By Favian Renkel
The goals have started coming in bunches at Leagues Cup. Following the Sounders’ emphatic 7-0 win over Cruz Azul, MLS teams have taken the hint — goals matter, especially with advancement on the line.
Club Puebla entered Saturday’s match against the reigning Leagues Cup champions on the back of a win over a heavily rotated NYCFC squad. The Crew, meanwhile, were coming off a penalty shootout loss to recent Liga MX champions Toluca, leaving them in a difficult position in the group.
With eight MLS teams winning their first match of the phase, Columbus faced a harsh reality: if none of those sides dropped points, the Crew’s path to the knockout round would be blocked. Their only hope was to pile on goals — and hope the math favored them.
That’s exactly what they did.
In front of a lively crowd at Lower.com Field, the Crew delivered a ruthless first-half performance, scoring three goals on just seven shots. Diego Rossi, who was under pressure after missing both a game-winning penalty and his attempt in the shootout against Toluca, found redemption with a goal to open the scoring. The Uruguayan looked sharp and decisive, quickly putting recent doubts behind him.
Malte Amundsen and Marcelo Herrera added goals in the first half, giving Columbus a commanding lead. Puebla managed to pull one back through Esteban Lozano, but the visitors never looked likely to mount a comeback.
The second half saw both teams settle into the match, with Columbus maintaining control. They had several opportunities to add to their lead but couldn't convert.
Despite the strong performance, the Crew’s fate still hangs in the balance. Advancement remains unlikely, but head coach Wilfried Nancy used the match to rotate in fresh legs and keep the squad ready for any potential next step.
For now, all Columbus can do is wait — and hope.
REACTIONS
- Columbus Head Coach Wilfried Nancy:
- “We have to go all in against Leon (in our next match) because we have no choice, but at the same time, the other team might not go all in because of their results. So this is an interesting issue within the tournament.”
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- Columbus Crew:
- Diego Rossi, scored a goal and had an assist as he had a bounceback performance leading the charge for the Crew
- Club Puebla:
- Esteban Lozano scored the only goal of the night for Puebla, he's now scored twice in his first five games as a member of Puebla
GAME NOTES
- The Crew had hit a bit of a skid with only one win in their last four games so this was a much needed result.
- Rossi had one of the two goals for Columbus in the opener, and he found the net again on Friday giving him eight goals in seven career Leagues Cup games.
- A pair of defenders, Malte Amundsen and Andrés Herrera, scored for the Crew. They each have multiple goals in their last five games.
- 19-year-old forward, Taha Habroune, showed off his skills being involved in two of the goals of the night with a pair of assists.
- After recording back-to-back clean sheets, Puebla's defense struggled early in this one surrendering three first half goals.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards
- Columbus Crew: None
- Club Puebla: Juan Fedorco, Ariel Gamarra, Iker Moreno
LOOKING AHEAD
- Columbus' next match will be against León on August 5th
- Club Puebla's next match will be against Montréal on August 5th
