The 2008 Columbus Crew season was the club's 13th season of existence and their 13th consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of soccer in the United States and Canada. The first match of the season was on March 29 against Toronto FC. It was the third season under head coach Sigi Schmid. Columbus also competed in the U.S. Open Cup and the MLS Cup Playoffs.
The Crew's rebuilding under Sigi Schmid paid immense dividends in 2008, as the team won the Supporters' Shield and their first MLS Cup championship. Argentine midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto won the league MVP award, capping an incredible season with his three-assist performance in the championship game.
The Crew started preseason in Columbus and played games in Florida, California and England before returning to Ohio. The Crew brought in the following trialists during training camp: Osvaldo Alonso, Mamadou Bah, Sandro, ÃÂlvaro Pires, Lars Ricken, Roman Friedli and Michael Ricketts.
Unsigned draft picks Ryan Miller, Zola Short, Ricardo Pierre-Louis, Lukasz Tumicz, Cory Elenio, Steven Lenhart and George Josten also joined the team for preseason.
Under "Apps" for each section, the first number represents the number of starts, and the second number represents appearances as a substitute.
|- |colspan=12 align=center|Players who left Columbus during the season:
Under "Apps" for each section, the first number represents the number of starts, and the second number represents appearances as a substitute.
Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in. The picks for the Columbus Crew are listed below: