Columbus head to Monterrey in CCC semifinal
The Columbus Crew enter Leg 2 of their Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal series with CF Monterrey holding a 2-1 aggregate lead, looking to eliminate another Liga MX powerhouse Wednesday night at Estadio BBVA. Kickoff is set for 10:15 pm ET on FS1 and TUDN.
FC Cincinnati acquire forward Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Cincinnati have acquired forward Kevin Kelsy on loan from Ukrainian top-flight side Shakhtar Donetsk. The 19-year-old Venezuelan youth international's deal with the defending Supporters’ Shield winners lasts through 2024 with a purchase option. He occupies a U22 Initiative roster slot.
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Last night’s lone MLS game gave us a show. It’s worth talking about. If only for a moment.
We could start in so many directions with this. The Union losing back-to-back home games for probably the first time in recorded history (ok, fine, the first time in three years) seems like a big one. Seattle potentially making their official entrance into the 2024 season feels big too. And it all started with a Union giveaway at midfield that turned into Raúl Ruidíaz scoring from the center line.
That’s certainly one way to fix an early-season finishing crisis, right? The course correction didn’t stop there for Seattle, though. Moments later, Obed Vargas ripped a shot from just outside the 18 into the side netting for his first professional goal. A Ruidíaz penalty 15 minutes later put Seattle up 3-0 in the first 37 minutes of the makeup game.
We were on course for what might have been the worst Union home loss ever, but Jack McGlynn one-upped Vargas with a screamer from distance and Daniel Gazdag followed it up with a free header inside the box. Gazdag’s goal made it 3-2 and made him the Union’s all-time leading scorer.
It looked like the Union had tied it up directly after Gazdag’s goal, but the offside flag went up and Seattle held on the rest of the way for a win that felt as close to a season-saver as you can get in late April – even if the Sounders felt a little bit (a lotta bit) of dread start to set in once the Union got back in the game.
But that first half is something they can build on. Seattle needed literally anything to push them in the right direction. Nine points through 10 games sounds much better than six points through 10 games, even if neither sounds great. Maybe we’re starting to see Seattle turn the corner just as they hit the most critical stretch of their season?
Meanwhile, the weird mood around this Union team we discussed yesterday got a lot worse last night. This early season stretch has been filled with moments that aren’t representative of the Union we’re used to seeing. The CCC flameout, weird defensive mistakes, bad goalkeeping and losing at home? Twice?? In a row???
It’s all out of the norm for this team. They’ll still probably end up with 50+ points by the end of the year. That’s just kind of a given. But the ceiling is dropping.
What can we add before the Crew take on Monterrey tonight? There’s no magical tactical tweak coming. There are no huge personnel decisions. There’s nothing we’re going to say Wilfried Nancy isn’t already aware of. And there’s nothing new to learn about CF Monterrey. Either the Crew go down to Nuevo Leon and get the job done in the same way they always seem to get the job done, or they come up short playing the same way they always seem to play.
That’s part of what makes them so fun. Even against the best teams in the region, they’re going to play their particular brand of soccer. They didn’t flinch against Tigres, they didn’t flinch in the first leg against Monterrey and they won’t flinch tonight. No big changes are coming just because they’re up 2-1. It will be the same Crew we’ve been seeing since Nancy took over, and they’re going to try and build out of the back and rip Rayados apart until this series is done.
If it works, they’ll be one step away from a legendary status among MLS teams. If it doesn’t work, they’ll still be talked about as one of the most exciting teams in the history of the league. Either way, they win.
… Actually winning would be a lot cooler though, wouldn’t it? At this point, they’ve given us every reason to believe they’ll pull it off.
- MLS GO is partnering with leading US Youth Soccer state associations to support access and participation to recreational soccer.
- Alex Ring is the Energy Moment of the Matchday presented by Celsius recipient for Matchday 11.
- Andrew Wiebe took a look at the biggest stories in MLS.
- Joe Lowery assessed whether or not your team is meeting expectations.
- Power Rankings
Good luck out there. Make the signs go away.
