Columbus Crew vs Inter Miami: What needs to change for Crew in Leagues Cup?
The last time the Crew faced Inter Miami, it took just 21 minutes for Miami to secure the 2-1 victory and snap Columbus' four-game MLS winning streak.
Less than two months later, the Crew have a chance to right the mistakes of their first meeting and knock the reigning Leagues Cup champions out of the tournament in the round of 16. And once again, Columbus has the advantage of Miami's Lionel Messi being ruled out for their match, as he is recovering from a right ankle injury that he suffered on July 14 in the Copa America final.
"I was hoping that Messi could play, because this would be the first time (we face him)," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "But this is not possible for the moment."
More: Will the Columbus Crew play Lionel Messi in Cleveland? A breakdown of what we know
In June, Messi and striker Luis Suarez missed the match against Columbus because they had already departed from the club to start training with their respective national teams for Copa America. Though Messi is unavailable, Suarez, who has scored twice in Miami's four Leagues Cup games, will be an option for Miami's lineup on Tuesday.
For the Crew, they main concern is fixing what went wrong in the loss when Miami was without Suarez before they can worry about the threat Suarez brings. According to midfielder Darlington Nagbe, Columbus lacked "sharpness" on the road against Miami, especially in the opening 25 minutes.
"They capitalized off some of our mistakes," Nagbe said. "The score was the score. But overall, I thought we controlled the game, and they were missing guys. So, I think this time will be different, hopefully."
Miami got on the board first with two goals in the club's last meeting with Columbus, but the Crew finished the first half with a goal from striker Cucho Hernandez in the 40th minute. Columbus failed to complete the comeback and recorded one of their four regular-season losses.
Nancy said he "doesn't believe" Columbus has to score first on Tuesday in order to win the game and advance to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.
"The game is dynamic," Nancy said. "Football is so irrational sometimes. If we score the first goal, fine, but after that, we have to score the second goal, and it's not easy to score the second goal. And if we concede, we know we have 90 minutes (in the game) to score the goal. So, try to manage the momentum of the game, this is the most important."
Crew in Leagues Cup: Columbus Crew GM Issa Tall fortified roster to go trophy hunting | Arace
Will Patrick Schulte start at goalkeeper vs Inter Miami?
While goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen started and played all 90 minutes for Columbus in its first Leagues Cup match against Sporting Kansas City, regular starter Patrick Schulte returned to the club on Thursday. Schulte was the starting goalkeeper for the United States at the Olympics and helped lead the U-23 team to the quarterfinal for the first time since 2000.
The U.S. was eliminated in that quarterfinal match against Morocco, allowing Schulte to return earlier than if they had made it to the final, which was scheduled for Aug. 9.
Though Schulte is available, Nancy was still unsure Monday about who would take the starting goalkeeper.
"Nico (Hagen) started the competition, and it was the plan," Nancy said. "So, I can stay with Nico because he deserves to finish the competition. Also, it could be good for Pat (Schulte) to play. So, I will assess everything, and we will see."
Get more Columbus Crew content by listening to our podcast
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew face Inter Miami, 2023 League Cup champs, in round of 16
