Columbus Crew vs CF Monterrey: Crew know their next CONCACAF Champions Cup opponents

Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch

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.

Heading to the semifinals for the first time in club history, Columbus will be squaring off against Monterrey, 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.

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.

Columbus Crew SC midfielder Darlington Nagbe (6) dribbles around CF Monterrey midfielder Jonathan González (25) in the first half of the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals at Crew Stadium in Columbus on Wednesday, April 28, 2021.
Columbus Crew SC midfielder Darlington Nagbe (6) dribbles around CF Monterrey midfielder Jonathan González (25) in the first half of the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals at Crew Stadium in Columbus on Wednesday, April 28, 2021.

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.

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 09: Hugo Cuypers #9 of the Chicago Fire FC attempts to steal the ball from Diego Rossi #10 of the Columbus Crew during the second half of the match at Lower.com Field on March 9, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus defeated Chicago 2-1. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 09: Hugo Cuypers #9 of the Chicago Fire FC attempts to steal the ball from Diego Rossi #10 of the Columbus Crew during the second half of the match at Lower.com Field on March 9, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus defeated Chicago 2-1. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

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.

When is Crew vs Monterrey CONCACAF Champions Cup series?

There has been no official date for either leg of the semifinal series, but according to CONCACAF guidelines, the Crew will be hosting the first leg. Monterrey earned the second leg's home-field advantage by scoring more goals than Columbus in the quarterfinals, 5-2.

The designated time frame for the first leg ranges from Tuesday, April 23 to Thursday, April 25, with the second leg being between Tuesday, April 30 to Thursday, May 2.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup: Columbus Crew preps for CF Monterrey

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