It wasn’t long before Columbus Crew fans were able to see one of the greatest midfielders in franchise history return to the Black & Gold.
On Tuesday the Columbus Crew announced that Federico Higuain is set to sign a one-day contract and retire as a member of the Black & Gold on their April 2 match against Nashville SC.
Federico Higuain to sign a one-day contract
Higuain — or as Crew fans call him, Pipa — spent eight seasons with the Crew, which saw him capture three club MVP awards, an MLS Newcomer of the Year award, a run to the MLS Cup, and a member of the 50/50 club for Columbus.
During his time in Columbus, Higuain became a household name not only for the league but the club in general.
After joining the club in July of 2012, Higuain went on to appear in 13 regular-season matches in his debut season, contributing five goals and seven assists. This performance saw the Argentine maestro capture the 2012 MLS Newcomer of the Year Award.
Pipa recorded 11 goals and nine assists in 2013 while making 29 appearances, all of which were starts. This also saw Higuain capture the Crew’s Most Valuable Player award.
In the following season, Higuain made 29 regular-season appearances (28 starts), being able to accrue 11 goals and seven assists to grab the Crew’s Golden Boot and his second consecutive MVP award.
While en route to the memorable 2015 MLS Cup Final run, Pipa scored eight and recorded nine assists, while being one vital piece to the success Columbus had seven years later after capturing their first MLS Cup.
In 2017 after notching nine goals and a career-high 11 assists in just 26 matches, the season ended with Higuain grabbing his third club MVP award.
Higuain would go on to play alongside his brother Gonzalo Higuain at Inter Miami CF and finish the most recent MLS campaign at D.C. United.
Fans are looking forward to not only seeing Pipa don the Black & Gold jersey one more time, even if it is for a day.
There is also a strong case to be made for Higuain to be inducted into the club’s Ring of Honor.
Pipa finished his time with Columbus with a total of 193 regular-season games played (184 starts), 55 goals, and adding 63 assists. In addition, Higuain also appeared in 14 postseason matches scoring four goals and recording five assists.
