Columbus Crew secured a 4-2 victory over Toronto FC on Saturday, moving into a playoff position in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. The match, played at Columbus, marked a significant turnaround for the Crew, who have now won five of their last six games.

Malte Amundsen was a central figure for Columbus, scoring twice during the first half and early second half. His goals, along with a strike by Brooks Lennon, helped the team build a 4-0 lead by the 59th minute. Santi Rodriguez contributed to the offensive effort with two assists, while Dylan Chambost recorded three assists, supporting the Crew’s offensive dominance.

Gonzalo Tapia opened the scoring for Columbus in the 16th minute, giving the team an early advantage. Amundsen doubled the lead in the 21st minute and added a second goal in the 48th. Lennon extended the advantage with a goal in the 59th minute before Toronto began a late rally.

Toronto FC, trailing by four with 30 minutes remaining, was down to 10 players after Sekou Bangoura received a second yellow card in the 71st minute, reducing the visitors’ chances of staging a comeback. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Toronto responded with goals from Daniel Salloi in the 69th minute and Josh Sargent in the 81st minute, narrowing the margin to 4-2.

The loss ended Toronto’s three-match unbeaten streak. With this win, Columbus improved to an 11-15-5 record, totaling 38 points, which propelled them from 11th to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, securing the final playoff spot as of Saturday. Toronto, now 8-11-12 with 36 points, fell just below Columbus and remained outside the playoff positions. The movement in the standings remains subject to results from later matches on Saturday involving other teams.