Live updates and results from the Leagues Cup final
Highlights, pictures and sounds from the Nordecke fans of the Columbus Crew
Sing, cheer and dance along with Columbus Crew fans in the north corner during a Leagues Cup quarterfinal match against Philadelphia Union.
Wilfried Nancy can add a second title to his resume as coach of the Crew before the end of his second season with the club.
After winning the 2023 MLS Cup final to cap his first season with Columbus, Nancy led the club to its first appearance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final, losing 3-0 to CF Pachuca. Less than three months later, the Crew earned another shot at a title by reaching the Leagues Cup final.
In a rematch of December’s MLS Cup final, the Crew will face Los Angeles at Lower.com Field for the Leagues Cup title. Columbus defeated LAFC 2-1 with goals from striker Cucho Hernandez and midfielder Yaw Yeboah.
Crew forward Christian Ramirez isn’t expecting any big motivational speeches from Nancy before the finals. But after winning and losing a recent championship game, Nancy has already offered some useful advice.
“He wants us to enjoy it and play with joy,” Ramirez said. “So that’s all we could do. Not put any extra pressure on ourselves, which we didn’t do all tournament, and it was an elimination game every game. So just be ourselves, be confident, respect our opponent and go for it.”
Follow live updates from the Leagues Cup final between the Crew and LAFC:
The Crew is 2-3-1 against LAFC. Columbus has won their last two meetings, including the 2023 MLS Cup final.
Repetition: Crew beat LAFC 5-1 thanks to two goals from former LAFC striker Christian Ramirez
The Crew defeated Sporting Kansas City 4-0 in the round of 16 thanks to two goals from striker Diego Rossi. Columbus avoided the group stage as 2023 MLS Cup winners.
To advance to the quarterfinals, the Crew had to overcome a three-goal deficit in the final 25 minutes of their match against Inter Miami. Columbus was again led by Rossi, who again scored two goals. The other goal came from Christian Ramirez.
In the quarterfinals, the Crew finished regulation time with a 1-1 draw with New York City FC after allowing the fastest goal in franchise history. NYFC striker Alonso Martinez scored after 14 seconds. The game went to penalties and the Crew took the 4-3 victory, with trade-period addition DeJuan Jones converting Columbus’ final attempt.
Columbus faced Philadelphia Union in the semifinals and thanks to another brace from Rossi, the Crew won 3-1. Striker Cucho Hernandez scored the third goal for Columbus, his 50th goal for the club.
Los Angeles finished the group stage of the Leagues Cup as runners-up in West 7 behind the Vancouver Whitecaps.
In the round of 32, LAFC beat Austin FC 2-0 and then defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 4-1. San Jose’s goal is the only goal Los Angeles has conceded in the knockout stages of the tournament. Los Angeles held the Seattle Sounders scoreless in a 3-0 win in the quarterfinals and defeated the Colorado Rapids 4-0 in the semifinals to secure a place in the final.
The Crew started the 2023 Leagues Cup in Group Central 1 with St. Louis City and Club America.
After defeating St. Louis 2-1 in the opening match of the tournament, the Crew faced Club America, one of the top teams in Liga MX, shortly after Columbus announced the transfer of their star midfielder Lucas Zelarayan to Al Fateh of the Saudi Pro League. Hours after the announcement, the Crew claimed a 4-1 victory over Club America.
Columbus entered the knockout phase of the Round of 32 against Minnesota United with home advantage. The two clubs finished regulation time in a 1-1 draw, meaning the game went straight to penalties. After missed shots by Kevin Molino, Steven Moreira and Malte Amundsen, the Crew lost to Minnesota 4-3 in the penalty shootout and were eliminated from the tournament.
The English-language radio broadcast of The Crew vs. LAFC will air on Alt 105.7 FM and is available on the iHeartRadio app. Columbus’ regular radio host Chris Doran will be on the call.
The Spanish radio broadcast can be heard on La Grande 102.5 FM and the La Grande radio app with Juan Valladares as live commentator.
The Crew-LAFC game will be available on Apple TV with an MLS Season Pass subscription. Here are the teams for tonight’s broadcast:
- English broadcast: Jake Zivin (live commentary), Taylor Twellman (analyst)
- Spanish broadcast: Sammy Sadovnik (live commentary), Diego Valeri (analyst)
Kickoff: 7:15 p.m., Sunday, August 25, at Lower.com Field.
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