Columbus Crew will be looking to keep their 2025 season alive as they host Ohio rivals FC Cincinnati in a pivotal playoff showdown, and they’ll be counting on Yevhen Cheberko to step up and deliver in the heart of defense.

Born in Melitopol, Ukraine, Cheberko began his development at UFK Dnipropetrovsk before joining Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in 2014, where he made his professional breakthrough. However, Dnipro’s crippling financial difficulties would prompt him to be sold to fellow Ukrainian outfit Zorya Luhansk, where Cheberko made the transition from central midfield to left back to center back. With Zorya starved of options in central defense due to an injury crisis, manager Yuriy Vernydub decided to experiment with Cheberko at center back in April 2019 – he’s remained there ever since.

"I started to play soccer with my brother and my friends, so I obviously, I wasn't sure that it would become my job, something I could make money from and provide for my family — I wasn't thinking about that when I was a kid," stated Cheberko in an exclusive Joy News interview. “After that, you're like, 'Okay, maybe I can actually work and just reach my goals, but with the enjoyment.”

After establishing himself as one of the premium young center backs in Ukraine, Cheberko made the move to Austrian side LASK Linz, where he struggled to assert his presence in the team before departing for Croatian outfit Osijek. LASK’s loss proved to be Osijek’s gain, with Cheberko making 61 appearances and helping them finish second in 2021 and third in 2022 and 2023, before eventually deciding to end his European adventure and head across the Atlantic, joining MLS side Columbus Crew. It didn’t take long for him to establish himself as a key figure in the rearguard, making 12 appearances and playing in the final 3 matches of the season as Columbus won the ultimate prize in American soccer: the 2023 MLS Cup.

Whilst Cheberko has found a new niche in the Midwest, he admits that it hasn’t been without its challenges. "It's a really big difference between Europe and America, obviously, and it's just hard to explain to some of my friends who ask me what the difference is, how the people are different, or what's the biggest difference," Cheberko said. "It's hard to explain, you need to be here and feel how the people treat you, you need to learn a new language, and you need to go out of your comfort zone. It's also the time difference — sometimes in the afternoon, you feel like you're by yourself, you don't have someone to call overseas, and you ask yourself, 'What am I gonna do with my time?"

Cheberko made 39 appearances across the 2024 campaign, helping Columbus reach the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup Final, where they lost 3-0 to Pachuca, whilst he also helped them win their first-ever Leagues Cup. Ultimately, however, they ran out of steam and lost to eventual finalists New York Red Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. Nevertheless, Cheberko has built on this momentum and delivered yet another strong campaign in MLS, making 35 appearances across all competitions thus far and returning to the Ukraine national team for his second cap and his first in nearly four years. Having lost to LAFC in the Round of 16 in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, and having failed to reach the Leagues Cup knockout round, Columbus need to win their fourth MLS Cup in order to avoid a first trophyless season since 2022.

"We didn't lose any games in the Leagues Cup, we played well and took seven points, but it wasn't enough to go to the playoffs. It's a bit sad because we were winning the first game 2-0 and it finished 2-2, so it's kind of our fault that we didn't go through. But that experience shows that we still have a good team. We need to adjust some things, obviously, defensively and offensively, and we need to defend better as a team and attack better and put the finishing touches on the actions. We wanted to be as high as we can be on the table in order to have some home field advantage, because that plays a huge role in the playoffs. You can go to Miami and there's such different weather, it's so hot and humid, and it can be harder for teams to come there and play."

Since edging D.C. United 2-1 on July 19, Columbus have won just two league matches. One month after prevailing 5-4 in Atlanta, Columbus closed out their regular season with a 3-1 home win vs. New York Red Bulls. However, they were unable to extend their winning streak, with Kevin Denkey’s late goal seeing Cincinnati prevail 1-0 in the first leg of their best-of-three playoff battle. If they are to come out on top in their second leg vs. Cincy, they’ll need Cheberko to be at his best.