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 Supportersā Shield winners lasts through 2024 with a purchase option. He occupies a U22 Initiative roster slot.
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Last nightās lone MLS game gave us a show. Itās 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 RaĆŗl RuidĆaz scoring from the center line.
Thatās certainly one way to fix an early-season finishing crisis, right? The course correction didnāt 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 RuidĆaz 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. Gazdagās goal made it 3-2 and made him the Unionās all-time leading scorer.
It looked like the Union had tied it up directly after Gazdagās 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 ā 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 weāre 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 arenāt representative of the Union weāre used to seeing. The CCC flameout, weird defensive mistakes, bad goalkeeping and losing at home? Twice?? In a row???
Itās all out of the norm for this team. Theyāll still probably end up with 50+ points by the end of the year. Thatās just kind of a given. But the ceiling is dropping.
What can we add before the Crew take on Monterrey tonight? Thereās no magical tactical tweak coming. There are no huge personnel decisions. Thereās nothing weāre going to say Wilfried Nancy isnāt already aware of. And thereās 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.
Thatās part of what makes them so fun. Even against the best teams in the region, theyāre going to play their particular brand of soccer. They didnāt flinch against Tigres, they didnāt flinch in the first leg against Monterrey and they wonāt flinch tonight. No big changes are coming just because theyāre up 2-1. It will be the same Crew weāve been seeing since Nancy took over, and theyāre going to try and build out of the back and rip Rayados apart until this series is done.
If it works, theyāll be one step away from a legendary status among MLS teams. If it doesnāt work, theyāll still be talked about as one of the most exciting teams in the history of the league. Either way, they win.
ā¦ Actually winning would be a lot cooler though, wouldnāt it? At this point, theyāve given us every reason to believe theyāll pull it off.
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- 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.