Making their first appearance in the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC), the Columbus Crew will travel to Estadio Hidalgo on Saturday for a winner-take-all showdown with Pachuca.
A 3-2 aggregate victory over Club America has the Mexicans one win away from lifting this trophy for the sixth time, while the reigning MLS Cup champions stunned Monterrey in their semi-final, winning that tie by a combined score of 5-2.
Match preview
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Thanks to a series of lopsided victories in their earlier CCC contests this season, Pachuca have the luxury of playing this decisive match in front of their fans.
Guillermo Almada's men have beaten their three opponents at this tournament by a combined margin of 16-3, enabling them to make the Champions Cup final for the first time since 2017.
In five previous appearances in the final of this competition, Los Tuzos have emerged victorious each time, going undefeated in each of those encounters played at Estadio Hidalgo and conceding only once.
With a victory this weekend, Pachuca would not only tie America for the second-most CCC titles (six), but it would also mark the first time they will have lifted this trophy and gone unbeaten along the way.
Pachuca have not lost a competitive fixture in normal time since a 1-0 defeat versus Guadalajara in April during the Liga MX Clausura campaign.
They have conceded just two goals in their three Champions Cup fixtures played this season at Estadio Hidalgo, winning all three of their home contests in this competition.
Los Tuzos have a 100% home record in this tournament versus MLS opponents, destroying the Philadelphia Union 6-0 in Hidalgo in the second leg of that round of 16 tie.
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The Crew have beaten the odds throughout this Champions Cup campaign, stunning a pair of powerhouse Mexican squads, eliminating Tigres and Monterrey in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
Their 3-1 victory over Monterrey was the first time that they had won an encounter in this competition on Mexican soil in 90 minutes.
Wilfried Nancy's men have not been intimidated by the hostile environments and pro-Mexican crowds, going unbeaten on Mexican soil in the 2024 CCC.
Confidence is high within this group given their recent form away from home, winning four consecutive road games outside Lower.com Field, and they are unbeaten in seven successive matches in all competitions as the visitors.
Their dynamic short-passing approach has been a joy to watch as they have successfully baited their opponents into over-committing, with the Crew often taking full advantage.
They have a chance to become just the fourth MLS side to lift this trophy, with the previous one being the Seattle Sounders in 2022.
Despite conceding the opening goal in three of their four CCC matches versus Mexican opponents this season, the Crew have fought back to earn a positive result each time.
Team News
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Celso Ortiz is unlikely to see the field for Pachuca in this encounter due to a knee problem, Israel Luna will be sidelined with an ACL issue and Javier Eduardo Lopez is unavailable because of an ankle injury.
From their first to second semi-final leg against America, one newcomer was in their starting 11, as Luis Rodriguez replaced Jorge Berlanga at right back.
Goals from Nelson Deossa and Emilio Rodriguez powered them to a 2-1 win in the second leg of their semi-final tie, while Salomon Rondon has found the back of the net seven times in the CCC this season, more than anyone in this competition.
Cucho Hernandez, the joint-leading goalscorer for the Crew in MLS this season (four goals), has missed three successive domestic fixtures with a back injury, but Nancy has said that he will be available for this match.
Reserve goalkeeper Evan Bush hurt his wrist a while back and will likely be unavailable, while Marino Hinestroza came on as a substitute in their previous league game against Orlando City despite sustaining a knock in their visit to Chicago against the Fire.
After an own-goal by Yevhen Cheberko put them behind early into their second-leg match with Monterrey, the Crew stormed back with goals from Aidan Morris, Diego Rossi and Jacen Russell-Rowe, the second in successive CCC games for the Canadian.
Pachuca possible starting lineup:
Moreno; Berlanga, Cabral, Micolta, Gonzalez; Pedraza, Sanchez; Hernandez, Deossa, Idrissi; Rondon
Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:
Schulte; Moreira, Camacho, Amundsen; Zawadzki, Nagbe, Morris, Yeboah; Rossi, Russell-Rowe; Hernandez
We say: Pachuca 1-1 Columbus Crew (Pachuca wins on penalties)
While the Crew have shown plenty of resilience against Mexican opponents this season, Pachuca have so much depth and know how to handle these big stages, which is why we are giving them a very narrow edge.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
