The Columbus Crew are 90 minutes away from reaching the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final for the first time in franchise history.
Jacen Russell-Rowe and Cucho Hernandez both scored on Wednesday as Wilfried Nancy’s squad earned a 2-1 first leg semifinal win over visiting Liga MX giants Monterrey. Patrick Schulte made five saves in net, helping the Crew take a slim advantage into next week’s second leg in Mexico.
It marked Monterrey’s first loss in CONCACAF play since 2019.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” said Nancy postmatch to reporters. “Because we did a really good game in terms of when we had the difficult moments, we were together. And when we had the ball, we tried to play our game and we had good opportunities also, and we were able to unbalance them.”
Hernandez delivered the opening goal for the Crew in the 26th minute, receiving a pass from Russell-Rowe before stroking home with his right foot. It marked the Colombian international’s sixth goal of the season across all competitions.
Monterrey battled back though in the second half and tied the match before the hour mark. Maximiliano Meza’s tap-in finish made it 1-1 after Jesus Gallardo and Meza connected for the equalizer.
Gallardo raced down the left wing before delivering a cross into the Crew box that Meza tapped into an empty net.
However, Russell-Rowe would play the hero for Columbus, like he did so many times in MLS NEXT Pro for Crew 2. Sean Zawadzki’s cross was finished off by Russell-Rowe in the box, propelling the Crew into a 2-1 aggregate advantage.
The reigning MLS Cup winners would hang on to celebrate a vital first leg win in front of their home supporters.
“We’re going to try to do a good game over there, and to recognize when this is good for us to attack and when this is good for us to defend, and it’s going to be a battle of power with that,” said Nancy. “But I cannot tell my team to sit and to wait. This is not the way we do things. So we’re going to respect the game and we’ll see how we’re going to do it.”
Estadio BBVA will play host to May 1’s second leg, knowing the winner of Monterrey-Columbus will meet either Club America or Pachuca in the tournament final.
