Crew 2 signs three more players, including Canadian standout Mohamed Farsi

The Columbus Crew signed three more players to Crew 2 contracts as the team continues to fill its squad. Defender Mohamed Farsi and forwards Coleman Gannon and Jacen Russell-Rowe were added to the MLS NEXT Pro roster.

Farsi’s been linked with the Black & Gold in the last month. The 22 year old joins Columbus after 38 appearances across two seasons in the Canadian Premier League with Cavalry FC. The league named him Best Under-21 Player of the Year. Before joining Canada’s new professional men’s soccer league, Farsi played professionally in Algeria with AS Ain M’Lila. Internationally, Farsi’s played for the Canadian Under-23 team and earned caps with the National Futsal Team as well.

Positionally, Farsi is a right fullback and has the potential to be a Crew senior team fullback in the future. In 2022, the fullback position has been of interest for the Black & Gold. Pedro Santos is the starter down the left side, but he took the position after joining the Crew as a more offensive-minded winger. With injuries of 2021, and former left back Milton Valenzuela opting to not re-sign with the Crew, Santos is playing out of position.

Gannon’s addition as a forward comes from Atlanta, Georgia. At 19 years old, Gannon’s already played two seasons with Atlanta United 2 in the USL Championship. In 22 appearances, Gannon’s scored three goals and registered two assists. Prior to his stint in the USL, Gannon came up in the Atlanta United Academy between 2018-21.

Joining Gannon on offense for Crew 2 is Russell-Rowe. Gannon is also Canadian and has come up in Canada’s youth system. At the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Russell-Rowe scored two goals in three appearances wearing the red and white. Russell-Rowe was part of the Toronto FC Academy.

The last team soccer for Russell-Rowe was on the college level at Maryland. As a Terrapin, Russell-Rowe scored four goals and added five assists in 22 appearances across two seasons. In his 2020-21 freshman season, Russell-Rowe was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team for his outstanding goalscoring.

The MLS NEXT Pro league is in its inaugural season in 2022. Columbus begins in the league on March 26. Crew 2 plays its first game in Florida, against Inter Miami CF II at DRV PNK Stadium. The match will stream live on mlsnextpro.com.

Also, within the announcement, Crew 2 shared that ticket information for the upcoming season will be available next week. The Black & Gold will play their home matches at historic Crew Stadium. They’ll also have an opportunity to play at Lower.com Field once in 2022. On May 21, the team will face Toronto’s MLS NEXT Pro team at 7 p.m. ET after the senior team plays LAFC at 3:30 p.m. ET.