Sacha Kljestan scored on a penalty kick in stoppage time and Orlando City beat Columbus 2-1 on Sunday to keep the Crew from securing a playoff spot.
Columbus (13-11-9) needed a win or a Montreal loss to claim a playoff spot with one game remaining in the regular season. The Impact beat Toronto FC 2-0, moving two points behind the sixth-place Crew in the Eastern Conference. The Crew host Minnesota United next Sunday and Montreal plays at New England.
Orlando (8-21-4) ended a three-game losing streak.
Federico Higuain opened the scoring for Columbus in the 54th minute with his sixth goal of the season, bending a free kick over the wall and inside the near post.
Three minutes later, Yoshimar Yotun scored on a penalty kick. Zack Steffen chose the right direction to dive, but Yotun calmly floated it over his head.
