The Columbus Crew have battled through adversity to reach the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal, hosting Monterrey for the first game of the two-leg series. The Black & Gold have a chance to punch their ticket to the first possible championship of the season in what could be one of the most important matches ever hosted by the Crew. Think that is hyperbole? If Columbus can qualify for the Fifa Club World Cup, they will receive $53 million dollars (50 million euros). The new Club World Cup will be played every four years like the traditional World Cup and have a higher cash incentive. If Columbus can beat Monterrey in the home leg, they could put themselves in a better position than last series to advance to the final. 

Fortunately the Crew are beginning to be in better health with forward Christian Ramirez listed as questionable last matchday. Ramirez was not on the bench against the Portland Timbers, but Columbus must leave it all on the field in this match, expect Ramirez to at least make the bench if he can play. Goalkeeper Evan Bush will be sidelined for a couple of months with a wrist injury. 

Here is how the Black & Gold could line up:

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte has played well despite giving two goals against Portland over the weekend. The first shot was shielded so Schulte could not see it while the second goal had to have the Crew faithful scratching their heads when defenders Rudy Camacho and Steven Moreira tackled each other allowing midfielder Evander to pick his pass and deliver an assist. Schulte has a knack for playing up to the competition and the moment, even if he makes a mistake, expect him to be ready for Los Rayados.

Camacho and Moreira will return to the starting lineup and will need to communicate well to deal with the Monterrey attack. Fortunately, forward Brandon Vazquez is a familiar foe for the Columbus backline. Vazquez scored one goal against the Crew last year in FC Cincinnati’s 3-2 home defeat. Joining Camacho and Moreira will be defender Yevhen Cheberko, who had a solid performance against Tigres in the CCC series.

Wingback Yaw Yeboah began the match against Portland in the attack but found the match after he slid back into his wingback role. Yeboah is able to find more joy and less marking when making runs from deeper lying positions, expect him to return to his role as a wingback in this match. Joining Yeboah will be fellow wingback Mo Farsi, few players can work the whole pitch offensively and defensively as well as Farsi, he will be a key contributor on both sides of the ball. 

The midfield can be manned in this important game by only midfielders Aidan Morris and captain Darlington Nagbe. This is the game for Nagbe to turn on and take over in a way only he can, while Morris will need to quickly scan and break up promising attacks. If the midfield duo can slow down the midfield transitions while also playing pressure valve while the Black & Gold have possession, this would increase the odds of a home victory.

It is unlikely for Ramirez to make his first start after injury in such a high-stakes match, so expect the veteran to play a role off the bench. DP forwards Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi will need to lead the attacking lines. Hopefully, Rossi can build on his CCC momentum after scoring in both legs against Tigres. Hernandez is asking for everyone to wear yellow for this game as a birthday present, his birthday goal against Portland was not enough! Hernandez missed a game-winning shot at the final whistle by what seemed mere millimeters. Joining Hernandez and Rossi will be U22 forward Marino Hinestroza. Hinestroza started both matches against Tigres and it seems that the front office plucked Hinestroza out of Liga MX in preparation for all of their Mexican opposition this season.