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Columbus Crew advance to quarterfinals of CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1-1 draw vs Houston
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- Columbus Crew advance to quarterfinals of CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1-1 draw vs Houston
Despite Tuesday's match against the Houston Dynamo at Lower.com Field ending in a 1-1 draw, the Crew have advanced to the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals.
Coming into the second leg of the Round of 16, Columbus had the 1-0 goal advantage after scoring in the final minute of the first leg in Houston Wednesday . So, a tie was enough to win the series with a 2-1 aggregate score.
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"I'm really pleased because we controlled the game," said Crew coach Wilfried Nancy following the second matchup. "I really enjoyed seeing my team control the game against a team like Houston. They like to combine, they like to do short passes and to get in behind. ... That's why I'm pleased, the way we did it because it's not easy to play against them."
It was Cucho Hernandez who got the Crew on the board in the 40th minute with his first recorded shot attempt of the match.
Mar 12, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernandez (9) scores a goal past Houston Dynamo defender Ethan Bartlow (4) and defender Micael (31) during the first half of the Concacaf Champions Cup soccer game at Lower.com Field. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
Going one-on-one with Houston's Ethan Bartlow from the left following a pass from Christan Ramirez, Hernandez cut the ball back, then sent it through Bartlow's legs and past goalkeeper Steven Clark to put Columbus ahead 1-0.
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Of the six goals Columbus has scored across both MLS regular-season and Champions Cup action in 2024, three have come from Hernandez.
"I think the most important thing now is that I'm helping the team," said Hernandez via a translator. "I'm also happy personally. I just want to continue to help the team by scoring these goals."
Houston was able to tie the match with a penalty kick in the 90th minute following a hand ball in the box from Columbus defender Steven Moreira . Houston's Griffin Dorsey took the kick for the Dynamo, and the forward launched the ball left of goalkeeper Patrick Schulte .
In the first half, there were multiple occasions when the Crew slowed down the tempo. While still finding opportunities to attack, Columbus had moments near midfield where the usual fast-paced passes were traded in for more methodical ones.
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"This is the way we want to play," Nancy said. "It was a good exercise for the players to recognize when we are to slow down the tempo, but with purpose. Not slow down just to slow down, slow down to play in between or play around or to play behind."
Houston also took its time in finding the right moment to attack. Columbus' backline did much of the heavy lifting in stopping those attacks the first half, limiting the amount of work Schulte had to do in the first 45 minutes.
Moreira, Sean Zawadzki and Yevhen Cheberko were the Crew's defensive starters on Tuesday night and blocked three of Houston's shots in the first half.
"It's important to feel the control in the game," Cheberko said. "We can play 0-0 and we still advance, so they needed to press us. In second half, a little bit changed. ... But still because of how we play, we know each other, we stayed in a good position."
Mar 12, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Houston Dynamo midfielder Sebastian Kowalczyk (27) kicks the ball away from Columbus Crew defender Steven Moreira (31) during the first half of the Concacaf Champions Cup soccer game at Lower.com Field. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
Schulte didn't have to make a save until after the 50-minute mark. A few feet outside Columbus' box, Houston's Amine Bassi took a long shot attempt. Leaping to make the save, Schulte's fingertips hit the ball out of play.
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Competing in five games during the span of 15 days , Nancy has been balancing spreading out minutes with his gameplan. Making three substitutions in the 60th minute of the match, the Crew coach was unable to use the remaining two after the shift in the final minutes of the game.
"The idea was to give more minutes to a few players, but we conceded a goal," Nancy said. "I wanted to do it, but the game dictated the situation the last five minutes. I was a bit, not upset, but we could have done better on this one."
Champions Cup play will not resume for Columbus until the beginning of April, but the Crew have an MLS match Saturday at Lower.com Field against the New York Red Bulls at 7:30 p.m.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew advance to quarterfinals of CONCACAF Champions Cup
