Columbus Crew 2 forward Jacen Russell-Rowe wins 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot

NEW YORK CITY – Columbus Crew 2 forward Jacen Russell-Rowe won the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot with a League-leading 21 goals in the regular season.

Entering Sunday’s season finale against FC Cincinnati 2, Russell-Rowe held a one-goal advantage over North Texas SC’s Bernard Kamungo in the Golden Boot race and punctuated his incredible first season with Crew 2 by scoring four goals in Columbus’ 9-0 win.

Russell-Rowe’s 21 goals placed him ahead of Kamungo, 16 goals, Orlando City B’s Jack Lynn, 15 goals, and Inter Miami II’s Shanyder Borgelin, 14 goals.

Russell-Rowe has played an integral role for Columbus this season, leading Crew 2 to a League-best record of 16-3-5 (55 points) and the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the upcoming 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs.

The 20-year-old Toronto native signed with Crew 2 on March 18 and made an immediate impact. After scoring 11 goals in a nine-game span, he was rewarded with a Columbus Crew first team contract, becoming the first Crew 2 player to sign with the first team.

Since then, Russell-Rowe has split his time between the MLS and MLS NEXT Pro teams. He appeared in 19 total games for Crew 2, starting all but the first two. He has also played in five MLS games, earning three starts and recording two assists in 207 minutes.

Crew 2 will host its first game of the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs on Saturday, September 24 against Rochester New York FC at Historic Crew Stadium (3:00 p.m. ET, mlsnextpro.com).