Columbus had finished the previous season with a string of eighteen consecutive unbeaten matches that gave them the league's best regular-season record, but they lost to New England in the post-season tournament's first round.
They returned to league play on opening day of the 2005 season, hosting Los Angeles at Crew Stadium. There, they rolled to a 3-0 victory with goals from Edson Buddle (8', 47') and Ante Razov (54'). That nineteenth consecutive league victory set a league record that remains unbeaten, though it was matched in 2010 by FC Dallas.
