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Columbus Crew fall behind 3-0 vs LAFC in CONCACAF Champions Cup series: Replay
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- Columbus Crew fall behind 3-0 vs LAFC in CONCACAF Champions Cup series: Replay
The Crew have put themselves in a 3-0 hole to start their 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup campaign.
After receiving a bye into the round of 16 as the 2024 Leagues Cup champions, the Crew started the tournament on the road against LAFC in leg one of their two-game series.
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Denis Bouanga put LAFC out in front in the 20th minute when he forced the 2024 MLS Defender of the Year Steven Moreira into a turnover. Going one-on-one with goalkeeper Patrick Schulte , Bouanga easily went around a diving Schulte inside the Crew's box to find his first goal.
Mar 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Columbus Crew defender Marcelo Herrera (2) gets to the ball before Los Angeles FC forward Denis Bouanga (99) during the first half at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images
At the start of the second half, Bouanga sent a second goal into the back of the net with a shot flicked up from the left side of the field.
The Crew showed little offensive light throughout the game, getting off just 9 shots compared to LAFC's 17.
LAFC gave itself one last boost with a goal from reserve Nathan Ordaz in the 81st minute.
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Columbus will have to score at least 3 goals in its second leg against LAFC on Tuesday, March 11 at Lower.com Field to have a chance of advancing in the tournament.
(90+1') Columbus Crew 's Andres Herrera given yellow card
A Crew player earned a yellow card for the first time in the game when Andres Herrera was shown a yellow following a foul.
(82') Columbus Crew substitute out Darlington Nagbe vs LAFC
Th Crew made another change to the lineup, with midfielder Cole Mrowka entering for Darlington Nagbe.
(81') Columbus Crew fall behind 3-0 with LAFC goal from Nathan Ordaz
After entering the game as a substitution, forward Nathan Ordaz added another goal onto LAFC's lead against the Crew.
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From the right side of Columbus' box, Ordaz sent a shot that went past goalkeeper Patrick Schulte into the left corner for the goal, giving LAFC an 3-0 advantage.
(77') Columbus Crew's Mo Farsi enter vs LAFC
The Crew used their fourth substitution to replace forward Dylan Chambost with midfielder Mo Farsi.
(65') LAFC misses opportunity to take 3-0 advantage vs Columbus Crew
Another LAFC shot came inches away from finding the back of the net, when forward David Martinez's shot attempt from inside the Crew's box went too far left, right outside the goal post.
LAFC's lead remains 2-0.
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(64') Columbus Crew make two substitutions
The Crew substituted in midfielder Max Arfsten for DeJuan Jones and forward Jacen Russell-Rowe for Aziel Jackson .
(46') LAFC's Denis Bouanga scores again, Columbus Crew down 2-0 in first leg
Less than a minute into the second half, LAFC forward Denis Bouanga struck again, with a shot from the left side of Columbus' box to give LAFC a 2-0 advantage.
Bouanga made his way around the inside perimeter of Columbus' box until he was fully on the left side, where he'd popped the ball up for a shot to the top-right corner of the goal.
(46') Columbus Crew's Taha Habroune enters for Steven Moreira
With the first substitution of the game, Crew coach Wilfried Nancy replaced defender Steven Moreira with midfielder Taha Habroune.
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Habroune slotted at center midfield and Sean Zawadzki moved to the backline.
Columbus Crew go into halftime of leg 1 vs LAFC down 1-0
The Crew failed to get on the board the first 45 minutes of play in their 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup campaign, with Denis Bouanga giving LAFC a 1-0 lead.
First half stats :
Shots: Crew (3), LAFC (8)
Fouls: Crew (1), LAFC (8)
Possession rate: Crew (66%), LAFC (34%)
Mar 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles FC midfielder Ryan Hollingshead (24) controls the ball away from Columbus Crew forward Diego Rossi (10) during the first half at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images
(39') Diego Rossi overpowers shot attempt, goes far high
Crew forward and leading scorer Diego Rossi's first shot attempt of the game was went over the goal after being overpowered. Rossi's attempt cam off a pass from midfielder Andres Herrera.
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(29') LAFC Igor Jesus given yellow card for foul against Andres Herrera
LAFC was given the first yellow card of the game when defender Igor Jesus was shown one for a foul against Crew midfielder Andres Herrera.
(26') Columbus Crew goalkeeper makes save to avoid going down 2-0
From the right side of the Crew's box, LAFC forward David Martinez took a shot that goalkeeper Patrick Schulte was able to hit away and record a save.
Following the save, the ball landed with LAFC's Denis Bouanga, who took a shot and found the back of the net, but the goal was ruled invalid as Bouanga was offsides.
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(20') Denis Bouanga scores first goal of series vs Columbus Crew
Forward Denis Bouanga put LAFC on the board in the series after going one-on-one with goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and scoring.
The Crew's Steven Moreira was in control of the ball, setting up to go up field right outside the Crew's box when Bouanga stole the ball from Moreira. Moreira would attempt to catch up with Bouanga, but caught the forward once his shot was already off.
The goal put the Crew down 1-0 in the first half.
(16') LAFC forward Denis Bouanga misses shot attempt by inches vs Columbus Crew
Former MLS Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga had the best shot attempt of the match at that point when he took a long strike from the top, left corner of Columbus' box.
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Bouanga's shot went just inches too far to the left of the goal post and out of bounds.
(15') Columbus Crew clear LAFC corner kick attempt
LAFC took the first corner kick of the game when Crew defender DeJuan Jones clear an attack from LAFC over the goal line. David Martinez took the corner for LAFC, and after multiple players got a touch, Columbus moved the ball out of its own box.
(6') Dylan Chambost misses on free kick opportunity for Columbus Crew
The Crew got their first opportunity for a set piece following a foul against LAFC's Igor Jesus right outside LAFC's box.
With both forwards Diego Rossi and Dylan Chambost setting up to take the free kick, Chambost executed the play but went high, above the goal and out of play.
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More: 'The beauty of the game': Columbus Crew talk facing LAFC in CONCACAF Champions Cup
LAFC starting lineup vs Columbus Crew in CONCACAF Champions Cup
Here is the starting 11 for LAFC vs Columbus:
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GK: Hugo Lloris
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DF: Marlon Santos
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DF: Aaron Long
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DF: Sergi Palencia
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MF: Marky Delgado
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MF: Igor Jesus
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MF: Timothy Tillman
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FW: Denis Bouanga
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FW: Jeremy Ebobisse
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FW: David Martinez
Columbus Crew starting lineup vs LAFC in CONCACAF Champions Cup
Here is the starting 11 for Columbus vs LAFC:
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GK: Patrick Schulte
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DF: Malte Amundsen
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DF: Yevhen Cheberko
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DF: Steven Moreira
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MF: Andres Herrera
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MF: DeJuan Jones
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MF: Darlington Nagbe
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MF: Sean Zawadzki
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FW: Dylan Chambost
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FW: Aziel Jackson
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FW: Diego Rossi
Will Rudy Camacho be available for Columbus Crew vs LAFC in CONCACAF Champions Cup?
The Crew have been without defender Rudy Camacho for the first two games of the MLS regular season. Camacho is dealing with a thigh injury, and returned to limited activity last week.
Nancy confirmed ahead of the LAFC game that Camacho failed to make the trip to Los Angeles and is out for leg one of the round of 16.
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How did LAFC reach CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16?
In the opening round of Champions Cup, LAFC advanced over the Colorado Rapids .
The Rapids won the first leg of the two-game series in Colorado 2-1, and then LAFC picked up leg two 1-0. With the two teams tied on aggregate goals 2-2, LAFC won the first tie-breaker, away goals, 1-0.
Why did Columbus Crew get a bye to CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16?
The Crew earned a bye into the round of 16 as the 2024 Leagues Cup champions.
In the Leagues Cup final, the Crew defeated LAFC 3-1 at Lower.com Field.
What is CONCACAF Champions Cup?
The Champions Cup is an annual competition run by CONCACAF, the regional governing body in soccer for North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament includes 27 teams from 10 countries.
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Each round, up until the final, will include two legs (two games) and the winner will be determined by the aggregate score (the combined number of goals scored by the two teams).
The final will consist of one match, with the winner qualifying for the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
How to listen to Columbus Crew vs LAFC radio broadcast
The Crew vs. LAFC English-speaking radio broadcast will be on Alt 105.7 FM and available via the iHeartRadio app. Columbus' regular radio broadcaster Chris Doran will be on the call.
The Spanish radio broadcast can be found on La Grande 103.1 FM FM and the La Grande radio app with Juan Valladares doing play-by-play.
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How to watch Columbus Crew vs LAFC
The Crew vs LAFC in leg one of the CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16 will be on Fox Sports 2. A Spanish broadcast will be available on VIX.
When does Columbus Crew vs LAFC kick off?
Kickoff: 10:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 4 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew vs LAFC CONCACAF Champions Cup: Live updates, scores
