Columbus Crew shows resilience in 'power struggle' with Monterrey

Wilfried Nancy gathered his Columbus Crew team for a different kind of video session Wednesday in preparation for the Concaf Champions Cup semifinal first leg against CF Monterrey at Lower.com Field.

Columbus Crew shows resilience in 'power struggle' with Monterrey

No doubt he and his players have already dissected the epic matchup against another Mexican giant, Tigres UANL, in the second leg of the CCC quarterfinals earlier this month. But there was another detail that Nancy wanted to highlight - not the tactical nuances or flow of passes, but at the Estadio Universitario, better known as "El Volcán," after the Crew won the series with a draw on the road. was the reaction of enthusiastic fans. In a penalty shootout.

Nancy revealed at the post-match press conference, ``Today I showed you a video of the Tigres fans applauding me as I left the pitch.''

And his team duly produced a confident and resilient performance of similar quality, securing a thrilling 2-1 win against Rayados and sending Columbus into the Champions Cup final on June 2. Giving a real chance to progress, the series will move to the Estadio BBVA for the second leg, which will be set next week.

"I'm really proud of the players," Nancy said after a "quality game" against a Monterrey club that hadn't lost a CCC game in five years. "We played really well in a difficult situation, so we stayed united. When we had the ball, we tried to play our way and we had some good opportunities to keep us off balance."

Cucho, Russell Rowe in action

Cucho Hernandez, the Crew's star striker, was on a roll all night and opened the scoring with a stunning finish from the top of the Rayados penalty area, which was a real reward for the Colombian's creativity and dynamism.

And yet it was emblematic of the collective spirit of the reigning MLS Cup champions that Jaysen Russell Rowe, a member of the Crew's MLS NEXT pro team, made a similar impression. The intelligent and muscular Canadian forward scored the opening goal alongside Jaysen, and then Sean Zawadzki scored the decisive winner with a late corner kick at the back post.



"Jasen, yeah, he played a good game," Nancy said. "They know the connection beforehand so we wanted to have that kind of profile in this game and we really liked the fact that he can do good things as well." ``I would say it was a relief.'' Asked how he felt when he saw Russell Rowe's header deflected past Esteban Andrada, the manager said: ``Relief.'' "Jacen deserved it, but Sean's offense deserved it too. He touched the ball first, my guys worked on it, and it worked out today. They just didn't stop, they pushed the ball forward, they didn't stop. I think we deserved it because we pushed hard."


Zawadzki's contribution was poetic considering his responsibility for Monterrey's tying goal. A poor pass by the full-backs along the touchline at the start of the team's build-up gave the visitors a chance to break through in transition, with Zawadzki and his fellow defenders attempting to retreat, but Zawadzki was able to beat Jesús Gallardo's I couldn't stop playing. Early cross hit by Maxi Meza on the back floor. “Obviously they should have scored, but I wanted them to concede in a different way, meaning we conceded,” Nancy said.

"I'm trying to convince them that mistakes are part of top-level sport," he explained regarding his message to the team. “The idea is, no matter what happens, can we find a way back? We work on that in training, but ultimately we have to survive this situation. And I think that's what we've been working on in the past. Now they're better and the chemistry is right. And they were able to solve it. ”

It remains to be seen whether this away goal will give Monterrey an advantage they can maximize on home soil. The five-time Concacaf champion had to bow to Columbus' performance for the time being.

Rayados coach Fernando Ortiz said, ``It's a very interesting team, considering the quality of players that the coach has brought into the team.'' ``This is the last MLS champion,'' he said, calling the series ``very open'' and encouraging fans. He also expressed optimism that he is looking forward to it. Give his team home-field advantage next week. "We may all be in a difficult situation because of this result, but I think it's given us confidence that the team had to respond by playing on a difficult pitch against a great opponent. ``I think in many situations [but] we weren't effective, that's the reality. There are still 90 minutes left.

A handshake nudge? Ortiz made headlines with his controversial comments ahead of Monterrey's quarterfinal series against Inter Miami, joining Leo Messi, Tata Martino and others after winning the first leg at Chase Stadium. This led to a brutal duel.

But now Nancy may be playing mind games. On Wednesday, the French coach said Ortiz did not shake hands after the final whistle, which he interpreted as a sign of the wild reception that awaited his team in Nuevo Leon. ``Yeah, it's going to be a tough game.'' ``I wanted to shake Coach (Ortiz)'s hand, but he wouldn't shake my hand,'' Nancy said. "They weren't happy," but we'll play for it. We play for that kind of environment. Then you're ready. ”

Despite the discouraging history of struggling MLS clubs in Mexico, Columbus, like they did against the Tigres and during their remarkable run to last year's league championship, remains true to their own, high-risk, high-stakes strategy. He will want to stick to a return possession style. Concacafe play.

"We're going to play a good game there and know when it's good to attack and when it's good to defend. It's going to be a tough battle. Good luck," Nancy said. "But you can't tell your team to sit and wait. That's not how we play." So we respect the game and we'll see how we play the game. ”