The 2009 Columbus Crew season was the club's 14th season of existence and their 14th 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 21 against Houston Dynamo. It was the first season under head coach Robert Warzycha.
The Crew won the Supporters' Shield yet again, their third overall and the second time a club had won it consecutively. They were upset in the conference semifinals by eventual MLS Cup winner Real Salt Lake.
The Crew started preseason in Columbus and played games in Florida, England and Texas before returning to Ohio. The Crew brought in the following trialists during training camp: Ty Shipalane, Jordan Seabrook and Anthony Peters.
Unsigned draft picks Paul Gerstenberger, Alex Grendi and Chris Clements also joined the team for preseason.
David Topolski, Geoff Marsh and Patrick Figueiredo were guest players against Marshall Thundering Herd, Geoff Marsh returned as a guest player against Ohio State Buckeyes.
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:
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: