Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy believes his team are "almost there" in reaching their full potential after their Hell is Real draw with FC Cincinnati.

Nancy watched on as Diego Rossi's 54th-minute penalty cancelled out Kevin Denkey's early opener, with the spoils shared at Lower.com Field last weekend.

It was a game that the Crew dominated, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.88 from their 16 shots to Cincinnati's 0.87 from their 10 attempts.

And Nancy believes that Columbus, who are third in the Eastern Conference, are close to their best, saying: "We were almost there. That's why football is so difficult.

"There are certain things sometimes that are irrational. They are disappointed because they know that we could have scored more goals, but again, I'm confident that it will come.

"It's football. When you play this kind of game, football, the most difficult thing is to finish. We know that.

"It was an unbelievable game because it was wave after wave. After that, yeah, execution, final execution from everyone because we had the possibility to score many goals."

The Crew face Charlotte FC this weekend, with Dean Smith's team enduring a poor run of form that has seen them drop to eighth in the Eastern Conference table.

Smith watched on as his team were thumped 4-1 by the Chicago Fire last time out, with Brian Gutierrez's brace helping his team go level with Charlotte in the standings. 

And speaking ahead of welcoming the Crew to the Bank of America Stadium, Smith urged his squad to go back to basics in order to halt their losing streak. 

"We have to be consistent with what we do," Smith said. "We have to make sure that we train well and make sure the right messages are given.

"Because the only way you get out of a poor run is to do the right things, go back to basics and make sure we are all doing the right things."

Charlotte have only won two of their seven meetings with Columbus (D3 L2), and will need a victory to get their season back on track. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Charlotte – Patrick Agyemang

Agyemang scored his 14th career MLS goal for Charlotte in their loss to the Fire on Saturday, with 10 of those coming at home.

No player has scored more goals at Bank of America Stadium than Agyemang since he made his home debut for Charlotte in June 2023.

Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi

Rossi has been the Crew's standout performer this season, registering nine goal involvements (seven goals, two assists) in the MLS this campaign. 

Against Cincinnati, he ended with team-high totals for shots (three) and successful dribbles (two) and he will be key for Columbus this weekend. 

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

The home side has never lost in any of the seven meetings between Charlotte and Columbus. The Crown has a record of W2 D1 in three home matches against the Crew.

But Smith's side have lost five straight regular-season matches for the first time in club history. They had suffered only five defeats in their previous 21 league matches dating back to last July.

Columbus, meanwhile, are unbeaten in 11 straight regular-season away matches dating back to last August (W6 D5). It's the second-longest regular-season road unbeaten run in MLS history, behind only a 12-match run by FC Dallas in 2010.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Charlotte – 24.8%

Draw – 24.4%

Columbus Crew – 47.2%