With preseason just around the corner, and MLS Cup Final just over a month ago, the Columbus Crew are gearing up for their most congested schedule ever. Between league play and tournaments, the Crew are set for at least one game a week up until the end of the MLS regular season.

But what exactly is Columbus participating in this season? Here’s a breakdown of everything the Black & Gold could feature in.

MLS Regular Season

The MLS regular season is set to begin February 21, with Columbus playing their first match of the season against Atlanta United on February 24. The regular season consists of 34 games, with Columbus playing a majority of teams twice, in the Eastern Conference. Teams such as Atlanta United, New England Revolution, and FC Cincinnati. There will be some teams from the Western Conference sprinkled in, but they will face those teams only once, like Minnesota United, Real Salt Lake, and MLS Cup runners-up Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC).

You can catch the Crew in action on MLS Seasonpass on Apple TV.

CONCACAF Champions Cup

As mentioned before, the Crew will also take part in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. With their MLS Cup victory, the Crew are automatically into the Round of 16, facing off against the winner between the Houston Dynamo and St. Louis CITY SC. The CONCACAF Champions Cup is a more simplistic tournament, as opposed to the infamous UEFA Champions League. CONCACAF Champions Cup doesn’t have group stages, but does have a two-leg system; Or a home-and-home. The winner of the CONCACAF Champions Cup will book their spot in the FIFA Club World Cup. The tournament features teams from the North American region, Central America and the Caribbean.

Campeones Cup

The Campeones Cup will be the second for Columbus, after winning the trophy in 2021, defeating Cruz Azul from Mexico’s Liga MX. The Campeones Cup pits the MLS Cup winner against the Liga MX Clausura winner. It’s unclear who the Crew will face off against, and the matchup should be announced at a later date.

CONCACAF Leagues Cup

In it’s second year, the CONCACAF Leagues Cup features all teams from MLS and Liga MX. With a group stage to start, teams will play each other once in their respective group, and will face a single elimination after the completion. Columbus finished in the knockout round, falling to Minnesota United in a penalty kick shootout. Columbus will look to advance further in the tournament, in hopes to gaining an automatic spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup if they fail to win MLS Cup for a second year in a row.

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the longest running tournament in the United States, spanning over 100+ years. The tournament sees teams from every tier of the United States Soccer Federation pyramid, from UPSL, to NPSL, to USL and MLS. Divided by regions, teams will face-off against other team from around the nation. The longest running domestic tournament was founded by Columbus Crew founder Lamar Hunt.

It’s unclear if the Crew will play in the tournament however, with MLS Commissioner Don Garber pulling MLS Clubs out of the tournament, delegating it to MLS Next Pro teams. US Soccer denied the move, and both parties are currently working to come to a conclusion on who will be represented in the tournament.

With all of the competitions Columbus is involved in, it’s no question that head coach Wilfried Nancy will be heavily rotating the squad week-in and week-out.