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Méndez's 93rd-minute stunner lifts Columbus Crew past Chicago Fire 4-3 and into a playoff date with Messi's Inter Miami

Columbus, Ohio • November 8, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

A soccer player in a black-and-gold kit striking the ball toward goal in a packed stadium at night under floodlights

Illustration: Press Pass USA

Brais Méndez scored in the 93rd minute Saturday as the Columbus Crew rallied from three separate deficits to beat the Chicago Fire 4-3 on Decision Day, sealing a direct place in the MLS Cup Playoffs and a first-round series against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.

The Crew trailed three times at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, and were seconds away from a draw that would have sent them into a wild-card playoff against Ohio rivals FC Cincinnati. Instead, Méndez — a halftime substitute — settled a Brooks Lennon cross that deflected off a Fire defender's head and drove a left-footed shot into the top-right corner in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, giving Columbus its first lead of the match and the only one it needed.

Gonzalo Tapia scored twice for the Crew, tying the game in the 16th minute and again in the 62nd, and Anass Zaroury added a first-half equalizer. Taha Habroune assisted on two of the goals. For Chicago, Robert Lewandowski scored twice from the penalty spot in a five-goal first half.

The win extended the Crew's winning streak to six matches and capped a remarkable late-season run: Columbus went 9-2-0 since the start of September after sitting last in the Eastern Conference just a few weeks ago. The Crew finished 14-15-5 with 47 points, jumping from ninth place to seventh and leapfrogging FC Cincinnati, which lost 2-0 to Nashville on Saturday and will instead play Orlando City in the wild-card match.

The reward for avoiding the wild card is a best-of-three first-round series against No. 2 seed Inter Miami, the reigning MLS Cup champions, led by Messi. The Crew will open the series on the road in Miami. Dates and times were to be released by 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 8.

Méndez finished his first regular season with the Crew with six goals and four assists in 14 appearances, 10 of them starts. Miami, meanwhile, closed its regular season by giving away a 3-0 lead in a 3-3 draw with Charlotte, with Messi finishing on 26 goals.

Sources: The Associated Press, via TSN, "Gonzalo Tapia, Brais Méndez help Crew avoid MLS Cup wild-card match with 4-3 victory over Fire" (Nov. 8, 2026); The Columbus Dispatch, "Columbus Crew top Chicago, set to face Lionel Messi, Miami in playoffs" (Nov. 7, 2026); MLSsoccer.com, "Columbus Crew earn playoff date with Leo Messi & Inter Miami" (Nov. 8, 2026). Event date verified: the match was played Saturday, November 7, 2026, at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.