Columbus Crew vs CF Monterrey: Dates set for CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal matches
The conclusion of the CF Monterrey-Inter Miami match made it official: The Crew are the last MLS team standing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and they will play again on Wednesday, April 24 at Lower.com Field when they host Monterrey in the first leg of a semifinal matchup. The kickoff for that game is set for 8:15 p.m. On the road for the second leg, the Crew will play again on Wednesday, May 1 at 10:15 p.m.
Heading to the semifinals for the first time in club history, Columbus will be squaring off against one of the top teams in Liga MX. The Mexico-based team also has a storied history in the tournament, winning five Champions Cups, most recently in 2021.
More History To Make 😤
The Crew will host Rayados in @TheChampions Semifinal first leg on Wednesday, April 24 at 8:15 p.m. The Black & Gold will travel to Monterrey on May 1 for the second leg of the Semifinal.— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) April 15, 2024
The only time the Crew have faced Monterrey was during the 2021 Champions Cup, where they fell to the future champions in the quarterfinals by an aggregate score of 5-2.
Darlington Nagbe is the only player from that series' starting lineup who is still with Columbus. Alex Matan and Evan Bush were bench options for those matches, with Matan seeing limited playing time under then-coach Caleb Porter.
To reach the semifinals, Monterrey had to stymie Inter-Miami star Lionel Messi, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury. Messi has been mostly sidelined since mid-March, only appearing as a substitution for Miami in its MLS regular season match against the Colorado Rapids on April 6.
Former FC Cincinnati forward Brandon Vazquez has become a key contributor for Monterrey in his debut season with the club, specifically in CONCACAF play. The 25-year-old leads his team in goals during the tournament with four, including one in their second-leg victory over Miami.
For the Crew to advance to this stage, they had to make history and defeat Tigres on the road in penalty kicks. This marked the first time in Champions Cup history that an MLS team beat a Liga MX team club after failing to win its home leg.
Monterrey earned the second leg's home-field advantage by scoring more goals than Columbus in the quarterfinals, 5-2.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup: Columbus Crew preps for CF Monterrey
