{
  "id": 18814154,
  "title": "Brais Mendez keeps Columbus Crew from wildcard matchup in Cincinnati",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/brais-mendez-keeps-columbus-crew-from-wildcard-matchup-in-cincinnati",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-07T23:26:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/brais-mendez-keeps-columbus-crew-232647472.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On November 7, 2026, the Columbus Crew narrowly avoided facing off against FC Cincinnati in a wildcard playoff matchup by defeating the Chicago Fire 4-3 at SeatGeek Stadium. The Crew finished the season with 47 points, securing seventh place in the Eastern Conference and finishing with a 9-1-0 record in their final 10 MLS games. Brais Mendez scored the decisive goal in the fourth minute of added time, completing a comeback that saw the Crew overcome a 3-2 halftime deficit. Gonzalo Tapia was a standout player for the Crew, scoring two goals to lead the team, with his second goal coming in the 62nd minute to tie the game at 3-3. Chicago Fire's goals came from penalty kicks by Lewandowski and Haile-Selassie, as well as a goal from Lewandowski just before halftime. The Crew's victory will see them face Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in a best-of-three series, with the match date to be determined by MLS.",
  "summary": "Brais Mendez scored in added time to give the Columbus Crew a 4-3 win over the Chicago Fire, avoiding a wildcard road game at rival FC Cincinnati.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}