Nine total shutouts, including five shutout victories at MAPFRE Stadium, and another strong performance from Gyasi Zardes keep the Black & Gold atop the most recent Power Rankings lists from MLSsoccer.com & ESPN.
See below for the respective sites' explanations.
MLSsoccer.com: 1st
Previous ranking: 1st
"The Crew sit atop the Supporters’ Shield standings with four goals against and nine shutouts on the year. Focus understandably shifts to how they can slice opposing teams apart, but Columbus’ backline deserves a ton of credit. Center back Jonathan Mensah is a rock and left-back Milton Valenzuela is proving how dearly he was missed in 2019."
ESPN.com: 1st
Previous ranking: 1st
"Gyasi Zardes continued his exceptional form in the 2-0 win over Nashville, scoring one and assisting on the other. He has four goals and a pair of assists in his past three appearances and is second in MLS for goals scored, one behind LAFC's Diego Rossi."
