The Columbus Crew won’t play another Major League Soccer game for just under a month, but the Black & Gold aren’t taking that time off. Columbus takes the field Sunday night at Lower.com Field for their first game in the 2023 Leagues Cup, a debut tournament pitting MLS and Liga MX together. 

All 47 teams from both leagues will pause their domestic schedules — Liga MX just kicked off and MLS is a little beyond the halfway point — on hold to take part in this event. The top two teams in each group of three will advance to the knockout round. 

The group stage will also not have any ties. If a game is tied after 90 minutes, the game goes straight to penalty kicks, no extra time, and the winning team earns an extra point in the standings. 

The competition kicked off Friday and finishes with a final match on Aug. 19.

Along the way, The Crew has the opportunity to compete against some of the giants in Mexican soccer and some historic MLS rivals. To begin Leagues Cup play, the Black & Gold face MLS expansion side, St. Louis CITY SC for the first time. Here is what Columbus fans can expect from MLS’s newest team in this new competition.

St Louis CITY at a glance:

Record: 13-8-2, 41 points

League form: W-W-W-L-W

Leading scorer: Nicholas Gioacchini (8)

Assist leader: Eduard Lowen (6)

Player to watch: Samuel Adeniran

The 6-foot-5 Houston-born forward just joined CITY from USL side San Antonio. Since arriving in St. Louis,, Adeniran has started four games, scoring three goals and recording one assist. 

When the 2023 season started, many pundits questioned St. Louis’ roster-building strategy. Bucking the trend of signing a big-name star to kick start a franachise, the CITY front office opted to build a team around distinct tactics and style, looking for players that fit the system as opposed to names fands would recognize.

The recent success of Adeniran embodies that methodology. While his signing did not generate much buzz, he has been part of the team’s success that sees St. Louis sit in first place in the Western Conference on 41 points through 23 games. Adeniran’s size and strength will undoubtedly give him an edge on any center back Columbus starts Sunday. The Crew will have to limit service opportunities into the penalty box to keep Adeniran off the score sheet.

How St. Louis Plays:

St. Louis CITY engages in what many around the league describe as “energy drink soccer.” This style of play is reminiscent of the way New York Red Bull press high and fast. CITY has little interest in possession or playing with the ball. The visitors on Sunday will allow the Black & Gold to keep possession and look to turn Columbus over in advantageous positions.

Head coach Bradly Carnell has put his own distinct spin on the style this year, most often using a 4-4-2 diamond formation when his preferred squad is available. CITY will give up space on the wing in favor of having a numerical edge in the center of the pitch.

This allows St. Louis to attack directly through the middle after the team wins the ball in the center of the field. So far this season, CITY’s press has worn teams down and resulted in the opponent giving the ball up in bad spots.

The Crew loves to possess the ball, and St. Louis won’t have any problems letting the Black & Gold work out the back. But at certain designated spots, CITY will attempt to trap Columbus and win the ball in order to head straight to goal, making for an interesting tactical chess match.

How the Crew can win:

It can be difficult to measure how seriously teams take new tournaments and competitions. The Crew oftentimes fielded lesser squads in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, but early indications point to the Black & Gold seeing the month-long event as an opportunity to improve their form and build momentum for the rest of the MLS season.

“We want to make it out of the group to avoid a three-week stretch of no games,” goalkeeper Patrick Schulte said this week.

While some may see rest as an asset, this Columbus team wants to compete. And with no MLS games mixed in during Leagues Cup, there is no reason to believe the Crew won’t field a strong side and push to advance as far as possible in the tournament.

Here’s how the Black & Gold can do that on Sunday against St. Louis:

Play through the wide areas. CITY’s preferred formation and style will cause a numerical disadvantage to Columbus in the middle of the field, but the high press and central focus should provide ample opportunities for the wing backs to get forward in space. New signing Julian Gressel won’t be available for this game but Mohamed Farsi and Yaw Yeboah, recent starters for the Crew at wing back, should be able to get forward often enough to unluck chances playing from the wide area. If they can link up in the final third with any of the Black & Gold’s talented attackers. Columbus will be in great shape.

Limit set piece opportunities. St. Louis scored all three of the team’s goals off set pieces last weekend against Inter Miami. Along with Adeniran, MLS veteran Tim Parker has scored three goals from corner kicks so far this year. Any team that takes advantage of dead-ball opportunities is never out of a game. This has been a struggle for the Crew defensively at times this year. But the Black & Gold must be ready and alert on all set pieces in this match.

Take advantage of Lower.com Field. The Leagues Cup won’t have the traditional pregame and in-game festivities Columbus fans are used to at Lower.com Field, as this is technically a neutral-site game, but it is still a match in front of the Crew’s faithful fans. The Black & Gold have looked dominant at times at home and, much like most MLS teams, St. Louis isn’t as good on the road. Finding that extra gear seems to come naturally for Columbus when playing in front of the Nordecke this year. Sunday night should be no different.