The obstacles piled up, but the Crew’s commitment to its principles set the stage for a historic success
The Columbus Crew did something no MLS team has ever done in the Concacaf Champions Cup Tuesday night.
The defending MLS Cup champions went to Estadio Universitario and secured a 1-1 second-leg draw against Tigres, eventually advancing to the semifinals on penalty kicks thanks in large part to goalkeeper Patrick Schulte’s two saves early in the tiebreaker.
The first leg at Lower.com Field had also ended 1-1, and history pointed to bad news ahead. No MLS team paired with a Mexican side had ever hosted a first leg, failed to win, and then recovered in the second leg to advance before.
The Crew got that first-leg draw without star forward Cucho Hernández, dropped by head coach Wilfried Nancy for an as-yet-unspecified issue, and faced even more difficulties in the second leg.
For one thing, U.S. men’s national team prospect Aidan Morris, a key ballwinner for Columbus, was unavailable due to a suspension. However, the biggest blow came just three minutes into the match, Schulte got the ball stuck under his foot under pressure from André-Pierre Gignac, conceding a disastrous goal.
It wasn’t just that Tigres had taken the lead, but that this goal — a product of welcoming pressure from an opponent, a foundational element of Columbus’ methodology under Nancy — called the entire approach into question.
The Crew had to dig in for a spell, with Tigres sensing an opportunity to put the tie to bed quickly. That’s a long-standing pattern for MLS teams in this situation, particularly after a bad mistake.
Columbus, however, held its nerve.
“That’s the way it’s been since the beginning when I took the team: It’s all about us,” Nancy told reporters after the match. “We respect the opposition, we try to adjust certain things depending on what kind of style of play we’re going to face. But at the end of the day, we try to play our football. And today, yes, I’m really proud of the way we played.”
The Crew began playing its way back into the match, with Cucho playing a major role in a 59th minute equalizer.
A long ball over the Tigres defense left the Colombia forward with plenty to do, and while Mo Farsi couldn’t finish off a pass from the left, Diego Rossi was on hand to make sure the opportunity paid off.
El Volcán, arguably the toughest atmosphere in Mexico, was suddenly tame, and Columbus navigated the next hour of the match without having to suffer for long spells. The Crew would finish the match with a possession advantage despite playing on the road, underlining the club’s commitment to its core tactical principles.
“I’m not surprised to be honest with you, because this is not easy, what I’m asking to my players,” said Nancy.
“Yes, we are [MLS Cup] champions, but the idea is: Is it possible to seek improvement all the time, all the time, all the time? Tonight I’m really happy because, yes, we won. But to be honest with you, PK win or loss, it would have been the same for me. Because they believe in [the principles]. That’s why they are able to play the way they want to play, knowing that it’s not easy.”
With a 2-2 aggregate scoreline and the away goals tally equal, penalties arrived, opening the door for Schulte’s redemption on the night. Staring down Gignac, arguably the single player to torment MLS teams in the Champions Cup more than any other, Schulte leapt to his right on the tiebreaker’s opening shot to make a stunning stop.
The Crew took the lead, and Schulte proceeded to deny Guido Pizarrio in round two, setting the stage for a 4-3 triumph.
“Pat deserved that,” insisted Nancy. “He knows that he has to evolve, and so I’m really happy for him, because I can tell you that he was really, really disappointed when we conceded the goal.
“This is the message, this is all the time, day to day what we try to give them. All the time, try to give a new challenge…sometimes there’s a little voice behind you saying that, ‘No, no this is not possible.’ So I try to tell them that, ‘Hey, [wave away] this voice. Leave it on the side, and just play.'”
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