COLUMBUS, Ohio – It’s been a tumultuous season for the Columbus Crew. Just a few years removed from two MLS Cup titles, victorious Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup campaigns and a runner-up finish in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the Crew have struggled mightily in league play this season. Columbus entered Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup Semifinal contest against a surging Orlando City SC after losing seven of its last eight matches.
In the end, none of that mattered. It was Columbus that raced out to an early lead and outplayed Orlando throughout a warm, muggy evening in central Ohio. Thanks to a collection of high-caliber newcomers, interim head coach Laurent Courtois and his Crew flipped the script and now sit one victory away from their first U.S. Open Cup title since 2002.
“I'm going to say that 95% of what the guys did today, they did a lot already this year,” Courtois explained. “What we showed on the ball for a good amount of games now, we’re really pleased with, but the solidarity, the togetherness was a step forward today.”
The Crew have endured quite a bit of roster turnover throughout the year. Earlier this summer, Columbus sold two of its most prolific attackers, sending leading scorer Diego Rossi to Liga MX side Monterrey in July before moving U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Max Arfsten to English Championship outfit Middlesbrough FC in August. The club also sent its leading Open Cup goalscorer, 23-year-old midfielder Hugo Picard, on loan to Ligue 1’s Troyes in his native France.
In response, Columbus took a swing and reloaded in a big way. The Crew made a splash by adding two new Designated Players, purchasing former Spain international Brais Méndez from Real Sociedad and former MLS Cup champion Santiago Rodríguez from Botafogo. Columbus also welcomed Chile international Gonzalo Tapia on loan from São Paulo, former Morocco international and Panathinaikos loanee Anass Zaroury, and reunited former Atlanta United goalscorers Josef Martínez and Brooks Lennon.
Just a few months into its midseason roster reconstruction, the moves have seemingly paid off. Wednesday’s Semifinal contest marked the second time that three of its high-profile attacking additions—Méndez, Rodríguez and Martínez—simultaneously started a match, the only other time being a resounding 3-0 victory against the Colorado Rapids on Sept. 5. The result was a decisive 2-1 victory against Orlando in the Semifinal.
