The Crew are winless in four matches and have it all to do on Tuesday in Monterrey. The Crew drew Saturday at home to DC United after drawing with their CONCACAF Champions Cup opponents Tigres last Tuesday. The Crew now face the return leg in Mexico without Aidan Morris and currently losing the tie on the away goals tiebreaker.

In addition to that, Tigres have been a wagon at home in the CCC (and Liga MX) over the last several years and are heavy favorites to go through to the CCC semifinals. Despite the odds stacked against them, there is hope for the Black & Gold faithful as they watched their side largely outplay Tigres last Tuesday and will be adding in star striker Cucho for this Tuesday’s match. Here’s what you need to know about Tigres and how the Crew can advance to the CCC semifinals for the first time in club history. 

Tigres at a Glance:

Record: 7-3-4, 24 points

Recent Form (All Comps): L-D-W-W-W

Leading Scorer: Francisco Cordova, Juan Brunetta, Nicolas Ibanez (4)

Assist Leader: Nicolas Ibanez (4)

Player to Watch: Andre-Pierre Gignac 

Gignac’s goal last Tuesday is the epitome of what he has done for Tigres since he joined in 2015. Any time he gets a sniff at a goal, it’s likely ending up in the back of the net. Gignac has been the focal point of the Tigres attack ever since stepping foot in Monterrey and that will be the case again on Tuesday. The 38-year-old Argentine is a marksman inside the box with the ability to score with just about every part of his body. His combination of size, strength, and clever movement makes him a nightmare for central defenders. Combine that with his lethal finishing ability and you have a recipe for success in front of goal. This is best exemplified by his insane 14 goals in 22 matches across the Liga MX and CCC campaigns. The Crew will need to limit Gignac’s service and track him closely over 90 minutes or more on Tuesday. 

How Tigres plays: 

Tigres head coach Robert Siboldi has had a successful first year in charge at Tigres. Winning the Liga MX Clausura in 2023 and in the driver’s seat of this tie in the CCC, Siboldi pushes all the right buttons for Tigres. His team’s playing style rarely changes and I don’t expect Tigres to change much from last Tuesday’s match in Columbus. Why change what works?

Siboldi’s side is similar to Columbus in terms of their principles of play, keep possession when possible, press high to win the ball back, and strike in attacking transition. However, their respective formations and shapes are a bit different. Siboldi prefers to play out of a 4-2-3-1 formation and almost exclusively plays with a back four. In possession, Siboldi asks his outside backs to push high up the field and for his wingers to move inside to central areas. This is especially important to Siboldi when his team enters the attacking third. This shape allows Tigres to have a solid base of 2 center backs and 2 central midfielders to circulate the ball and prevent counterattacks, with numbers in advanced central and wide areas to stress opposing defenses. Siboldi also threw a wrinkle in his possession shape last Tuesday as he asked a center back, usually Guido Pizzaro, to enter the midfield in build-up play. This movement gave Tigres an extra player in the midfield to help circulate and progress the ball. This system is one that Nancy and the Crew will be familiar with as many MLS teams employ these same tactics in possession. The difference is the quality of this Tigres side versus the quality of MLS sides. 

Out of possession, Tigres typically defend in a 4-1-4-1 shape with the press being initiated by a lone forward. Tigres usually look to press high up the field, although they may drop their line a little deeper against Columbus. Tigres will have their wingers press high up the field as well when the ball goes to opponents outside backs. Last Tuesday these wingers tried to occupy the passing lanes between the Columbus center backs and wingbacks. This 4-1-4-1 shape is built to be very solid and relies heavily on the Tigre’s central midfield covering ground and winning the ball back. 

How the Crew can win:

This is a huge match for the Black & Gold. While the deck is certainly stacked against them in this matchup, there is reason for the Crew to have some self-belief headed into this match. The Crew were largely the better side until Aidan Morris’ red card last Tuesday. If the Crew can execute in a few key phases, they just might be able to pull of a shock in Monterrey. 

1. Dominate Possession: The more that Columbus can have possession the better on Tuesday. Tigres prefer to play with the ball and will be uncomfortable defending for long periods. It will also keep Tigres from establishing a rhythm on the ball in possession. Conversely, the Crew will grow in confidence and attacking momentum if they have the ball for long stretches. Having possession will also keep the crowd a bit more quiet and out of the game. 
2. Defend Crosses from Wide Areas: Any guesses on how DC United scored on Saturday? I’ll give you a hint, it’s happened before. Five of the last six goals the Crew have conceded have come off crosses from wide areas. Furthermore, of the nine goals that Columbus has conceded this year, seven have been off of crosses/services from wide areas. This is a huge issue but also a relatively easy one to address. The Crew backline and goalkeeper will need to defend this service effectively and the midfield will have to help in winning the second balls to limit any potential goal-scoring chances off of crosses.
3. Handle the Moment: Down on away goals, without Aidan Morris, playing in front of 40,000 people in Mexico and you haven’t won in four matches. There are definitely better ways for Columbus to enter the match on Tuesday, but that can’t be an excuse. The Crew has handled the big moments pretty poorly thus far and especially recently. That can’t happen again on Tuesday, the Crew need to handle the moment and rise to the occasion instead of letting the moment and pressure get the best of them.