The Columbus Crew returns to action after a bye week on Wednesday night to face Loudoun United FC in a midweek Round of 32 U.S. Open Cup match. This comes after the Crew defeated Indy Eleven in the Open Cup third round a few weeks back.

Loudoun United currently sits in seventh place in the USL Championship and welcomes Columbus coming off of a 5-0 win against Flower City Union to reach this point in the competition. United is likely to rely on the striker partnership of Zach Ryan and Thomas Williamson, who scored three times in the team’s last Open Cup game, and have combined for six goals and two assists in their eight league games of the 2023 season.

Can the Crew go on the road and get a result in the Open Cup? The Massive Report Staff gives their predictions for the match against Loudoun United FC.

Patrick Murphy

If you’ve read what I’ve written recently or heard me on the Massive Report podcast, you know that I’ve soured some on this Crew side. (I won’t bore you with a rehash but the recent results aren’t the only problem). Wilfried Nancy will need to decide how strong of a lineup he wants to deploy in the Open Cup with some important MLS matches coming up. Losing points at home in either of the next two games won’t bode well for Columbus.

I assume Nancy will go with a heavily rotated lineup than the one fans last saw, with maybe a regular or two available from the start and another one or two on the bench. For Loudoun United, this is the Super Bowl and I expect the USL Championship side to put everything into winning this game and advancing in the Open Cup.

I really don’t have a good feel for how this game will end up, as it is the Open Cup, but I’ll be optimistic and say the Crew win in extra time.

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Nathan Townsend

The game plan for Loudoun United is pretty simple. Sit back, congest the Crew’s central passing lanes and hope to break on the counter attack or win the game on penalties.  The Crew, on the other hand, needs to figure out whatever Arthurian wizardry it takes to score a goal. I think the Crew, after a week of rest and training, gets back on the right track Wednesday night. Two early goals will give the Crew much-needed breathing space, and while a late strike by Loudoun will cause some tense final moments, Columbus ultimately does enough to move on.

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Collin Johnson

An off week for the Crew was a welcome sight for a team that has fallen a bit in form after a strong early start. With another two-match week (followed by ANOTHER two-match week), it’s likely that we see some rotation here. Further, the prior four matches have started to show that teams have figured out how to defend this early version of Wilfried Nancy’s team, giving up possession and allowing cross after cross after cross while looking to counter against one of the center backs left on an island. Hopefully, Nancy has had time to integrate more of his system and some additional build-up patterns during this break.

Against Loudon United, I would expect a strong starting lineup with some reserves sprinkled in. If things go well, as they should, then Columbus can make wholesale subs in the second half to protect the health of the first team for Saturday’s match. We’ll see a rejuvenated and feisty Black & Gold side in Virginia that will send the Crew to the next round of the U.S. Open Cup. 

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Drew McDaniel

The Crew travels to Leesburg, Virginia to take on Loudon United FC. Columbus will travel light, leaving many regular starters behind. Last Open Cup game, Wilfried Nancy played a number of starters, especially on the backline. Exhaustion was clearm as the Crew took on Inter Miami last match day and center back Milos Degenek had to leave early with an injjury. With a few poor regular season showings, the Black & Gold will focus their starters on the matchup versus Orlando City SC on Saturday. With a more reserve side, Columbus will put up a fight but ultimately will fall.

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Adam Miller

The Crew begins a busy stretch of the schedule with this trip to Virginia to face Loudoun United of the USL Championship. I expect the Crew to rotate a bit and have options off the bench. Thus, I expect this match to be close for the majority of the game. In the end, the Crew will be able to bring on enough quality to outclass their opponents in this match. Christian Ramirez will make it 1-0 before the break and Lucas Zelarayan will seal the deal in the second half.

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Ryan Schmitt

The Crew comes off a bye week, which should give the team time to work on playing out of a low-block, something that has caused the Black & Gold many problems the past few game weeks. I expect that the Crew will rotate the starting 11, so the game will be a lot closer than it should be. With the Crew struggling to break down a low block, I think Columbus wins in extra time.

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