This Saturday, the Columbus Crew travels to Pachuca, Hidalgo to take on CF Pachuca in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Saturday’s match will be the first time The Crew have advanced to a Concacaf championship, and the fans can thank their MLS Next Pro team for getting this far.
In the tournament quarterfinals Columbus faced off against Mexican power Tigres UANL. The Crew drew Tigres 1-1 at Lower.com Field in the first leg to set up an all-or-nothing second leg in Mexico. Fans know the rest, The Crew gave up an early goal, fought back, and forced extra time where they advanced on penalties.
Those penalties were won by individuals with extensive MLS Next Pro experience.
The star of the moment was goalkeeper Patrick Schulte. In his first year, an MLS Super draft pick in 2022 held down the keeper position for Crew 2 as they were crowned league champions in its inaugural season.
Schulte has had his growing pains as a young keeper, but in this moment in Mexico, he stared down Liga MX stars and saved the first two attempts from Andrew-Pierre Gignac and Guido Pizarro.
The saves immediately turned the moment in favor of the Crew and will be lasting images of one of the more amazing nights in Crew History.
The eventual winner in PK’s was scored by 2023 Super Draft pick Max Arfsten, who was drafted from San Jose’s MLS Next Pro team, a transaction few knew was possible.
Arfsten may not be a Crew 2 legend like some of his peers. Still, his development and path to the senior team would not be possible without the Next Pro infrastructure, and the Crew’s front office belief that the league is a valuable part of team development.
In the next round of the tournament, Columbus faced off against Liga MX superpower Monterrey. In both legs of the semi-finals Crew 2 legend Jacen Russell-Rowe found the back of the net.
His goal at home in the first leg cemented a goal advantage as the round swung back to Monterrey, there, he iced the match up with a sensational goal from midfield. It was the exclamation point on an amazing night.
Russell-Rowe did not require millions of dollars in acquisition fees to become a senior player for The Crew. Top-level scouting and a belief in player development led him to the position he is in now. This type of roster construction is incredibly important for organizations like Columbus who intend to have a balanced roster spend.
Mo Farsi and Sean Zawadski have yet to find the back of the net so far in CCC but they have earned proper recognition for their performances. Both players have gone toe-to-toe with some of the best players in North America and have not backed down. They have displayed the bravery head coach Wilfried Nancy so often preaches.
In years past players like Farsi and Zawadski may have been loaned out to USL clubs far away from Columbus to develop their game, but with Crew 2 so seamlessly integrated into the Columbus Crew infrastructure their path to the pros felt supercharged.
Crew 2 is paying unworldly dividends for the Crew right now. Not many organizations have the foresight to invest early in a reserve team and provide a model of success on and off the field.
In the world of Soccer top-end talent wins you hardware. With a healthy Cucho Hernández and scorching-hot Diego Rossi Crew fans should feel composed about their team’s chances to win on Saturday. However, the players of Crew 2 have undoubtedly raised the floor for The Crew in this competition.
MASSIVE REPORT 