rapids in 3-0 Rout

So much for defensive grit and low-event soccer. Columbus Crew dismantled the Colorado Rapids 3-0 at home, turning DarkHorse's under 2.5 pick into confetti before halftime was even over. The Crew, who'd been sleepwalking through their recent home matches at 1.62 goals-per-game, suddenly remembered they're a quality MLS side and put on a finishing clinic the Rapids had no answer for.

Colorado arrived in Ohio averaging a pathetic 0.43 goals-per-game on the road, and they stayed true to form—blanked entirely, barely threatening all night. Their negative-five goals-versus-expected differential? It got worse. Meanwhile, Columbus flipped the script on their own underwhelming offensive numbers, cashing three goals despite coming in at just 1.41 per game overall. Turns out playing a punchless away side is excellent medicine for scoring woes.

The under 2.5 miss stings because the logic was sound—both teams had been trending ice-cold. But soccer doesn't care about your spreadsheets when one side decides to actually show up. Columbus capitalized on a Rapids defense that folded like a lawn chair, and three goals later, we're left holding a losing ticket. Credit where due: the Crew executed. Colorado? They were passengers on a flight to nowhere.