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Top 10 Best Columbus Crew Players of All Time

The Columbus Crew was one of the inaugural clubs in the MLS and have played for over 25 seasons. The Crew have won two MLS Cups, three Supporters’ Shields, the US Open Cup in 2002, and the Campeones Cup in 2021. Listed below are the greatest players in the club’s history and what are their accomplishments for the crew.

Who Are the Best Columbus Crew Soccer Players of All Time?

Brian McBride
Guillermo Barros Schelotto
Chad Marshall
Jeff Cunningham
Federico Higuaín
Eddie Gaven
Justin Meram
Will Hesmer
Jonathan Mensah
Gyasi Zardes

1. Brian McBride

2002 US Open Cup winner
Most goals in Crew history
Fourth-most assists in Crew history

Brian McBride joined the Columbus Crew for the club’s inaugural season in 1996. McBride is the leading goal-scorer in the Crew’s history and helped the club win its first trophy in the MLS. The center-forward led Columbus with 17 goals during the 1996 season. McBride had double-digit goal contributions in each of the following three seasons after that. The forward helped the Crew win its first trophy with the 2002 US Open Cup. McBride scored 12 goals in 2013 which was his final year with the club.

The American played for Fulham for five years before returning to the MLS and eventually retiring following the 2010 campaign. The forward appeared in 190 matches across all competitions for the Crew. McBride’s 77 goals for Columbus are the most in the club’s history. His 40 assists are also the fourth-most by any player for the Crew.

2. Guillermo Barros Schelotto

2008 MLS MVP
2008 MLS champion
Two-time Supporters’ Shield winner

Guillermo Barros Schelotto joined the Columbus Crew in 2007 after playing professionally in Argentina. Schelotto won an MLS MVP and multiple trophies during his tenure with the club. The center-forward had five goals and nine assists during his first season with the Crew. Schelotto scored seven goals and led the MLS with 16 assists in 2008. The Argentinian won the MLS MVP that season as well as the MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield for Columbus. He won the Supporter’s Shield once again in 2009. Schelotto scored 12 goals that year and added three assists. In his final season with the club, the forward had nine goals and eight assists in 2010.

The Argentinian returned to his home country following that MLS campaign and retired shortly after. The forward scored 38 goals and had 43 assists during his 118 matches across all competitions with the club. Schelotto finished with the third most assists in Columbus’ history and the tenth most goals.

3. Chad Marshall

2008 MLS champion
Three-time Supporters’ Shields winner
2009 MLS Defender of the Year

Chad Marshall was the second overall pick in the 2004 MLS Draft by the Columbus Crew. Marshall won many trophies with the club and was named the 2009 MLS Defender of the Year. The center-back won his first of three Supporters’ Shields with the Crew in his first MLS season. Marshall also won the 2008 MLS Cup with the Crew. The defender scored his most goals in 2008 as well as he put four balls in the back of the net. He was listed as a finalist for the MLS Defender of the Year in 2008 and won the award in 2009.

Marshall consistently played for Columbus for ten years before joining the Seattle Sounders in 2013. He later retired after the 2019 campaign. Marshall appeared in 272 matches across all competitions for the Crew which is more than any other player in the club’s history.

4. Jeff Cunningham

2002 US Open Cup winner
2004 Supporters’ Shield winner
Second-most goals in Crew history

Jeff Cunningham was the ninth overall selection in the 1998 MLS Draft by the Columbus Crew. Cunningham scored the second-most goals in the club’s history and won multiple trophies for Columbus. The center-forward scored eight goals during his first year with the Crew. His goal total increased to 12 in 1999 and he added another 12 over the following two seasons. Cunningham scored 16 goals in 2002 while helping the club win the US Open Cup. The forward had 13 goal contributions in 2004 while Columbus took home the Supporters’ Shield.

2004 was Cunningham’s last season with the Crew. He later led the MLS twice in goals scored and enjoyed a long career in the league. The forward appeared in 224 matches during his tenure which is the fifth-most by a player in the club’s history. His 68 goals for the Crew are the second-most for the Crew and his 35 assists are the fifth-most in club history.

5. Federico Higuaín

Most assists in Crew history
Fourth-most goals in Crew history
Sixth-most games in Crew history

Federico Higuaín joined the Columbus Crew in 2012 after playing professionally in many different countries. Higuaín is in the top ten for many statistical categories in the club’s history, including goals, assists, and games played. The attacking midfielder scored five goals and added six assists in his first season with the club. Higauín’s best season with Columbus came in 2013 when he had eleven goals and nine assists. The Argentinian had 17 and 16 goal contributions in the following two seasons respectively. After a down in 2016, Higuaín rebounded with nine goals and nine assists.

The midfielder played for the club until 2019 and he retired in 2021. Higuaín has appeared in 210 matches for the club which is the sixth-most in Columbus’ history. His 68 goals are the fourth-most in club history while his 35 assists are the most in the Crew’s history.

6. Eddie Gaven

2008 MLS champion
Two-time Supporters’ Shield winner
Third-most games in Crew history

Eddie Gaven was a second-round pick by the MetroStars in 2003 and he later joined the Columbus Crew in 2006. Gaven won multiple trophies with the Crew and is in the top ten for many statistical categories in club history. The winger had eight goal contributions as a 19-year-old in 2006. Gaven increased his output to five goals and six assists in the following season. He helped Columbus win the 2008 MLS Cup and Supporter’s Shield. He also won the Supporters’ Shield in 2009 with the club.

Gaven had 23 goal contributions between 2008 and 2011 for the Crew. The winger was tied for the club lead in goals with nine in 2012. Gaven retired after the 2013 campaign where he had three assists. He appeared in 236 matches for the Crew which is the third-most by any player in the club’s history. Gaven’s 40 goals and 26 assists were also the eighth and ninth-best respectively for Columbus.

7. Justin Meram

Fourth-most games in Crew history
Sixth-most goals in Crew history
Sixth-most assists in Crew history

Justin Meram was the fifteenth pick in the 2011 MLS Draft by the Columbus Crew. Meram played for the club for nine years and is one of the best offensive players in the Crew’s history. The left winger debuted for the club in 2011 but did not receive a major role until 2014. Meram scored eight goals and had four assists that year. He added ten goal contributions in 2015 before having his two best seasons with Columbus. Meram had five goals and ten assists in 2016 as well as 13 goals and five assists in 2017.

Meram went to Orlando for a year before returning to Columbus in 2018. The winger played in parts of two seasons for the club before leaving once again for Atlanta United. Meram appeared in 233 matches across all competitions which is the fourth-most in the Crew’s history. His 43 goals and 34 assists are both the sixth-most in the club’s history.

8. Will Hesmer

2008 MLS champion
Two-time Supporters’ Shield winner
Most games by a goalie in Crew history

Will Hesmer was a second-round pick by the Kansas City Wizards in the 2004 MLS Draft and he later joined the Columbus Crew in 2007. Hesmer has played in the most games by a goalie in club history. The goalkeeper started 20 games in his first season with the Crew and won eight games while keeping five clean sheets.

Hesmer led the MLS with ten clean sheets and a 34.5 clean sheet percentage in 2008. He also won 17 of his 29 games that year as Columbus won the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup that year. Hesmer helped the team win its second-consecutive Supporters’ Shield in 2009 as well. The goalkeeper had 14 wins and a career-high eleven clean sheets in 2010. He followed that up with eleven wins and eight clean sheets in his final season with the Crew. Hesmer appeared in 145 matches across all competitions which is more than any other goalkeeper for the club.

9. Jonathan Mensah

2020 MLS Champion
2021 Campeones Cup Winner
2020 MLS Defender of the Year Finalist

Jonathan Mensah played professionally throughout Europe before joining the Columbus Crew in 2017. Mensah is one of the best defenders in the club’s history and he won multiple trophies with the club. The center-back had three goal contributions in 26 games during the 2017 campaign. That marked Mensah’s highest total in the category which was later tied in his last season with the club in 2022. He helped Columbus win the 2020 MLS Cup as well as the 2021 Campeones Cup. Mensah led the MLS in minutes played and clearances in 2020 while finishing as a finalist for the 2020 MLS Defender of the Year Award.

After playing with the Crew for six years, the defender left the club after the 2022 season and joined the San Jose Earthquakes. Mensah appeared in 145 matches across all competitions and scored nine goals while adding four assists.

10. Gyasi Zardes

2020 MLS champion
2021 Campeones Cup winner
Third-most goals in Crew history

Gyasi Zardes joined the Columbus Crew in 2018 after playing throughout the United States. Zardes helped the club win multiple trophies and is one of the best goal-scorers in the Crew’s history. The center-forward scored 19 goals in his first season with Columbus. He followed that up with 13 goals in 2019 and 12 goals in 2020. Zardes led the club in goal-scoring during each of his first three seasons with the Crew. The forward won his first trophy with Columbus in 2020 as they took home the MLS Cup. He won the 2021 Campeones Cup as well with the club.

Zardes scored nine goals in 2021 and left the Crew during the 2022 campaign to join the Colorado Rapids. He scored 61 goals during his tenure with the club which is the third-most by any player in Columbus’ history. The forward also had nine assists and appeared in 122 total matches.