It was a game of firsts for the Columbus Crew on Sunday night at Lower.com Field. The Black and Gold faced off against a brand new opponent, St. Louis CITY SC in the team’s first Leagues Cup match. However, Mother Nature had a way of reminding everyone that she truly came first, as Sunday’s game was delayed by lightning and torrential downpours before eventually kicking off after 11 p.m. ET.

Once the match finally started, Columbus on the front foot from the off, dominating much of the game early. After taking a 2-0 lead, the Crew had to hold on late after conceding an own goal to win 2-1.

Let’s take a look at how the players performed in the match.

Starters

Evan Bush (7.0) – Bush wasn’t under much pressure in goal, as a constant Black & Gold attack limited St. Louis to only two shots on goal. The goal he did concede came unfortunate deflection that too much for Bush, who was solid on set pieces throughout the match.

Gustavo Vallecilla (6.0) – Vallecilla played well throughout the match, particularly in the attackinng, high up the pitch style that Columbus played throughout the night. However, his worst moment of the match came in the 84^th minute, where a poor touch led to a giveaway straight to CITY, leading to the corner kick and the goal.

Sean Zawadzki (7.5) – Zawadzki played as the central playe in the Crew’s back three. Zawadzki showed why the Black & Gold are comfortable with him at center back with a terrific performance defensively, playing lockdown defense and doing an excellent job preventing St. Louis from breaking effectively on the transition.

Malte Amundsen (6.0) – Amundsen consistently attacked, pushing up the field and helping to keep circulating the ball into CITY’s defensive half, particularly throughout the opening 45 minutes. He also connected on 43 of 48 passes, helping control the ball and preventing giveaways that could have led to a dangerous St. Louis team capitalizing.

Mohamed Farsi (7.0) – Farsi was dynamic on the right side of the pitch, consistently stretching the CITY defense and using his speed to create multiple high-scoring, high-leverage situations. On the other hand, Columbus failed to score on any of Farsi’s numerous crosses and better decision making in the final third from the wing back could have given the Crew a more comfortable lead.

Yaw Yeboah (6.5) – Yeboah once again played left wing back in his 70 minutes of game action, but failed to create many opportunities. In a game where chances were aplenty, Yeboah struggled to create, finishing the game with a mere 0.05 Expected Assists and no shots.

Aidan Morris (7.0) – Whether it was the wet weather or the time away, Morris looked more like himself against St. Louis than he did in the previous game. Morris was energetic without being frantic, pouncing on defenders and connecting the Black & Gold’s backline to its attack through technical turns and precise passes.

Darlington Nagbe (7.5) – After his excellent performance against the Portland Timbers last week, Nagbe again showed why he may be the most important member of Columbus’ starting 11. Nagbe almost literally broke a St. Louis defender’s ankles with an incredible turn and metaphorically broke many more as he was cool under pressure to break down CITY.

Lucas Zelarayán (8.0) – Zelarayán continued his trend of excellent performances with another superb game. The playmaker’s free kick was the result of constant pressure and buildup anchored by Zelarayán. Even in only 70 minutes of action, the Argentine was the man of the match for Columbus and showed he is one of the best No. 10s in MMLS.

Cucho Hernandez (7.5) – Hernandez’s movement and the opportunities it creates continues to be important for the Crew. Hernandez’s scoring threat demands teams cover him with one or two players consistently, opening the rest of the field for his teammates and giving them the freedom to play at a higher level. Hernandez’s ability in tight spaces is also exceptional, and he did excellent work to win the penalty kick he then scored in the 27^th minute.

Christian Ramirez (7.0) – A bit unlucky to be called offsides on his finish, Ramirez again showed his skill, constantly annoying defenders as he attempted to get into dangerous areas. The forward’s three shots, two of which were on target, kept St. Louis on their toes.

Substitutes

Yevhen Cheberko (6.5) – It’s always nice as a defender to make your first appearance defending a two-goal lead. Cheberko was solid in defense, even if the game didn’t present many opportunities to test the new Ukrainian defender.

Jacen Russell-Rowe (5.0) – While the own goal was certainly unfortunate, it was also a result of poor defensive positioning. While you don’t expect a striker to be an elite defender, positioning on set pieces is a crucial skill. However, in his role as an attacker, Russell Rowe did well over the final 20 minutes, creating two chances and nearly finishing the game in the 91st min.

Max Arfsten (6.5) – Arfsten came on in the 81^st minute and didn’t have much of an opportunity to impact the game. He was five-for-eight in passing with all of the completed passes helping progress the ball. Ultimately, however, he was mostly effective in wasting time and seeing the game out.

Head coach

Wilfried Nancy (8.0) – Managing the rigors of a nearly four-hour rain delay was a significant challenge, but Nancy was up to the task. The Crew came out of the gates firing and while it was expected that the Black & Gold would dominate possession, they controlled every aspect of the game in the first 45 minutes. In the second half too Columbus, despite being two goals ups, consistently seemed the more likely team to score. While criticism is still there with his underutilization of subs, Nancy did rotate both Zelarayán and Hernandez, important pieces in next week’s difficult test against Club América.