There are times when one can feel a moment and know it will not be forgotten. Such a moment there was Monday night at the new Crew Stadium, where Lucas Zelarayan, arguably the greatest player in Crew history, stepped onto the field before a match against Club America, the behemoth of the hemisphere, and bid farewell to Columbus. It wasn't Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium, but in the measure of shared emotion, it was in the ballpark.

“Thank you for the love,” Zelarayan told the sellout crowd of 20,217. “Thank you for the support. I don’t know what to say. It’s difficult to speak at this time. But thank you to all the fans. Real love from the fans will stay in my heart forever.”

The official announcement came earlier in the day: Zelarayan had been sold to Al Fateh of the Saudi Pro League in what was the latest Saudi sportswashing expedition. Damn, why can't they stick with sucking talent from Europe, or leaching more blood from the PGA Tour? Why poach on Columbus? How much more do they want?

Social media reaction: 'Enjoy your cash I guess': Columbus Crew fans react online to Lucas Zelarayan transfer

While terms of the deal were not disclosed, indications are the transfer fee collected by the Crew was in the range of $6 million to $7 million. Suffice, Zelarayan is about to get a major raise on the $3.8 million in guaranteed compensation the Crew was paying him this year.

Crew president/general manager Tim Bezbatchenko got an offer he had to consider. He went to Zelarayan, 31, who had to think about the final stages career, and the monetary bridge that Al Fateh will provide him and his family before he realizes his final goal, to have one last go-around in his native Argentina. Ultimately, neither Bezbatchenko nor Zelarayan could turn down the Saudis.

All of this was a stunning blow to Crew fans. If you follow the team, you know what Bezbatchenko has added during this summer transfer window and you were led to believe that the team could make a serious run at another MLS Cup title. That is, until Monday. If losing Zelarayan was a gut punch for the team, the highest-scoring side in MLS, it felt like a slap in the face to the fans. As news of the deal percolated, proclamations of dismay littered social media.

Moving Zelarayan makes sense only on one condition: Bezbatchenko has another surprise coming before the transfer window closes Wednesday night.

And he just might.

“We still have a couple of irons in the fire and I’m hoping we can pull one of them out,” Bezbatchenko said. “We’re looking at attacking players. (The Crew roster) is an incomplete picture right now, and it might be a different picture in a couple days.”

If you are a Crew fan, you are crossing your fingers. Zelarayan, who had 38 goals and (10 this season) and 38 assists in 97 league games since he broke into the league in 2020 – when he was Newcomer of the Year and MLS Cup MVP, leaves a gaping hole in the front line. Bezbatchenko indicated that what he is chasing can be described as “an attacking player.”

The Crew did something difficult, perhaps just nigh impossible, and beat Club America 4-1 as Zelarayan and his family watched from a stadium suite. Afterward, the Crew players who came through the mixed zone to meet the media were wiping their eyes as they talked about Zelarayan, the man and the teammate, and his departure.

Forward Cucho Hernandez, who is like a little brother to Zelarayan, didn’t get into detail about the interaction between the two after Zelarayan broke the news that he was leaving. Cucho did have this tweet, or X, or whatever it is now:

“Brother … it is difficult to say goodbye to you so soon. I imagined achieving great things with you in Columbus, but we know that football things are sometimes unfair. I am grateful to you and your family for having received me in the best way in a place that was new.” 

Cucho jogged onto the field against Club America and almost broke the right post with a shot in the seventh minute. He went on to score two goals in what felt like a heavyweight match that turned into a Crew rout. The home team pinned a 4-1 loss on the vaunted visitors from Mexico City. The next stop, for both teams, is in the knockout round of this Leagues Cup tournament of MLS and LigaMX clubs. The Crew go forward as the winner of their group, and with a higher seed than Club America in the Round of 32.

“I know Columbus and all the fans will never forget (Zelarayan),” Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. “Now, we have to move forward. The focus is on the team. The team is the most important thing. The idea is to be together, like tonight.”

Zelarayan, who followed in the path of the incomparable Guillermo Barros Schelotto and the great Federico Higuain, is gone from Columbus.

And now we all wait to see what Bezbatchenko does to help fill the hole.

Stay tuned.

marace@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lucas Zelarayan leaves; Columbus Crew still working transfer window