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The summer transfer window doesn’t close until Sept. 2, but it has already taken a toll on the Crew for the remainder of the season.
More: Columbus Crew to transfer Max Arfsten to Middlesbrough FC
After transferring former leading scorer Diego Rossi to CF Monterrey on July 3, agreeing to transfer star wingback Max Arfsten to Middlebrough FC on July 31 and acquiring five players, the Crew have a significantly new look.
Brais Mendez is their newest designated player, signed July 2 from La Liga’s Real Sociedad. Defenders Andrés Hererra and Eric Bailly will play defense. Lautaro Giaccone, Brooks Lennon and rookie Tarun Karumanchi are the Crew's newest options to fill Arfsten’s role in the midfield.
How close are any of these guys to playing?
Here’s a glance as things stand July 31:
Mendez, who played nine seasons in Spain’s La Liga, began training with the Crew on July 24 and is said to be making progress in his conditioning.
There’s a chance he’ll be selected for the roster that interim coach Laurent Courtois deploys at Inter Miami CF on Aug. 1, but don’t expect to see his name in the starting lineup. If Mendez plays, he’ll most likely see the field as a substitution.
“He’s progressing well,” Courtois said July 30. “He’s far from any sort of [spot] that would allow him to start a game, but he’s slowly integrating and responding. The big thing is fitness.”
Mendez, 29, scored 33 goals with 24 assists in 166 games over the past four seasons for Real Sociedad, so he’ll be expected to fill Rossi’s vacancy once he’s ready to start.
Giaccone, who is with the Crew through June 2027 on a loan agreement with Argentinos Juniors, has formed a reputation as a tireless worker.
He’s been with the Crew for only a week and has already required Courtois to pull the reins back.
After training July 29, the coach was on his way out the door in the late afternoon when he noticed Giaccone headed for the gym.
“He was trying to get another gym session, and we said, ‘It doesn’t work like this … you don’t decide [to] do two gym sessions a day,’ ” Courtois said, smiling. “But [that shows] the mentality of the player is that he always wants to work, so it’s a good sign. We need to help him with when and how [to train], but you need to slow him down, and it’s a good thing.”
Giaccone isn’t close to cracking the starting lineup but could potentially get into a game as a sub in the near future.
After getting a new visa approved, Herrera recently rejoined the Crew’s training after playing the past two years on loan agreements from Argentina’s River Plate.
He now has a full-time contract with the Crew and is expected to become a staple on the backline through at least the 2028-29 season. As for his current availability, Herrera isn’t likely to play against Inter Miami due to his recent return to Columbus.
Bailly, 32, signed with the Crew as a free agent to shift his career from Manchester United in the English Premier League to his first MLS stint.
Bailly and the Crew are going through the process of obtaining his work visa, so he hasn’t made it to Columbus yet.
Lennon, 28, signed with the Crew on June 9 from Atlanta United FC as a free agent. He has dealt with a nagging groin injury and has yet to make his Crew debut.
Courtois said the team is taking is slowly with Lennon’s return to make sure he’s fully healthy before joining the lineup.
“He’s been doing good, good, good … and then a little setback, and we try to be cautious with him, for his body to adjust to full-time training every day,” Courtois said. “But he’s been really good. He just needs to find continuity in his body to allow him to contribute every day.”
The Crew sent out signs that Arfsten’s transfer was imminent, including him going through training outside of the main group on July 30 and the team signing Karumanchi, a rookie midfielder, just hours afterward.
Karumanchi, 23, was selected by the Crew in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and sustained an ankle fracture in preseason training. That prompted the UCLA star’s professional career starting with Crew2 before making his MLS debut July 22 in the Crew’s 2-1 loss to NYCFC at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.
Earning playing time could be tough for Karumanchi once Lennon and Giaccone are ready to start, but the rookie could still become a replacement option for Arfsten’s minutes.
That could include him playing his third straight match when the Crew face Inter Miami.
Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How close are Columbus Crew additions to playing?
Continue reading...
More: Columbus Crew to transfer Max Arfsten to Middlesbrough FC
After transferring former leading scorer Diego Rossi to CF Monterrey on July 3, agreeing to transfer star wingback Max Arfsten to Middlebrough FC on July 31 and acquiring five players, the Crew have a significantly new look.
Brais Mendez is their newest designated player, signed July 2 from La Liga’s Real Sociedad. Defenders Andrés Hererra and Eric Bailly will play defense. Lautaro Giaccone, Brooks Lennon and rookie Tarun Karumanchi are the Crew's newest options to fill Arfsten’s role in the midfield.
How close are any of these guys to playing?
Here’s a glance as things stand July 31:
You must be registered for see images
Columbus Crew forward Brais Mendez
Mendez, who played nine seasons in Spain’s La Liga, began training with the Crew on July 24 and is said to be making progress in his conditioning.
There’s a chance he’ll be selected for the roster that interim coach Laurent Courtois deploys at Inter Miami CF on Aug. 1, but don’t expect to see his name in the starting lineup. If Mendez plays, he’ll most likely see the field as a substitution.
“He’s progressing well,” Courtois said July 30. “He’s far from any sort of [spot] that would allow him to start a game, but he’s slowly integrating and responding. The big thing is fitness.”
Mendez, 29, scored 33 goals with 24 assists in 166 games over the past four seasons for Real Sociedad, so he’ll be expected to fill Rossi’s vacancy once he’s ready to start.
Columbus Crew midfielder Lautaro Giaccone
Giaccone, who is with the Crew through June 2027 on a loan agreement with Argentinos Juniors, has formed a reputation as a tireless worker.
He’s been with the Crew for only a week and has already required Courtois to pull the reins back.
After training July 29, the coach was on his way out the door in the late afternoon when he noticed Giaccone headed for the gym.
“He was trying to get another gym session, and we said, ‘It doesn’t work like this … you don’t decide [to] do two gym sessions a day,’ ” Courtois said, smiling. “But [that shows] the mentality of the player is that he always wants to work, so it’s a good sign. We need to help him with when and how [to train], but you need to slow him down, and it’s a good thing.”
Giaccone isn’t close to cracking the starting lineup but could potentially get into a game as a sub in the near future.
You must be registered for see images attach
Columbus Crew defender Andrés Herrera
After getting a new visa approved, Herrera recently rejoined the Crew’s training after playing the past two years on loan agreements from Argentina’s River Plate.
He now has a full-time contract with the Crew and is expected to become a staple on the backline through at least the 2028-29 season. As for his current availability, Herrera isn’t likely to play against Inter Miami due to his recent return to Columbus.
You must be registered for see images attach
Columbus Crew defender Eric Bailly
Bailly, 32, signed with the Crew as a free agent to shift his career from Manchester United in the English Premier League to his first MLS stint.
Bailly and the Crew are going through the process of obtaining his work visa, so he hasn’t made it to Columbus yet.
You must be registered for see images attach
Columbus Crew midfielder Brooks Lennon
Lennon, 28, signed with the Crew on June 9 from Atlanta United FC as a free agent. He has dealt with a nagging groin injury and has yet to make his Crew debut.
Courtois said the team is taking is slowly with Lennon’s return to make sure he’s fully healthy before joining the lineup.
“He’s been doing good, good, good … and then a little setback, and we try to be cautious with him, for his body to adjust to full-time training every day,” Courtois said. “But he’s been really good. He just needs to find continuity in his body to allow him to contribute every day.”
Columbus Crew midfielder Tarun Karumanchi
The Crew sent out signs that Arfsten’s transfer was imminent, including him going through training outside of the main group on July 30 and the team signing Karumanchi, a rookie midfielder, just hours afterward.
Karumanchi, 23, was selected by the Crew in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and sustained an ankle fracture in preseason training. That prompted the UCLA star’s professional career starting with Crew2 before making his MLS debut July 22 in the Crew’s 2-1 loss to NYCFC at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.
Earning playing time could be tough for Karumanchi once Lennon and Giaccone are ready to start, but the rookie could still become a replacement option for Arfsten’s minutes.
That could include him playing his third straight match when the Crew face Inter Miami.
Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How close are Columbus Crew additions to playing?
Continue reading...
