Brais Mendez keeps Columbus Crew from wildcard matchup in Cincinnati

It took three comeback efforts plus Brais Mendez's winning goal second half added time, but the Crew narrowly avoided a wildcard version of the "Hell is Real" rivalry thanks to a narrow 4-3 victory over the Chicago Fire on Nov. 7 at SeatGeek Stadium.More: Columbus NWSL 2028 names Lucy Rushton as first general managerHad the Crew (14-15-5) lost or finished with a draw, they would've opened the playoffs on the road with a tough rivalry game against FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium. Thanks to Mendez's left foot sending a shot under the crossbar in the fourth minute of added time, they'll avoid the wildcard by finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference with 47 points — going 9-1-0 in the final 10 MLS games.The Crew will now face Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in a first-round, best-of-three series. The start date will be released by MLS by 5 p.m. ET on Nov. 8.Gonzalo Tapia scored two goals to lead the Crew, whose other goal came from Anass Zaroury. Tapia's second goal, scored in the second half, was his second equalizer of the game to tie it 3-3 in the 62nd minute.Chicago led 3-2 at the half on two goals off penalty kicks by Lewandowski and Haile-Selassie's goal to break a 2-2 tie in the fourth minute of added time. Lewandowski converted on penalty kicks in the eighth and 22nd minutes for leads of 1-0 and 2-1, both after fouls inside the penalty area committed by Crew midfielder Sekou Bangoura on a hand ball and trip.Tapia and Zaroury netted the equalizers for Columbus in the first half to tie it 1-1 on Tapia's first goal and 2-2 on Zaroury's tally less than a minute after Lewandowski's second penalty kick.MÉNDEZ CALLS GAME AND COMPLETES THE COMEBACK 🤯 pic.twitter.com/bKTWgacfYI— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) November 7, 2026Crew 4, Fire 3: How the match was wonBrooks Lennon served a ball into the Fire's box in added time to close the game, sending it off a Fire defender's head to Mendez, who played just the second half. After settling the ball, he quickly shot it in to the top right corner of the net for the winner.Tapia turned on the jets 🚀A beautiful ball from Amundsen and we are level once again 😤 pic.twitter.com/JsJ6KWDHj6— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) November 7, 2026Goal of the game: Crew striker Gonzalo TapiaAfter watching Malte Amundsen send a deep lob over his head into space on the left side of the box in the Chicago half, Tapia just won a footrace to it by a step and sent a low diagonal shot that beat Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady to the far side of the goal.His second goal of the game and sixth of the season was another huge one, giving the Crew a chance to push for a win in the final 20-plus minutes.Save of the game: Crew goalkeeper Patrick SchulteThe Crew already trailed 1-0 after Lewandowski's first penalty kick in the game's eighth minute, so the stop Schulte made five minutes later had added importance by keeping Columbus from trailing by two goals. Haile-Selassie got a look right from the doorstep after Chicago worked the ball into the goal area, but Schulte dropped to his right and stopped it clean.Three minutes later, Tapia tied it with his first goal of the game.Crew lineup notesColumbus went with a starting lineup that interim coach Laurent Courtois used in the previous three games played without Mendez, who was out recovering from a thigh injury. Mendez, however, was available to sub for the first time since playing 120-plus minutes in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final loss to St. Louis. He entered the game to replace Bangoura at the start of the second half. 'Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.comThis article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Brais Mendez keeps Columbus Crew from wildcard matchup in Cincinnati