Playoff hopes for Columbus Crew, Charlotte FC on the line tonight

There will be drama at Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina tonight.

What’s happening: It’s a battle between an expansion side and a storied club as Charlotte FC hosts the Crew at 7pm in each team’s penultimate regular season MLS match.

Why it matters: The playoffs are on the line — as well as coach Caleb Porter’s house, if he follows through with a bold preseason bet.

• Pressure is mounting for the Crew, who won the MLS Cup in 2020 but failed to qualify for the playoffs last season with a disappointing ninth-place finish.
• A win tonight won’t clinch a spot for either side, but it will keep them alive on Decision Day (the final day of the regular season)

How it works: MLS postseason play includes the top seven teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences. Both teams currently sit below seventh in the East.

By the numbers: Columbus is eighth with a record of 10-7-15 and 45 points. Charlotte’s directly below them in ninth with 41 points at 13-17-2.

• A win is worth three points. A tie is worth one.
• Columbus has been playing the long game, with more draws than any other MLS team.

Yes, but: Even if both sides claim all six points from their last two matches, that doesn’t guarantee they’ll make the playoffs. They need other teams to lose, particularly seventh-place Inter Miami, which plays tonight and Sunday.

The intrigue: Tonight’s match — postponed from July due to a thunderstorm — will pick back up in the 16th minute. MLS policy dictates both teams have the same players on the field and the same subs for both matches.

• Injured or unavailable players can only be replaced by a substitute on July’s official game roster. Goalkeepers are the exception.
• Crew forward Cucho Hernandez, who was suspended from last Saturday’s game for using offensive language, will be back in action.

Flashback: Columbus hosted Charlotte in June. It ended in a one-all draw. The two sides also met in February during a preseason tournament in Charleston, which ended 0-0.

The bottom line: Tonight is a must-win for both sides.