Columbus Crew fall to Club América in Leagues Cup quarterfinals | OneFootball

By Cal Meachem

Columbus Crew were eliminated from Leagues Cup 2026 at Dignity Health Sports Park on Wednesday night, falling 2-0 to LIGA MX giants Club América.

Club América jumped in front after 11 minutes. Former LAFC winger Brian Rodríguez broke away on the counterattack and found Raphael Veiga, who fired a 20-yard, left-footed curler that rattled the far post and nestled in the net.

Just over five minutes later, the Crew nearly equalized. Sean Zawadzki found center back partner Cesar Ruvalcaba with a header in the box, but his volley rang the post from close range.

Columbus earned a penalty in the 39th minute after a handball in the box. However, Brais Méndez's attempt was denied by a terrific diving stop by Rodolfo Cota. 

Cota continued his superb first half (six saves) by spectacularly denying Josef Martínez his first Columbus goal just ahead of the break with a sprawling dive to reach his headed effort. 

Then, with halftime looming, Las Águilas struck on the counterattack again. Rodríguez weaved through multiple defenders before slotting his finish into the bottom-right corner to give his side a 2-0 advantage.

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte kept the Crew in the match during the second half, making multiple strong saves. Still, Columbus were unable to find a breakthrough as Club América moved on to a semifinal clash with CF Monterrey.

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