Columbus Crew 2 sign two draftees
Columbus Crew 2 inked MLS SuperDraft picks Tarun Karumanchi and Isaac Heffess, adding young talent to the developmental pipeline as the club builds depth for the senior roster (columbuscrew.com). Those signings spotlight the Crew’s route of converting draft picks into MLS NEXT Pro contributors before first‑team promotion (columbuscrew.com).
Karumanchi served as UCLA’s 2025 team captain, started all 19 matches and logged a team‑high 1,699 minutes while recording an assist in the Big Ten Championship run that included shutouts against No. 1 Maryland and Michigan. (columbuscrew.com) Across 2022–25 Karumanchi made 68 appearances (61 starts) for UCLA, registered three career assists, spent time with the San Jose Earthquakes academy and attended a U.S. U‑20 Men’s Youth National Team training camp in 2022, and earned All‑Big Ten Academic honors. (uclabruins.com) Heffess finished his NC State tenure with 43 starts, one goal and four assists, started all 23 matches in 2025 and supplied two assists in consecutive NCAA Tournament games against Georgetown (Dec. 6) and Saint Louis (Dec. 12). (columbuscrew.com) Before NC State, Heffess started all 20 matches for the University of New Hampshire in 2022–23, posted two assists, led the team with 1,779 minutes, earned America East All‑Rookie and All‑Tournament honors, and is a Brookline, Mass. native (DOB Feb. 28, 2004). (gopack.com) Columbus selected Karumanchi at No. 49 overall in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and Heffess at No. 79 overall in the third round, according to the league’s draft tracker and the club’s draft release. (mlssoccer.com) Crew 2’s 2026 slate is 28 regular‑season matches, with the team hosting its first six home fixtures at ScottsMiracle‑Gro Field before returning to Historic Crew Stadium in June; Crew 2’s home match against FC Cincinnati 2 was scheduled for March 21 at ScottsMiracle‑Gro Field. (columbuscrew.com)
