The Columbus Crew finally knows its first opponent of 2021. With the Major League Soccer regular season schedule reveal yet to come and the start of the year pushed back to mid-April, the Black & Gold’s first opponent of 2021 was revealed Wednesday night during the CONCACAF Champions League draw. The 2020 MLS Cup champions will take on Real Esteli in the two-legged Round of 16 stage of the Champions League. The first leg of the series will be played in Nicaragua with the second leg taking place in Columbus.
Real Esteli is in the team’s first Champions League since 2016-17 after a fifth-place finish in the CONCACAF League.