NYCFC vs Columbus Crew preview: The Leagues Cup quarterfinals

New York City FC continued their promising run through the Leagues Cup after defeating a difficult Tigres UANL side 2-1 on Tuesday. It was an away game at Red Bull Arena that was mostly filled with traveling Tigres fans. This would not stop them as they played their best game yet in the competition. Their new challenge is to defeat the reigning MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew, on their home soil, who came from behind to defeat the current Leagues Cup champions, Inter Miami CF. 

NYCFC came close against Columbus back in June, falling 3-2 after a controversial penalty call to the Crew. The odds will be against them as they enter the match as the underdogs, failing to capture a win in Columbus since 2017. The defense will have to be as good as ever against the Crew as they have scored seven goals in just two games at the Leagues Cup. They are also well rested, bypassing the group stage as MLS Cup winners from 2023. The winner of this match will go on to face either the Philadelphia Union or Mazatlán FC for the semifinals.   

Both Mazi Moralez and Santiago Rodríguez have done a superb job this tournament, with both combining for four goals and two assists while also being involved in four of the five goals scored for the team from open play at the Leagues Cup. Matt Freese has also played his part in the net, making six saves in the two games played. As expected, Nick Cushing mostly put up his best Starting XI against Tigres and was successful, subbing out Birk Risa for Strahinja Tanasijević while keeping Kevin O’Toole on the bench for Christian McFarlane. 

The quarterfinals are quickly approaching and the Pigeons will have another tough challenge. Here is a preview of NYCFC’s clash with the Columbus Crew.  

Date 

The game between NYCFC and the Columbus Crew will take place on Saturday. August 17.  

Time 

The match is at 6:00 PM ET. 

Location 

The clash is at Lower.com Field in Columbus, OH.  

How to watch 

Fans can watch the game on Apple TV via the MLS Season Pass.  

Weather 

There is a threat of severe thunderstorms, which will play in effect for Saturday. Scattered thunderstorms are a high possibility, with the risk of high winds and a temperature of about 81 degrees at kickoff. The match is still expected to go on as planned unless there is lightning or flooding in the area. 

Injury report 

Andrés Perea (right leg) is unlikely to return for Saturday, along with Malachi Jones (right leg) who is out for the season.  

Note that there are no full injury reports for the Leagues Cup matches. As such, the status of injuries is subject to change.   

Players to watch 

Outside of Rodríguez and Moralez, Alonso Martínez should be a player to watch on Saturday. He had a great match against Tigres, playing 85 minutes while making three shots and 16 accurate passes. He also recorded the assist to Moralez for the first goal. Martinez has a chance to pull the upset for NYCFC as each match played he inches closer to a goal in the competition.  

There are many attackers to watch out for on Columbus, but the one in particular to watch for is Diego Rossi. He scored twice in each of the two matches played, as he also led the team to the comeback win against Inter Miami. He is the Crew’s hottest player and will cause damage if not marked right. There’s also Cucho Hernández as well, who could score from anywhere on the pitch and is a big threat in the attack that would need to be heavily marked by the defense.   

Prediction 

Despite not winning a match in Columbus since 2017, they have maintained an okay record against them in the last five games. The Pigeons are 1-2-2 within that span. It is set to be a close matchup, with a high chance of it going to penalty, whereas fans know NYCFC dominates in. A 5-4 win in penalties would be the best-case scenario to move on to the semifinals.