The Columbus Crew can qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC) final for the first time if they avoid defeat against Monterrey in the second leg of that tie on Wednesday at Estadio BBVA.
Rayados suffered their first defeat of the competition last week, as the Crew won a tight back-and-forth contest by a 2-1 score.
Match preview
© Reuters
An all-Mexican final is still a possibility, but it will be up to Monterrey to make that happen after Los Albiazules lost a knockout fixture at this tournament in 90 minutes for the first time since the second leg of the 2012 final (2-1 versus Santos Laguna).
Last Wednesday, their 100% record in the 2024 Champions Cup ended, and with it, an impressive run of six consecutive victories in semi-final matches, putting them in a must-win situation this week.
It was only their third defeat in their previous 19 encounters against MLS opponents, while they have won all of their matches versus American teams at Estadio BBVA, losing just once on Mexican soil versus an MLS side when they played at Estadio Tecnologico in 2011 (1-0 to the Seattle Sounders).
Since eliminating FC Cincinnati in the CCC quarter-finals earlier this year, Fernando Ortiz's men have not been quite as consistent at home, winning just one of their previous three matches at Estadio BBVA in all competitions, though they have only lost once there in 2024 (2-0 to Guadalajara in March).
Monterrey are winless in their last three matches in all competitions when conceding the opening goal, losing on two of those occasions.
On Sunday, they secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the Clausura playoffs, thanks to a 5-2 victory over Necaxa, finishing fourth in the table.
© Reuters
Columbus took a big step toward becoming the third MLS side in successive campaigns to make the final of this tournament, putting together a resilient showing at Lower.com Field.
With their victory in the opening leg last week, Wilfried Nancy's men became just the sixth club from Major League Soccer to defeat a side from Liga MX in the semi-finals of this competition.
That triumph also ended their four-match winless run versus Mexican opponents in the CCC, a streak which dated back over 21 years to April 2003 when they defeated Monarcas Morelia 2-0 in the second leg of that quarter-final tie.
While there is reason for optimism in Columbus, a defeat of any kind except 2-1 would eliminate them from this tournament after 90 minutes, and they have only earned one positive result in Mexico in this competition, playing Tigres to a 1-1 draw in the quarter-finals earlier this season.
This is only the third time that the Crew have found themselves in front after the opening leg of a Champions Cup tie, and they have never been eliminated in that scenario.
The reigning MLS Cup champions are winless in their last four away matches in all competitions, though they have suffered just one defeat in their last four CCC contests outside Columbus, losing 3-0 in their previous visit to BBVA Stadium versus Monterrey in 2021.
Team News
© Reuters
In the first game of this tie, Monterrey were without Jesus Manuel Corona through injury, while Luis Romo was back in the lineup after sustaining a minor knock weeks ago.
Erick Aguirre was taken off early in the second half last week in favour of Victor Guzman and is a question mark for this upcoming fixture, while Jorge Rodriguez was back in the starting 11 after sitting out of their second-leg quarter-final fixture versus Inter Miami (3-1 win).
Maximiliano Meza had their only goal in Columbus, his sixth all-time in the Champions Cup, the fourth-most in the history of Monterrey in this competition.
Reserve goalkeeper Evan Bush will not be available for Columbus because of an arm injury, with Nicholas Hagen likely to get the call between the sticks should something happen to first-choice keeper Patrick Schulte.
Aidan Morris was back in the starting 11 for the opening leg of this tie after being forced out of the second leg versus Tigres through suspension, replacing Derrick Jones in the midfield.
Cucho Hernandez scored his second of the tournament, giving the Crew the lead versus Monterrey, while Jacen Russell-Rowe netted his first of the competition, becoming the first Canadian to score for an American side in the Champions Cup.
Monterrey possible starting lineup:
Andrada; Gutierrez, Medina, Moreno, Arteaga; Meza, Romo, Rodriguez, Gallardo; Berterame, Vazquez
Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:
Schulte; Moreira, Camacho, Cheberko; Zawadzki, Nagbe, Morris, Yeboah; Rossi, Hernandez; Russell-Rowe
We say: Monterrey 1-1 Columbus Crew (Columbus advances 3-2 on aggregate)
Nancy has instilled belief in this Crew side, who have shown plenty of character against experienced Mexican opponents in hostile environments, and we believe their resilience will carry them through this tie.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
