The Columbus Crew will have the chance to be the second MLS team to win a CONCACAF Champions Cup title.
Aidan Morris scored a vital goal just before half-time, and substitute Alexandru Matan provided an assist for Diego Rossi just four minutes into the second half and Jacen Russell-Rowe added the exclamation point in the 89th minute to secure a 3-1 victory. on the road in Monterrey and a 5-2 victory on aggregate.
Columbus will face Pachuca in the final on June 2. A trophy is at stake, as is a place in next summer’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
The Crew arrived in Mexico with a 2-1 lead after a home win last week. Monterrey leveled the score and took the lead in the series by striking first on what was deemed an own goal after Maxi Meza’s chip came off the bottom of the crossbar and bounced through the legs from Evgen Cheberko and in the back of the net.
But Columbus found the equalizer with what was essentially the last kick of the first half when Monterrey goalkeeper Esteban Andrada made a huge mistake, sending a pass to a teammate who allowed Morris to sneak in and picking his pockets, then dribbling towards the box and finally beat Andrada out of position at the near post.
WHAT A PIECE BY AIDAN MORRIS! 😱
He steals the ball and scores just before halftime to tie the game for the @ColumbusCrew against Monterrey! #ConcaChampions pic.twitter.com/Obf8qBE219
– Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 2, 2024
That goal changed the trajectory of the game, and ultimately, with two goals in the second half, Columbus secured the victory and a chance at another trophy.
Backup of the MLS
When Inter Miami was knocked out of the tournament by this Monterrey team in the previous round, MLS’s performance in the tournament screamed the gap that still existed between the two leagues’ top teams. After 14 games against Liga MX teams, MLS had a minus-23 goal differential and no wins.
But one MLS team still had a path to the trophy. And Columbus put together one of the most complete performances by an MLS team on the road in Mexico in CONCACAF tournament history with a decisive victory over Rayados. They are just one victory away from winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup for MLS this year.
With a victory over Pachuca, Columbus would become the second MLS team to win the tournament after the 2022 Seattle Sounders, who defeated the Pumas in the final.
It would also add another amazing chapter to the history of the Columbus Crew, who were nearly relocated to Austin, Texas, before being saved by fans and the #SaveTheCrew movement. Since then, Columbus has won two MLS Cups and will now have the opportunity to resurrect the region’s league standing during an otherwise dismal performance in the tournament.
Nancy pulls the right strings
This Columbus team won fans over with the way they played, and there is probably no greater influence than that of manager Wilfried Nancy.
After leaving Montreal ahead of the 2023 season, Nancy has instilled a clear confidence and security of personality into this Columbus team. They know who they are, how they want to play and how to approach matches. And Nancy seems to know the right actions to take.
Last year in the MLS playoffs, it was the second-half substitutions that brought the Crew back from a two-goal deficit and led them to an eventual 3-2 victory and a place in the final of the MLS Cup. This time around, Nancy made another change that immediately paid off and secured a place in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.
Morris’ goal just before halftime changed the trajectory of the game. Columbus no longer needed to chase the game and look for a goal. Now they were one goal ahead on aggregate and in command for the tie. Nancy eliminated Marino Hinestroza at the break and replaced Matan. Columbus no longer had to worry as much about coming out on the break. They could try to control the game more. Matan then played the pass to split Rossi through the Monterrey central defenders and allowed his goal to seal the result.
THIS MAN DIEGO ROSSI 😤@ColumbusCrew leads Monterrey 4-2 on aggregate! #ConcaChampions
– Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 2, 2024
Russell-Rowe did not start after playing a key role in the first leg – assisting the opener and scoring the winner – but the 21-year-old Canadian came on in the 85th minute and again found the bottom of the nets. His goal in the final minutes gave Columbus a decisive victory, both in Monterrey and in the series as a whole.
Nancy has established himself as the best manager in MLS, and he will now have a chance to win a continental trophy to add to his achievements.
Pachuca is in front
The format of the CONCACAF Champions Cup final will be different from recent years, moving from a two-legged final to a single match in Pachuca.
This will be another tough proposition for Columbus, but so far in this tournament the Crew have taken the road to Tigres and Monterrey and found a way to get results. The win over Monterrey was the first time an MLS team had defeated a Mexican team on the road in a CONCACAF semifinal.
THE @ColumbusCrew The series with Monterrey is the 10th home-and-away semifinal series between MLS and Liga MX teams since the Concacaf Champions League began in 2008-09. The Crew’s wins are just the third and fourth by an MLS team in 20 matches. Tonight’s win is the first on the road in 10 semifinal games.
– Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) May 2, 2024
Pachuca currently sit seventh in the Liga MX Apertura standings after a run of four defeats in five matches from March 9 to April 13, but they have never lost at home in a CONCACAF Champions match and will probably home favorites again.
Pachuca defeated Club America in the semifinals and earlier in the tournament defeated the Philadelphia Union, 6-0 in the second leg at Estadio Hidalgo.
(Photo: Alfredo López/Jam Media/Getty Images)