The Columbus Crew were adventurous and brave, coordinated and confident. They were calm in the eye of a CONCACAF storm, at the same steel colossus where Lionel Messi had faltered. They were underdogs at Monterrey, in the second leg of a gripping Champions Cup semifinal. But on Wednesday night, as most of America snoozed, the Crew rose to a challenge that even Messi and Inter Miami couldn’t stomach.
They beat Monterrey, 3-1 on the night in Mexico, 5-2 on aggregate.
They became the first MLS team to topple Monterrey, a Liga MX giant, in a two-leg knockout series.