In the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals, the Crew completed the most important task at Lower.com Field, taking the aggregate goal advantage before heading on the road for the final leg.
The Crew picked up a 2-1 victory over CF Monterrey in the first leg, scoring a goal off the foot of Cucho Hernandez and another off a header from Jacen Russell-Rowe. With Columbus recording 12 shot attempts, eight on goal and four in the final 15 minutes of the match, coach Wilfried Nancy would have liked to walk away with at least one more goal, knowing the challenge ahead.
"We know that it’s going to be tough," Nancy said. "We're going to try to do a good game over there and recognize when it's good for us to attack and it's good for us to defend. ... I cannot tell my team to sit and to wait, this is not the way we do things."
According to Nancy, the second leg matchup between Columbus and Monterrey is going to be a "battle of power," and it's unlikely the Crew advance without putting another goal on the board in Monterrey.
Throughout Champions Cup play, Monterrey has recorded 16 goals across seven games, and in every match that has been at its home field at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, the club has scored two or more goals.
The Crew have scored six goals in regulation throughout their five matches, which is less than some teams eliminated in the Round of 16 or earlier, such as FC Cincinnati and Orlando City SC. The Monterrey match was the first time Columbus scored two goals during regulation in the Champions Cup this year.
Following their MLS regular-season match against CF Montreal on Saturday in which the Crew failed to record a shot in the first half, a similar start on Wednesday could hurt the chances of advancing if Monterrey plays the same aggressive attacking style it showed in the first leg.
"I think the first 25 minutes was such an open game," said Crew defender Yevhen Cheberko. "It was higher tempo than MLS, so it was a back-and-forth game. So this was the hardest thing because they're also good (at switching) the sides, so we need to move a lot."
While the Crew have the aggregate score advantage, Monterrey holds the first tiebreaker with an away goal.
A win, draw or one-goal loss in which the Crew score more than one goal would advance Columbus. If Monterrey picks up a 1-0 victory or scores two or more goals than the Crew, it will be the Liga MX team going to the finals for a chance to win its sixth Champions Cup trophy.
The only way extra time or penalty kicks would be required is if the match ends 2-1 in favor of Monterrey, as both teams would have recorded one away goal.
Columbus Crew vs CF Monterrey: Monterrey's chip on its shoulder
Once the first leg against Monterrey concluded, Nancy went over to shake the hand of Monterrey coach Fernando Ortiz. Nancy would leave without that handshake because Ortiz had already taken off.
"They were not happy," Nancy said of Monterrey.
Playing a Liga MX opponent on the road is a challenge that Columbus has faced already in Champions Cup this year against Tigres in the quarterfinals. Before the Crew defeated Tigres in penalty kicks on the road April 9, no MLS team had advanced in the tournament while facing a Liga MX team after failing to win its home leg.
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The momentum from the crowd mixed with the additional motivation Monterrey will likely be bringing onto the field after being upset with the way the first leg went will be a lot for the Crew to manage. Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte knows this but is looking to avoid letting those factors faze him.
"We've honestly just got to stick to our game plan and we've just got to play to ourselves and not let the scoreboard or anything dictate how we play," Schulte said. "It’s going to be a crazy game, I’m sure their fans are going to be behind them, pushing them forward. But we know we've got to score an away goal, that’s going to be huge for us."
Midfielder Aidan Morris missed out on the opportunity to play in Monterrey in 2021 due to a season-ending ACL injury andwas suspended from the Tigres matchup this year due to a red card violation in the first leg. Only getting to experience games on the road in Mexico from the sidelines, Morris is embracing the atmosphere Monterrey is expected to have.
"My heart rate was going through the roof that whole game over there (in Tigres)," Morris said. "It's not a usual MLS game here in the States. It's exciting. Us as players, we strive to play in big games like that, those are the games we dream of when we're younger, to play in a cool stadium like that with a bunch of fans booing you."
bmackay@dispatch.com
