[5] The Crew are currently operated by an ownership group led by the Haslam family (also owners of the Cleveland Browns and Pilot Corporation) and former team physician Pete Edwards.

However, by the time it was chosen as the official name of the team, it was detached from the famous explorer and instead pitched as representative of Midwestern hard work.

[11][21] The aforementioned Dante Washington was acquired from the Dallas Burn to replace Stern John, but his 13 goals in 2000 was not enough to propel the Crew to the playoffs.

The Crew won the Supporters' Shield set a franchise record for points, 49, by going 12–5–13, thanks in part to an 18-game unbeaten streak (8–0–10) to end the season.

Despite winning the MLS Coach of the Year Award in 2004,[23] Andrulis was replaced on an interim basis by Robert Warzycha midway through the 2005 season.

[27] The 2007 season in Major League Soccer started with news that global icon David Beckham signed with the LA Galaxy.

After going 17–7–6 in the regular season, the Black & Gold won playoff games against Kansas City and Chicago Fire before beating the New York Red Bulls 3–1 in the final.

[35][36] Columbus finished the regular season ninth in the league at 13–13–8, and lost in the wild card round of the playoffs to the Colorado Rapids.

[40] On the field, the club lost in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup to the Dayton Dutch Lions in USL Pro,[36] and finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with 52 points and a 15–12–7 record.

[41][42][43] On September 2, 2013, the Crew parted ways with Head Coach Robert Warzycha after an embarrassing home loss to the Seattle Sounders, combined with a highly frustrated fanbase.

[45] Precourt upgraded portions of Crew Stadium, as well as evolving the team's brand in a way that identified with the city of Columbus, all within his first 15 months with the club.

[50] Off the field, the Black & Gold announced sports industry veteran Andy Loughnane as its new President of Business Operations on August 16, 2014.

Along with Kamara, Ethan Finlay and Waylon Francis received spots in the 2015 MLS All-Star Game versus English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

[65] On the issue, the mayor stated it was "obvious that Don Garber nor PSV (Precourt Sports Ventures) had any commitment for the team to stay in Columbus".

[67] On March 5, 2018, Ohio attorney general Mike DeWine and Columbus city attorney Zach Klein filed a lawsuit against Precourt, citing a previously untested 1996 state law (the Modell Law) that prevents sports teams that benefited from public facilities or financial assistance from relocating to another city without a six-month notice and attempting to sell the team to a local ownership group.

[69] On October 12, 2018, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, Jimmy Haslam, released a statement stating he was in the process of buying the Crew, along with other local groups.

[70] MLS later released a statement stating their willingness to keep the Crew in Columbus, and that Precourt will get the rights to start a team in Austin if the deal goes through.

[72] On January 1, 2019, control of the Crew franchise was officially transferred to the Haslam family and longtime team physician Dr. Pete Edwards, who took full ownership of the club after reaching a deal with Precourt Sports Ventures LLC.

[76] Before the start of the 2020 MLS season, the Crew made two major signings, bringing in new designated player Lucas Zelarayán and midfielder Darlington Nagbe.

[85][86] On May 17, 2021, in response to the backlash surrounding the rebrand, the franchise announced that "Columbus Crew" would remain as their official name and that the new logo would be modified accordingly.

[96] Pachuca, with a superior record in the tournament, hosted the match at Estadio Hidalgo which is situated at an altitude of 8,000 feet above sea level.

[105] The club badge from 1996 to 2014 was unique amongst MLS teams in that it featured people, containing three silhouetted males wearing construction hats beneath a stylized "Crew" wordmark.

[9][106] Citing a disconnect between what the crest stood for and the 21st-century identity of the city of Columbus, owner Anthony Precourt initiated a rebrand upon assuming ownership in 2013.

The nickname, Crew, is now meant to symbolize a unique brand of family and friendship between the club, the fans and the communities who unite to embrace and celebrate the authenticity and heritage of the sport.

[118][119][120] As part of the new ownership proposal for the Crew unveiled in 2018, the club announced plans to build a new stadium in the Arena District of Downtown Columbus.

The new stadium would cost $230 million and be located at the center of the Confluence Village neighborhood, a mixed-use development with residential and commercial buildings.

[123] On June 15, 2021, the new stadium was named Lower.com Field via a sponsorship deal with Columbus-based online real estate company Lower.com,[124] and the Crew's first game there was on July 3 against the New England Revolution.

[130] The team's first shirt sponsor was Mars' Snickers chocolate bar, which signed a five-year deal worth $6 million that lasted from 1996 to 2000.

This was followed by a three-year deal with Acura, which was announced in February 2017 and was the largest annual commercial transaction in the club's history, with a reported value of $1.8 million per year.

[155] Notable alumni include Wil Trapp, Aboubacar Keita, Aidan Morris, Isaiah Parente, and Sean Zawadzki.