There was no dramatic comeback needed for the Crew in the Leagues Cup semifinals like there was against Inter Miami and New York City FC in earlier rounds. Instead, Columbus struck first against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday and never fell behind, securing a 3-1 victory to advance to the Leagues Cup final.

This marks the Crew's third trip to a tournament final in less than a year, with Columbus winning the MLS Cup in December and finishing as the runner-up in the CONCACAF Champions Cup in June.

Diego Rossi started the scoring in the 12th minute with a header, the very type of goal coach Wilfried Nancy said earlier in the tournament that he wanted to see from Rossi. A goal in the 43rd minute gave Rossi his third two-goal performance of the tournament and makes him the tournament's leading scorer with six.

Already securing the victory by taking a 2-1 lead before halftime, striker Cucho Hernandez added an insurance goal in the second half.

The Crew await the winner of the Los Angeles FC-Colorado Rapids and will face that team in the Leagues Cup final on Sunday, Aug. 25 at Lower.com Field. Kickoff time is still to be determined.

(88') Columbus Crew make late-game substitutions vs Philadelphia Union

Among the Crew's three substitutions was Diego Rossi, ending his night with two goals. Substitutions are as follows:

• Forward Diego Rossi replaced by Alex Matan

• Forward Christian Ramirez replaced by Dylan Chambost

• Midfielder Max Arfsten replaced by Malte Amundsen

Attendance 12,784 at Lower.com Field for Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union in Leagues Cup semifinal

The attendance at Lower.com Field on Wednesday for the semifinal match is the lowest for the Crew throughout the either tournament.

(72') Philadelphia Union Jakob Glesnes evaluated for head injury following collision with own teammate

Philadelphia defender Jakob Glesnes ran into teammate Samuel Adeniran near the top of their own box, and while both looked like it had little effect on either of the players, Glesnes went down, causing for the official to call for medical attention.

After two minutes, Glesnes was able to get up and after a minute on the sideline, re-entered the match.

(65') Philadelphia Union make substitutions vs Columbus Crew

With their first round of substitutions, the Union made the following moves:

• Midfielder Mikeal Uhre replaced by Samuel Adeniran

• Midfielder Jack McGlynn replaced by Jesus Bueno

• Midfielder Leon Flach replaced by Danley Jean Jacques

(53') Cucho Hernandez puts back his own shot to give Columbus Crew 3-1 lead vs Philadelphia Union

Crew striker Cucho Hernandez first attempted a header shot from the middle of Philadelphia's box that goalkeeper Andre Blake was able to make the save on. Once the ball bounced off Blake's hands, Hernandez sprinted to the ball near the goal line and launched the ball back at Blake and into the net.

Columbus has a 3-1 lead against Philadelphia.

(49') Sean Zawadzki issued a yellow card

Crew midfielder Sean Zawadzki was given the first yellow card of the match following a foul against the Union's Jack McGlynn. There were a few words between the referee and Zawadzki before the yellow card was shown.

(48') Columbus Crew make stop inches from goal line

The Union looked to be creating a solid scoring opportunity near the Crew's goal to open the first half, but defender Rudy Camacho and midfielder Sean Zawadzki stopped the ball from getting too close to goalkeeper Patrick Schulte before the Union were able to capitalize.

Columbus Crew go into halftime with 2-1 vs Philadelphia Union behind two goals from Diego Rossi

In the first half, the Crew took five shots, three on goal compared to the Union's three shot, all on goal. Along with the lead, Columbus controls the possession battle going into halftime with a 57.1% possession rate.

(43') Diego Rossi scores again vs Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew back ahead

Crew forward Diego Rossi, on another run on the right side of Philadelphia's box, was given the ball by forward Christian Ramirez. Rossi only needed one touch on the ball and was able to finish with a goal past goalkeeper Andre Blake.

Columbus pulls ahead of Philadelphia 2-1.

(32') Philadelphia Union even score 1-1 with goal from Daniel Gazdag

With the Union's first shot on goal in the game, midfielder Daniel Gazdag is able to put Philadelphia on the board with a goal, The score stands a 1-1.

Gazdag collected the ball off a Crew turnover and took a few dribbles to the right of Columbus' box. Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, who was positioned to attempt a save, allowed Gazdag's shot to pass through to the right corner of the goal.

(12') Diego Rossi scores header goal, Columbus Crew take 1-0 lead

With a header goal that coach Wilfried Nancy has been asking Diego Rossi to make since the beginning of the tournament, Rossi gives the Crew a 1-0 lead in the first half.

The scoring paly started with striker Cucho Hernandes, who took a shot attempt from the far, left corner of Philadelphia's box. Goalkeeper Andre Blake deflected the shot to his left, but Rossi was making a run towards the goal at the right time and dove into the ball, creating a header shot that went straight into the back of the net.

(4') Diego Rossi's first shot attempt vs Philadelphia Union misses

Crew forward Diego Rossi got off the first shot attempt of the match for either team. Near the Union's goal, Rossi received the ball off a pass on the right side of the box, but the attempt went over the goalpost.

Attendance at Lower.com Field for Leagues Cup matches

Here has been the attendance for Crew Leagues Cup matches at Lower.com Field this season:

• Friday, Aug. 9 vs Sporting Kansas City: 20,397

• Tuesday, Aug. 13 vs Inter Miami: 14,031

• Saturday, Aug. 17 vs New York City FC: 14,071

The Sporting Kansas City match to open the Crew's Leagues Cup run in the round of 32 was included in season ticket membership packages. The following matches have been an additional cost for season ticket holders, and there has only been a four-day turnaround in between games.

Why is Tai Baribo unavailable for Philadelphia Union vs Columbus Crew?

The Union's leading tournament scorer, Tai Baribo, will be unavailable for Philadelphia against Columbus in the League's Cup semifinals due to a red card violation in the quarterfinals. On Saturday against Mazatlan FC, Baribo was handed a red card after being given this second yellow card of the match in the span of 10 minutes.

Who are the Leagues Cup's leading scorers?

These are the top-scorer in Leagues Cup (still in the tournament):

• Tai Baribo (Philadelphia Union): 5 goals

• Denis Bouanga (Los Angeles FC): 4 goals

• Cristian Olivera (Los Angeles FC): 4 goals

• Diego Rossi (Columbus Crew): 4 goals

Preview: Columbus Crew continue managing congested schedule

The Crew solidified 52 as their target number of games to ensure an MLS Cup final when they made it to the Leagues Cup semifinals, guaranteeing they would have two more games within the tournament before returning the MLS regular-season play.

It will be match No. 34 for Columbus against the Philadelphia Union at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the semifinal.

"The staff knew how important it was going to be to really stress fitness and coming into the season fit because of how many games we were going to play," Crew midfielder Sean Zawadzki said.

Read More: As Columbus Crew continue in Leagues Cup, how does the club avoid late-season fatigue?

Philadelphia Union starting lineup vs Columbus Crew

Here is the starting 11 for Philadelphia vs Columbus:

• GK: Andre Blake

• DF: Jack Elliott

• DF: Jakob Glesnes

• DF: Nathan Harriel

• DF: Kai Wagner

• MF: Alejandro Bedoya

• MF: Leon Flach

• MF: Daniel Gazdag

• MF: Jack McGlynn

• MF: Quinn Sullivan

• MF: Mikael Uhre

Columbus Crew starting lineup vs Philadelphia Union

Here is the starting 11 for Columbus vs Philadelphia:

• GK: Patrick Schulte

• DF: Rudy Camacho

• DF: Yevhen Cheberko

• DF: Steven Moriera

• MF: Max Arfsten

• MF: Mo Farsi

• MF: Darlington Nagbe

• MF: Sean Zawadzki

• FW: Cucho Hernandez

• FW: Christian Ramirez

• FW: Diego Rossi

Who are the referees for Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union?

Here are the officials for the Crew vs the Union on Wednesday night:

• Referee: Armando Villarreal

• Assistant Referee 1: Cory Richardson

• Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins

• VAR: Dainel Radford

• Fourth Official: Jon Freemon

Who will Columbus Crew face if they advance vs Philadelphia Union?

The winner of the Crew-Philadelphia will face the winner of the Los Angeles FC vs Colorado Rapids in the final. The loser will face the LAFC-Colorado loser in the third-place game.

Los Angeles vs Colorado will start at 10:00 p.m. EST tonight in Los Angeles.

Columbus Crew overall record vs Philadelphia Union

The Crew are 15-13-6 against Philadelphia Union. November 2020 was the last time Columbus defeated Philadelphia, picking up a regular-season 2-1 victory.

Columbus Crew's path to Leagues Cup semifinals vs Philadelphia Union

The Crew defeated Sporting Kansas City 4-0 in the round of 32 behind two goals from forward Diego Rossi in their first Leagues Cup match. Prior to the knockout stage, Columbus had a bye through group play as 2023 MLS Cup champions.

To advance to the quarterfinals, the Crew had to complete a three-goal comeback in the final 25 minutes of their match against Inter Miami. Columbus was led by Rossi, who once again scored two goals, and forward Christian Ramirez.

In the quarterfinals, the Crew finished regulation tied 1-1 against New York City FC after NYCFC recorded the fastest goal ever scored against Columbus, with forward Alonso Martinez finding the back of the goal 14-seconds into the match. The match went to penalty kicks, and the Crew pulled out the 4-3 victory when transfer window addition DeJuan Jones hit Columbus' final attempt.

Philadelphia Union's path to Leagues Cup semifinals vs Columbus Crew

Despite the Philadelphia Union entering Leagues Cup play with a 6-10-9 record, putting the club out of a playoff position, Philadelphia was able to make it out of the East 4 group in first. In the Union's first tournament matches, they defeated Charlotte FC 1-0 before falling to Liga MX's Cruz Azul 5-4 in penalty kicks, which still gave Philadelphia a point towards their group stage standings.

Philadelphia drew CF Montreal in the opening round of the knockout stage, and shutout Montreal 2-0. The Union went on to face FC Cincinnati in the round of 16, picking up what was considered an upset 4-3 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.

Similarly to Columbus, Philadelphia's quarterfinal match was tied 1-1 by the time regulation against Liga MX's Mazatlan FC had concluded and went to a penalty shootout. Mazatlan missed its first and fourth penalty kicks, opening the window for the Union to pick up a 4-3 victory to reach the semifinals.

How did Columbus Crew do in 2023 Leagues Cup

The Crew started the 2023 Leagues Cup in the Central 1 group with St. Louis City and Club America.

After defeating St. Louis 2-1 in their opening match of the tournament, the Crew faced Club America, one of the top teams in Liga MX, on the heels of Columbus announcing the transfer of their star midfielder Lucas Zelarayan to Saudi Pro League's Al Fateh. Hours after the announcement, the Crew picked up a 4-1 victory over Club America.

Columbus went into the knockout stage with home field advantage in the round of 32 against Minnesota United. The two clubs finished regulation tied 1-1, sending the game straight to penalty kicks. With misses attempts from Kevin Molino, Steven Moreira and Malte Amundsen, the Crew fell to Minnesota 4-3 in penalty kicks and were knocked out of the tournament.

How to listen to Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union radio broadcast

The Crew vs. Philadelphia English-speaking radio broadcast will be on Alt 105.7 FM and available via the iHeartRadio app. Columbus' regular radio broadcaster Chris Doran will be on the call.

The Spanish radio broadcast can be found on La Grande 102.5 FM and the La Grande radio app with Juan Valladares doing play-by-play.

Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union streaming information

The Crew-Philadelphia match will be available on Apple TV with an MLS Season Pass subscription. Here are the broadcast teams for tonight:

• English broadcast: Jake Zivin (play-by-play), Taylor Twellman (analyst)

• Spanish broadcast: Sammy Sadovnik (play-by-play), Diego Valeri (analyst)

When is the Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union match?

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 21 at Lower.com Field.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

Get more Columbus Crew content by listening to our podcast

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union: Leagues Cup live updates, results