Following a dominant 4-1 come-from-behind win to beat Liga MX powerhouse Club América on Monday, the Columbus Crew is back in action on Friday night. The Crew welcomes MLS side Minnesota United to Lower.com Field in the Round of 32 of the Leagues Cup.

To get to this game, Minnesota first beat Liga MX team Puebla 4-0 and then lost to Chicago Fire 3-2. In both games, the Loons didn’t have more than 45 percent possession but were dangerous on the counter attack, which is where most of the team’s chances come from.

Minnesota comes into the game with a relatively clean injury report. However, the team announced this week that midfielder Kervin Arriaga has a meniscus tear, leaving him out for the rest of the 2023 season.

The Black & Gold have made some roster recently, most notably, the departure of Lucas Zelerayan to Saudi Pro League club Al Fatah as well as the acquisition of Diego Rossi from Fenerbahce S.K. of the Turkish Super League. Rossi has not yet arrived in Columbus, which means the Crew’s attack will rely on the same players it did Monday night against the Loons.

Can the Black & Gold continue their Leagues Cup tournament with a win against Minnesota? the Massive Report staff gives their predictions for this match.

Drew McDaniel

Boy, was I wrong last match. I expected a 3-1 game in Club América’s favor but the Crew is by far the most entertaining team to watch and the legend of Wilfried Nancy grows after the 4-1 thumping. The Steven Moreira goal at the end from the center back position was just the icing on the cake.

If Columbus can handle Club América, the team should be able to defeat Minnesota United and Wil Trapp on his first trip to Lower.com Field. Emmanual Reynoso is a handful and very good. If the Black & Gold can mark him and eliminate that danger, Columbus should be able to win this match with ease. Crew fans will still be mourning the departure of Lucas Zelarayan, but Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez and new signing Julian Gressel have shown they are up to the task of creating and scoring goals. Zelarayan was a major part of this top of the league attack, but the Crew has many other attacking players that can pick up in his absence.

Columbus Crew 3 Minnesota United 1

Caleb Denorme

This game marks the beginning of the post-Lucas Zelarayan era for Columbus. The signing of Diego Rossi will fill the void but the Crew has real momentum going into this matchup with Minnesota. Wil Trapp’s return will be a storyline to watch, but I see the Black & Gold getting the victory and advancing in the Leagues Cup. Cucho Hernandez will be looking to take control of the attack again and Wilfried Nancy’s free-flowing football will light up the visitors. 

Columbus Crew 3 Minnesota United 1

Ryan Schmitt

I was thoroughly surprised by the performance of the Crew from the last game. The response, the dominance, the willingness to only play the team’s style of soccer throughout the game was part of what made the match so good. I don’t expect this game to go any differently. Minnesota United doesn’t like to have the ball, which fits into the Black & Gold’s style fairly well. It will be another dominant win that will send Columbus to the Round of 16 of the Leagues Cup.

Columbus Crew 3 Minnesota United 0

Patrick Murphy

I think it’s safe to say that everyone was surprised and pleased with the final score of Monday night’s Crew match against Club América. That is something to build on for the Black & Gold. But it’s important to remember that goalkeeper Patrick Schulte had to play the hero early and often and the sideline official kept Columbus in the game by raising his flag and denying two Club América goals early in the second half.

Minnesota United is playing the team’s best soccer of the season coming into this match, so the Crew will want to be a bit better defensively, especially on the counter. This is where the Loons will be the most dangerous. This will be a different game than Monday, as the Black & Gold should dominate the ball,, but will need to still be clinical in front of goal while also defending better.

Columbus Crew 2 Minnesota United 1