Playoffs-bound Crew top Red Bulls 3-1 to finish 7th in Eastern Conference

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Dániel Gazdag and Ibrahim Aliyu scored in the second half, Max Arfsten had two assists and the Columbus Crew defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-1 on Saturday to close out the regular season.

Columbus (14-8-12) wraps up seventh place in the Eastern Conference with the victory, avoiding the wild-card round.

Gazdag used assists from Taha Habroune and Max Arfsten to score his fourth goal of the season and give Columbus a 2-1 lead in the 66th minute. Habroune's helper was his second in 18 appearances this season and 23 overall. Arfsten notched his eighth assist, matching his career-high set last season.

Aliyu subbed into the match in the 82nd minute and scored unassisted two minutes later for a two-goal advantage. It was Aliyu's third goal in 23 appearances with the Crew this season after failing to score in eight appearances with the Houston Dynamo to begin the season.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting used assists from Emil Forsberg and Gustav Berggren to score his 17th goal in his first season in the league and give the Red Bulls a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute. Forsberg finished with career highs of 11 goals and 11 assists in his second season. Berggren's assist was his first in his sixth career appearance.

Defender Andrés Herrera scored the equalizer for Columbus five minutes later with his career-high fourth goal in his 20th appearance this season and 30th over two seasons. Lassi Lappalainen and Arfsten had assists. It was Lappalainen's fourth of the season.

Patrick Schulte totaled two saves in goal for the Crew.

John McCarthy stopped three shots in his first start for the Red Bulls (12-15-7) after making 11 starts for the Los Angeles Galaxy earlier in the season.

The two clubs played to a scoreless draw earlier in the season.

The Red Bulls finished 10th in the East and saw a run of 15 straight postseason appearances end after losing to the Galaxy in the championship match of the MLS Cup last season. The Galaxy also missed the playoffs.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer