The Black & Gold head north this weekend to take on the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview after three straight wins. The match will be held at Toyota Park with a 2 p.m. ET kickoff and can be viewed on ABC-6, Spectrum Sports, and BCSN2 in Ohio or nationally via MLS Live.

The Midwest rivals will tangle for a second time this season. Overall, Crew SC hold a 17-24-17 record against Chicago. The two teams have met once already this season, resulting in a 1-1 draw at MAPFRE Stadium in the season opener on March 4.

The Black & Gold then return home for the first leg of the Trillium Cup against Toronto FC on April 15 for an 8 p.m. kickoff at MAPFRE Stadium.

LAST MATCH RECAP

MERAM RECORDS BRACE IN WIN OVER ORLANDO CITY SC

Crew SC notched its third consecutive victory of the regular season this past Saturday against Orlando City SC. Midfielder Justin Meram scored early in the first half (13’) through an assist by Artur to put the Black & Gold ahead. Meram then scored a 77^th minute goal (assisted by Federico Higuain) to make it 2-0 in favor of the hosts. Meram’s performance was good enough to earn him Acura Man of the Match honors as well as a spot in MLSSoccer.com’s Team of the Week. The 2-0 win over the Lions was Crew SC’s second shutout of the season. The team has now won three consecutive games dating back to a 2-0 win over D.C. at RFK Stadium on March 18.

CREW SC & CHICAGO FIRE AT A GLANCE

Columbus Crew SC regular-season record: 17-24-18 (88 GF, 84 GA)
Home games: 11-10-8
Road games: 6-14-10

LAST 3 REGULAR-SEASON MEETINGS

CREW SC TO FACE CHICAGO FOR 2ND OF 3 MEETINGS

This weekend’s match marks the 60th all-time regular-season meeting between the two clubs, with the Black & Gold holding a 17-24-18 record against Chicago. In the first meeting between the two clubs this season on March 4, the teams played to a 1-1 draw at MAPFRE Stadium. Last year, Crew SC went 1-1-1 against the Chicago Fire in the regular season.

LAST REGULAR-SEASON MEETING

On March 4, Crew SC played Chicago at MAPFRE Stadium on Opening Match, presented by MAPFRE Insurance. Ethan Finlay put the Black & Gold ahead in the 17th minute (assisted by Meram) but Chicago was able to draw level in the second half through a second-half goal by David Accam (assisted by John Goossens). The game nished in a 1-1 draw.

COACHES

Gregg Berhalter (40-36-31, Columbus Crew SC: ‘14 - Present)
vs.
Veljko Paunovic (8-18-12, Chicago Fire: ‘16 - Present)

WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN

Saturday’s contest kicks-off at 2 p.m. ET and is set to be televised regionally on ABC-6, Spectrum Sports and BCSN2, with Neil Sika and Dwight Burgess on the call. Coverage on ABC-6 begins at 2 p.m. ET. Exclusively on Spectrum Sports and BCSN2, “Crew SC Matchday,” the pre-match show, begins at 1:30 p.m. ET, with “Crew SC Post-Match” immediately following the action. Locally, the contest is available via the radio in English on CD102.5 FM and in Spanish on La Mega 103.1 FM. The English radio broadcast also is set to stream live on ColumbusCrewSC.com. The Spanish radio calls are also set to be streamed in Spanish on the LaMega1 App and via Tunein Radio as WVKOFM. The game can be watched internationally via the following: FOX Sports Latin America, Abu Dhabi Sports, BeIN Sports Australia, BeIN Sports Asia, and FOX Sports Africa.

THOUGHTS ON THE WIN VS. ORLANDO

“I told the guys that this win will go a long way because it doesn’t always have to be pretty, but it’s the fact that mentally you can grind through it and make some big plays at big times to get the win.”

►Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter

“I think we executed our game plan very well defensively. In the rst half we limited them to very little and in the second half we were able to weather the storm. When you go up at home – or you go up anywhere really – the other team is going to get their chances, so being able to weather the storm and take the pressure is big.”

►Defender Alex Crognale

TRIO NAMED TO MLS TOTW

Meram and Artur as well as defender Crognale were named to MLSSoccer.com’s Team of the Week following their performances against Orlando City SC on Saturday. is marks the third week in a row that two or more Black & Gold players are featured in MLSSoccer.com’s Team of the Week dating back to the third week of the season.

MERAM CONTINUES HOT STREAK

Meram scored both of Crew SC’s goals in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Orlando City SC. This was Meram’s second-ever brace in the regular season and his first brace since a 3-0 win at MAPFRE Stadium against Chivas USA on September 7, 2014. The midfielder’s performance against Orlando was good enough to earn him a spot in MLSSoccer.com’s Team of the Week. Meram – who has tallied three goals in his last two games – has directly contributed to five of the Black & Gold’s nine goals during the 2017 MLS regular season. 

“I just think staying humble, loving my teammates who play for this club – I think that’s kind of my mindset: doing what I can to help succeed and I know I have qualities on the ball, so I’m just going to play my role. When I do that and stick to the game plan, I’m pretty successful.”

►Midfielder Justin Meram

CONSISTENCY: JUSTIN MERAM

Since the 2013 MLS season, Meram ranks fourth in completed dribbles (169/375) with a success rate of 45.07. Since August 21, 2016, no other MLS player has provided more assists (7) or completed more dribbles (50) than Meram during the regular season. To date, he has made 159 regular-season appearances (107 starts), scored 27 goals and provided 28 assists.

ARTUR TALLIES 1ST ASSIST 

Midfielder Artur notched his first regular-season assist for the Black & Gold in Saturday’s match against Orlando, setting up Justin Meram’s first goal of the evening. In addition to providing the assist on the winning goal, the Brazilian made five tackles against the Lions, two more than anyone else on the field for either team. Similarly, his passing percentage on Saturday was 89.1 percent, the second-highest for Crew SC on the night. Artur’s performance against Orlando saw him earn MLSSoccer.com’s Team of the Week honors. The midfielder has made ve appearances (four starts) for the Black & Gold in the 2017 MLS regular season.

“We played as a team – together – everyone was trying to help one another. When we play like that as a team, we play well individually.”

►Midfielder Artur

CROGNALE: A ROCK ON DEFENSE

Defender Alex Crognale made his second regular-season start for the club in Saturday’s match against Orlando, helping the Black & Gold earn its second clean sheet of the 2017 MLS season. The Crew SC Academy product played the entire 90 minutes, making nine clearances and finishing with an 86.5 percent passing accuracy percentage, which earned him a spot in MLSSoccer.com’s Team of the Week. The Black & Gold have not conceded a goal during the time that Crognale has been on the field (197 minutes).

“It’s great to see players of (Cyle Larin's) stature. Those are big strong guys so I feel comfortable playing against a big striker now. And I guess next time we’ll see when we face a smaller guy it will be a different type of game for me."

►Defender Alex Crognale

TACKLING: BY THE NUMBERS

Crew SC players have attempted a total of 83 tackles through five regular-season matches in 2017, winning 57 of them. Midfielders Wil Trapp and Artur lead the pack with 14 attempted tackles each, with Trapp winning nine tackles while Artur has won eight tackles. Behind the midfield duo is defender Jonathan Mensah, who has won six of his nine attempted tackles. Out of players who have had three or more attempted tackles, defender Jukka Raitala has the highest success rate with 85.7 percent, having won six of his seven attempted tackles.

IRON MEN

Through five regular-season matches this year, three players lead the club when it comes to minutes played. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen, defender Nico Naess, and Higuain have all played 450 minutes to date, playing every minute of every match for the club in the 2017 MLS season.

3 WINS IN A ROW

This past weekend, Crew SC earned its third victory of the 2017 MLS season and the club’s third consecutive victory of the regular season, marking the first time the club wins three regular-season matches in a row dating back to 2014. The Black & Gold’s last three consecutive regular-season victories came on October 11, 2014 against the Philadelphia Union (3-2), October 19, 2014 against the New York Red Bulls (3-1) and on October 26, 2014 against the Philadelphia Union (2-1).

STEFFEN EARNS 3RD WIN, 2ND SHUTOUT

Steffen recorded his second regular-season shutout for the Black & Gold last weekend against Orlando City SC. In the process, he earned his third regular-season career win with the club. Steffen faced a total of 14 shots (four on target), stopping all shots on target and recording a season-high four saves in the game, bringing his total to 13 on the year. Steffen’s four saves earned his team a clean sheet, helped win three points and brought his Goals Against Average (GAA) to 1.20 so far this season. The win was his third this season, with the 22 year-old goalkeeper earning his two other wins this season on the road at D.C. United (March 18) - his only other clean sheet this season - and at home against the Portland Timbers (March 25).

PASSING ITS WAY TO THE TOP

Five matches into the 2017 MLS season, Crew SC leads the League in touches (3491), passes (2,584) and completed passes (2,120) while holding the second highest passing accuracy percentage in the League (82.04%) according to Opta. The Black & Gold also lead the League in passes in the opponent’s half (1,446) and successful passes in the opponent’s half (1,094). Additionally, Crew SC is in second place when it comes to passes into the final third with 321. Per Opta, Wil Trapp has attempted and completed the highest number of passes for the Black & Gold (354 out of 388) for a passing accuracy percentage of 91.24 percent, the highest on the team. He also leads the way when it comes to completed passes in the opponent’s half, having completed 165, one more than teammate Higuain. On the defensive end, Crew SC is one of only four teams to have made over 300 recoveries (311).