The 2012 Columbus Crew season was the club's 17th season of existence and their 17th 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 10 against Colorado Rapids. It was the fourth season under head coach Robert Warzycha.
The Crew missed the playoffs in 2012 for the first time since 2007, marking a further step backwards from the height of 2008. The roster moves which took place leading into the season were ultimately unsuccessful, with both high-profile signings - Milovan Mirosevic and Olman Vargas - playing only a single season for the club.
The lackluster performance of Vargas and Mirosevic led the team to a series of midseason signings, which nearly salvaged the season. Costa Rican forward Jairo Arrieta joined the team in June, while Argentine midfielder Federico Higuain signed a Designated Player contract a month later. The tandem revitalized the Crew's offense, leading to a 4-game winning streak and thoughts of post-season glory. After this initial honeymoon, however, the team's performance declined; the team just missed out on a playoff berth.
After the season, coach Robert Warzycha began yet another rebuilding effort, jettisoning several veteran players including William Hesmer, Sebastian Miranda and Emilio Renteria.
The year's most significant event, however, had nothing to do with on-field performance. Rookie midfielder Kirk Urso collapsed and died on August 5 from a genetic heart defect (arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy), providing an emotional rallying cry for the remainder of the season and beyond.
As of August 29, 2012.
The Crew started preseason in Columbus and played games in Florida and South Carolina before returning to Ohio. The Crew brought in the following trialists during training camp: Javier Alvial, Lance Laing, Travis Wall, Silvio Spann, Nermin CrnkiÃÂ, John Daniele, Kasali Casal, Nemanja Vukoviàand Stéphane Auvray.
Unsigned draft picks Aubrey Perry, Kevan George, Kirk Urso, Jamie Finch, Darren Amoo and Andrew Bulls also joined the team for preseason.
Jamie Finch and Blas Iribarren were guest players against West Virginia Mountaineers.
The Columbus Crew failed to qualify for the playoffs in this season.
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: