Will Diego Rossi be available for Columbus Crew in game two of MLS Cup first round?
Crew forward Diego Rossi is expected to be available for Game 2 of the MLS Cup first-round series against the New York Red Bulls, according to coach Wilfried Nancy.
Rossi missed the first game of the best-of-three series due to a back injury. The Crew lost 1-0.
Rossi is second in goals for the Crew with 12. The 26-year-old was the only Crew player to appear in every regular-season and tournament game this year.
"He's a fast player, so he offers us a threat in behind," Crew midfielder Max Arfsten said. "Also, he runs a lot. He's dynamic in that sense. So, it'll be nice to have him back."
Without Rossi, who started 30 regular-season games, the Crew started Alex Matan on the front line with Cucho Hernandez and Christian Ramirez.
The Crew's offensive struggles led to Nancy making changes in the lineup early in Game 1, substituting Aziel Jackson and Jacen Russell-Rowe for Matan and Ramirez at the 59-minute mark.
Malte Amundsen's injury: Will he return for Game 2 vs New York Red Bulls
The Crew also were missing starting defender Malte Amundsen in Game 1 with an adductor injury.
On Thursday, Nancy said that Amundsen will continue to be unavailable.
"We have to wait a bit," Nancy said. "For the moment, I cannot give you a timeline, but he won't come back soon."
Game 2 of the Crew-Red Bulls series is set to kick off at 4:40 p.m. Sunday in Harrison, New Jersey. The Crew must win to avoid elimination.
Get more Columbus Crew content by listening to our podcast
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew: Will Diego Rossi play game two of MLS Cup first round?
