COLUMBUS — Columbus Crew SC today announced that it has informed Columbus Public Health and Franklin County Public Health that the Club will play its Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Round One home match this Saturday at MAPFRE Stadium in front of only an extremely small number of family members and guests of the team (players, staff) in attendance. Supporters that had previously purchased tickets and/or parking for the first postseason match will receive a full refund or credit via their original method of payment.
► HOW TO WATCH COLUMBUS CREW SC VS. NEW YORK RED BULLS
Applicable updates about any potential Audi MLS Cup Playoff matches at MAPFRE Stadium beyond this round will be communicated at a later date.
“Throughout this year, Columbus Crew SC has continued to recognize that circumstances surrounding the pandemic are fluid and as such, we have designed our plans to maximize flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances,” said Crew SC Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer Steve Lyons. “This week, after discussions with local health authorities, we informed Columbus Public Health and Franklin County Public Health today that although we are confident in our Responsible Restart plan and our ability to safely host supporters, we believe today’s decision is the right move for the best interest of our community.”
Continued Lyons: “Despite not being able to host our most ardent supporters on Saturday – whom we know will be disappointed not to be with us – we are pleased with the broad regional and national distribution of our match on television and digital streaming. We know the Crew faithful will be tuning-in and supporting us from afar and we encourage everyone to do their part: maintain social distancing and safe health practices while cheering the Club on in a different manner and location than everyone is used to on a matchday.”
On Saturday, the Club will follow the guidance of MLS and execute robust safety and sanitization protocols for players, staff and select friends and family at MAPFRE Stadium to ensure a safe continuation of the 2020 MLS postseason. No tailgating will be permitted in the MAPFRE Stadium parking lots.
Earlier this year, Crew SC became the first professional sports team in the State of Ohio to safely host supporters through health and safety protocols put in place after Crew SC consulted government health officials, Populous – a leading sports architecture firm and venue reconfiguration expert – along with Major League Soccer and their experts during the creation and implementation of the Health and Safety Protocols.
Tune-in details for this Saturday’s contest are below:
Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Round One:
Columbus Crew SC vs. New York Red Bulls
Saturday, November 21 – 3:00 p.m. ET – MAPFRE Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
National Television: UniMas, TUDN, TUDN App (Stream), MLSsoccer.com & MLS App (Stream)
Regional Television: SportsTime Ohio, FOX Sports GO (Stream) | Coverage begins: 2:30 p.m. ET
Regional Television Channel Guide: https://www.ColumbusCrewSC.com/broadcast
Crew SC Radio: ESPN 1460 AM and streaming online via “Listen Live” at 971TheFan.com. (English); ColumbusCrewSC.com (Spanish).
