OBETZ – The EAS Training Center at Obetz was abuzz Tuesday as Columbus Crew SC prepared for its final matchup against the Eastern Conference-leading Toronto FC. The Black & Gold handed their Trillium Cup rivals their only loss of the season on April 15.

The stakes will be high in Toronto on Friday night, with the game being the rubber match of the 2017 Trillium Cup series. Crew SC will raise the cup with a win.

Little brother responds

Crew SC midfielders Justin Meram and Niko Hansen both played a prominent role in the Black & Gold’s victory over Toronto in the first match of the season. Meram scored the eventual game-winning goal while Hansen added an assist. The two attackers appear to have a unique relationship both on and off the pitch.

After Hansen’s huge assist on his game-winning goal against Montreal on May 13 that also helped complete Meram's hat trick, Meram referred to himself as Hansen’s “big brother.” The young midfielder responded on Tuesday.

“I see him as a role model for myself,” Hansen said. “I think that’s why the joke now is ‘big bro, little bro.’ I watch him at training all the time and he’s always doing things that I want to emulate and things that I want to get better at. Him being a player that’s similar to me, it’s important to see that things can be successful like that and things that I can work on.”

Meram even went so far to say that Hansen is progressing better in his rookie year than he did himself once upon a time. Hansen seems to be more focused on continuing the chase of his role model.

“That’s always nice to hear, but I think there’s still a lot of work to do,” Hansen said. “He may think he started behind me or that I may be a little ahead of him now, but it still takes a lot of hard work to get where he is and I think I have to keep going forward with that.”

‘We can hurt them’

Toronto FC is unbeaten in their last seven matches — since the 2-1 loss to the Black & Gold at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus on April 15. Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter realizes that the match against the top-ranked Reds will require some preparation.

“We’ll watch a bunch of tape and prepare to go up there and play a good game,” Berhalter said. “It’s a good team. They have one loss. That loss happens to be to us, so we know that we can hurt them. Now we just need to come up with a game plan to be able to do so.”

Off the shelf

Crew SC goalkeeper Brad Stuver returned from injury and dressed on Sunday in New England after missing seven games with a right elbow strain. The 26-year-old from Twinsburg discussed the feeling of traveling with the team once again on Tuesday at the EAS Training Center at Obetz.

“It feels good,” Stuver said. “I missed the guys. I missed traveling with them. Being in the hotel, being there on game day, it’s a feeling like none other and I’m glad I can be there and pump them up and be there when needed.”

Seeing Red, again

Friday’s match will mark the third pairing of Crew SC and Toronto over a span of 42 days. Columbus midfielder Hector Jimenez understands that familiarity is a factor and that the Black & Gold’s victory earlier this season gives them confidence. 

“We know that we’re the only team that they’ve lost to. We’ve got to be ready for a battle. And hopefully we can come out with three points. It won’t be an easy game but if we play to our full potential, I think we can do some damage to them.”

They said it...

The 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup kicked off on Saturday to much fanfare and excitement across the sporting world. Crew SC goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who served international duty for the U-20 United States team four years ago, gave his prediction for the U.S. as the tournament continues over the coming days.

“They’ll definitely make it out of their group. I watched a little bit of qualifications and they have a strong team. They have a good coaching staff so I’m pretty confident that they can go far as long as they compete as a team and stick together.”

►Crew SC goalkeeper Zack Steffen

Crew SC will next travel north for the final leg of the Trillium Cup against Toronto FC on Friday, May 26 at 7 p.m. ET.

The Black & Gold return to MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus to host the defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders on May 31.