It was after the Crew’s scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake on April 13 that center back Malte Amundsen made his feelings clear. He’s done with finishing tied matches.
“We’re happy to keep a clean sheet and yet I’m tired of drawing games,” Amundsen said. “I want to win a game soon.”
Combining the MLS regular season and CONCACAF Champions Cup play, the Crew are riding a six-game draw streak dating back to March 30 in a road match against Nashville SC.
The Crew is set to start their Champions Cup series against CF Monterrey, the Liga MX team that eliminated Columbus from the tournament in 2021, as the only team from MLS left standing.
With the first leg taking place in Columbus, the Crew would like that to be the match they return to finishing matches on top. If that fails to be the case, history is not on their side to advance to the Champions Cup finals. The only time an MLS team had defeated a Liga MX team in a series after failing to win its home leg was Columbus against Tigres in this year’s quarterfinals.
Here’s what to know as the Crew take on Tigres’ close rival Monterrey in the first leg of the semifinals tonight.
What time does Columbus Crew play CF Monterrey?
Kickoff is set for 8:15 pm at Lower.com Field.
What channel is Columbus Crew vs. CF Monterrey?
The match will be on FS1. Streaming is available via the Fox Sports app. The Spanish broadcast will be on ViX.
How can I listen to Columbus Crew vs. CF Monterrey on the radio?
The broadcast of the match will be available on 105.7 FM. Chris Doran will be on the radio call. The Spanish radio broadcast will be available via 102.5 FM La Grande.
What is CONCACAF Champions Cup?
The Champions Cup is an annual competition run by CONCACAF, the regional governing body in soccer for North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament includes 27 teams from 10 countries.
Each round, up until the final, will include two legs (two games) and the winner will be determined by the aggregate score (the combined number of goals scored by the two teams).
The final will consist of one match, with the winner qualifying for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
How has Columbus Crew performed in past CONCACAF Champions Cups?
The Crew have appeared in five past iterations of Champions Cup, the most recent being in 2021, when they made it to the quarterfinals and were knocked out of the tournament by Monterrey 5-2 on aggregate.
Each time the Crew have played in this competition, they have reached the quarterfinals, but never any further.
How did Columbus Crew make it to the semifinals?
After receiving a bye into the Round of 16 due to being MLS Cup champions, the Crew started their CONCACAF Champions Cup journey against Houston Dynamo.
With the first leg taking place on the road March 6, Columbus took a 1-0 aggerate goal advantage when forward Alex Matan scored a last-second goal toward the end of the match. Matan has been sidelined with a thigh injury since that game.
The Crew returned to Lower.com Field on March 12 for the second leg and took an early 1-0 lead over Houston in their second leg match off a Hernandez goal. Holding onto the lead for most of the match, Columbus would allow the Dynamo to score a penalty kick goal to tie the match 1-1, but still advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-1 on aggregate.
In the first leg of the semifinals, the Crew faced off against Tigres at Lower.com Field on April 3, but before the match could kickoff, the teams had to wait out a two-hour rain delay. Without star striker Cucho Hernandez for the second match in a row, the Crew relied on attacker Diego Rossi to lead Columbus to a 1-1 tie with their first goal of 2024.
At Estadio Universitario in Mexico for the second leg on April 9, the Crew had to score at least one goal to avoid elimination. It was Rossi once again who scored for Columbus, but with striker Andre-Pierre Gignac scoring for Tigres with his second goal of the series as well, the teams finished regulation tied 1-1.
Since the normal tie breaker of road goals was also deadlocked at 1-1, the second leg went into two 15-minute extra time periods. After 120 overall minutes of play and the series still tied 2-2 on aggregate, Columbus and Tigres were forced to go to a penalty shootout.
Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte saved Tigres’ first two penalty kicks, and with every player besides Hernandez hitting their attempts for Columbus, the club advanced to its first Champions Cup semifinals. The Crew also made tournament history by becoming the first MLS team to defeat a Liga MX team after failing to win its home leg.
How did CF Monterrey make it to the quarterfinals?
Monterrey started Champions Cup play on a tear, defeating the Comunicaciones of Guatemala 7-1 on aggregate in the opening round.
In the round of 16, Monterrey was faced with the challenge of defeating the Crew’s Hell is Real rival, FC Cincinnati. After holding Cincinnati scoreless in a 1-0 first leg victory at TQL Stadium, Monterrey was led to a second leg 2-1 victory by former Cincinnati forward Brandon Vazquez to advance to the quarterfinals against Inter Miami.
Despite Miami’s star forward Lionel Messi returning to action in the second leg following a hamstring injury that sidelined him for nearly a month, Monterrey defeated Miami in both legs, finishing with a 5-2 aggregate.
