This Saturday night another team will be awarded a spot to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. The CONCACAF Champions Cup Final will pit two of the best teams in North America with Pachuca from the Liga MX hosting Columbus Crew from the MLS.
It is a one-game final format with a team with more points during the tournament hosting the final. It is the first time that CONCACAF has chosen to use a one-game format since they switched away from hosting the entire tournament in one city in the early 2000s. It does seem a bit unfair to have just one game and not do a two-legged series for many years.
Can Columbus Crew shock the world and win in Pachuca?
Pachuca
Everyone is picking Pachuca to win this Cup. Historically MLS teams have struggled playing away from the United States. Pachuca has the advantage in this match of their home crowd and most importantly the altitude. Estadio Hidalgo is at an altitude of 7,843 feet. There are no stadiums in this country that are that level. Stadiums in Colorado sit at around 5,000 feet.
This should help Pachuca get into a rhythm offensively and push Columbus back. For years Pachuca has played very well at home and uses this to their advantage. Look for Pachuca to dominate the ball possession at times with Columbus just trying to catch their breath and stay energized.
Salomón Rondón is a player that was signed by Pachuca 6 months ago for this moment. Look for him to play well. Oussama Idrissi will be important as well.
Also Read: Al-Nassr Fails to Win Cup in Thrilling Final, Al-Hilal wins 5-4 in Penalties
Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew knows they are the underdogs going into the match and they are fine with that. It has been this way in the last two rounds as they shocked Tigres in the quarterfinal and Monterrey in the semifinal. This team was not picked to win either of those series. They closed both series in Mexico. That’s what makes them dangerous in this final.
The team is not worried about playing in Mexico. They are comfortable playing in a hostile environment. They find ways to score and advance even if they don’t control the ball which is bound to happen tomorrow. They have confidence in their goalkeeper Patrick Schulte who has played very well in the CONCACAF run.
Diego Rossi is their goal-scorer and will be the player to look for when it comes to creating offense. The question is can the Crew finish the scoring chances they get because there may not be many? Usually in these types of matches, it comes down to who can score first or which team finishes the chances they receive. I expect Columbus to be a bit conservative at first not trying to concede the first goal in the first half. Not going to risk it if they don’t have to is the stance I see.
About the Author
Mike Nelson lives and breathes sports. Ever since he was very young he has also dreamed of covering sports. Mike graduated from CSULA in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. He has been very lucky to cover sports and be on the radio for the last few years with different organizations including a stint with the LA Galaxy where he was one of the announcers for the LA Galaxy 2 team for two seasons.
Mike loves music, he hosts his radio show/podcast “The Mike Nelson Show” where he has gotten to interview the biggest names in rock and metal including Les Claypool, David Ellefson, and others.
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