Columbus advance to Concacaf Champions Cup Final
The Columbus Crew are on their way to the CCC Final. Columbus advanced over CF Monterrey thanks to goals from Aidan Morris, Diego Rossi and Jacen Russell-Rowe that earned the Crew a 3-1 win on the night and a 5-2 series win. The Crew are the first MLS team to beat Rayados on the road since 2011 Seattle and are the first team to make the CCC Final since LAFC last season. Wilfried Nancy & Co. will travel to take on Pachuca for the title.
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Welcome to The Daily Kickoff, your favorite daily newsletter covering all things Columbus Crew. Normally we write about all the teams in MLS, but the last few weeks have belonged to Columbus. So much so that we don’t even know what we’re going to write about at this point. We’ve already been scraping the bottom of the barrel to figure out new ways to say “Crew good” over and over. After their beatdown of CF Monterrey in a ConcaChampions semifinal, there’s officially nothing left.
I know some of y’all might be new to the Crewsletter, though. Every comic book is someone’s first, right? To help you out, I’ve made a handy FAQ to answer any questions you may have.
Q: Does last night’s win mean the Crew are the best MLS team of all time?
Personally, I think it will be hard to top what 2019 LAFC did. It’s still a bummer that they never got a true shot at a real run in Concacaf. On a neutral field, they may be the only team that could outscore this Columbus team. But there’s an argument for this version of the Crew whether they win the final or not. That 2019 LAFC team got blown up in a Conference Final. The Crew found a way to win theirs and then rolled in MLS Cup.
Still, I don’t know. If we’re just handing out a Power Rating to the best MLS teams ever, it’s tough to know where to put this version of the Crew among the 2017-18 Torontos, 2018 Atlantas, 2019-20 LAFCs, 2022 Seattles (CCL edition) and 2022-23 LAFCs of the world. They’re absolutely in the discussion though, even without the regular-season success of some of those teams. And considering how they always seem to find a way, would you be surprised if they won a tournament between this bunch?
Q: Well, does this make them the most successful version of an MLS team?
That 2017-18 Toronto group won a Supporters’ Shield, won MLS Cup and then lost the CCL Final. 2022-23 LAFC did the same. But if the Crew win the final, the belt is theirs. That’s not to dismiss the Supporters’ Shield, but winning a Concacaf title is on a different level. There’s a reason only one MLS team has gotten it done in modern times. No team has held the two biggest trophies an MLS team can hold at one time.
Q: Does this make Wilfried Nancy the best MLS manager ever?
So, the thing is, there will always be managers in MLS who have won more than Nancy. Enjoy every moment you get to watch his teams play in this region. It’s quite realistic that someone smart in Europe is thinking of offering him a bag and that will be that.
I’ll frame it a couple of other ways. I believe an incredibly small minority of managers affect their teams for the better. A much larger number make their team worse. And a much, much larger number have absolutely no effect. I think Nancy is one of the very, very few in the world who have an undeniably positive influence.
The other day, Matt Doyle said that if every MLS manager in league history got put into a draft, Doyle would take Nancy first. Doyle doesn’t just know of the MetroStars, Doyle remembers the MetroStars. Doyle watches a lot of MLS. It’s a heckuva compliment.
Q: Was last night the most impressive win by an MLS team ever?
Again, there’s an argument for it! The Crew went to Monterrey and boat-raced Rayados in their own house in a competition they’d won five of the previous six times they’d been in it. Make it five of seven now after Columbus forced them to chase and took advantage of every opportunity.
Q: So, if Columbus win the final, is it more impressive than Seattle’s CCL run?
Yes, beating Tigres, Monterrey and Pachuca back-to-back-to-back is the kind of run that will never ever be topped. It just won’t.
Q: Well then… are they gonna win this thing?
I’m not dumb enough to doubt them.
Sporting KC sign Davis to contract extension
Sporting Kansas City have signed homegrown defender Jake Davis to a new contract. Davis' new deal runs through the 2027 MLS season, with a club option for 2028. The 22-year-old was a breakout performer for Sporting KC in 2023, emerging as the club's starting right back, logging a pair of assists in his 26 appearances (24 starts).
- Columbus soared to a historic CCC final berth: “One more game to go”
- Giorgos Giakoumakis spoke in-depth with Taylor Twellman on “Offside.”
- Goalkeeper Chris Brady is becoming a star in Chicago.
- Real Salt Lake's Alex Katranis won AT&T Goal of the Matchday.
Good luck out there. Reach the top.
