The Columbus Crew host Liga MX powerhouse CF Monterrey on Wednesday night, starting their two-legged semifinal series in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Watch
- English: FS1
- Spanish: TUDN
When
- Wednesday, April 24 | 8:15 pm ET/5:15 pm PT
Where
- Lower.com Field | Columbus, Ohio
Leg 2 is set for May 1 at Monterrey's Estadio BBVA, determining who advances to the June 2 final against either Club América or Pachuca.
The competition winner qualifies for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, plus gets regional bragging rights and prize money.
- Round One: Bye
- Round of 16: 2-1 aggregate vs. Houston Dynamo FC
- Quarterfinals: 2-2 aggregate (4-3 PKs) vs. Tigres UANL (Mexico)
Columbus made history in the quarterfinals when beating Tigres in a penalty-kick shootout. With that Leg 2 triumph, Wilfried Nancy's side became the first MLS team to advance past a Liga MX opponent in CCC after hosting and not winning the first leg of their series.
Now, can the defending MLS Cup champions find another gear? They're five games winless (0W-1L-4D) in league play, most recently clawing back a 2-2 draw vs. the Portland Timbers on Saturday evening.
Whether it's a big-time moment from star striker Cucho Hernández, goalkeeper Patrick Schulte or anybody in between, the Crew need a strong Leg 1 performance to make their Leg 2 outlook more favorable. Ideally, they avoid an aways-goal deficit and force Monterrey to chase the series.
- Round One: 7-1 aggregate vs. Comunicaciones (Guatemala)
- Round of 16: 3-1 aggregate vs. FC Cincinnati
- Quarterfinals: 5-2 aggregate vs. Inter Miami CF
CF Monterrey have already eliminated two MLS foes in CCC – first reigning Supporters' Shield champions FC Cincinnati and then reigning Leagues Cup champions Inter Miami CF. In both instances, they earned a positive Leg 1 road result before completing the job in Mexico in Leg 2.
Rayados can ruthlessly punish opponents, whether it's Maxi Meza serving up an assist for USMNT striker Brandon Vazquez or Sergio Canales linking up with Germán Berterame. Meza has a competition-leading five assists, while Vazquez is second in the CCC Golden Boot race with four goals.
Despite all that, Monterrey are winless in four Liga MX matches (0W-3L-1D) and have slipped to fourth in the Clausura standings. Fernando Ortiz's squad might be fallible after all.
Monterrey, as 2021 CCC winners, have already qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. So if they add a sixth CCC title this year, the Philadelphia Union qualify for that prestigious competition (held in the US) two summers from now.
