The Trilogy is upon us folks, the Columbus Crew are set to face LAFC again. This time in the Round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. LAFC advanced by beating the Colorado Rapids in the first round, while the Crew earned a bye thanks to their Leagues Cup 2024 Championship, over the same Los Angeles squad they face on Tuesday evening.

The Crew vs. LAFC is quickly becoming a frequent fixture in important competitions, with the sides meeting in the League Cup final in 2024 and the MLS Cup Final in 2023. Columbus and LAFC have been two of the best teams in MLS over the last two seasons, but the Crew have had the better of this matchup thanks to their Leagues Cup and MLS Cup triumphs, as well as a 5-1 demolition of LAFC in Los Angeles last July. 

Despite the lopsided nature of the results, these two sides are evenly matched and LAFC has been inching closer to beating the Crew. The Black & Gold needed last-minute heroics from Cucho and Jacen Russel-Rowe in order to take home Leagues Cup 2024. Stylistically, LAFC are a bad match for the Crew thanks to their comfortability without the ball and their ability to play in transition. Additionally, LAFC has the better high end talent between the two sides with the departure of Cucho in the January transfer window. Thus, Crew fans everywhere are going to be a bit nervous (or more nervous than normal) ahead of this series. However, Wilfried Nancy and company are still in with a chance at beginning another CCC run in 2025.

Los Angeles FC at a Glance:

2025 Record (All Competitions): 3-1-0, 6 MLS points, one win in CCC

Form: W-W-W-L

Leading Scorer: Jeremy Ebobisse, Ryan Hollingshead, Aaron Long, Marco Delgado (1 goal)

Assist Leader: Denis Bouanga, David Martinez, Nathan Ordaz (1 assist)

Player to Watch: Denis Bouanga

Despite not yet scoring in 2025, LAFC’s main man is still Denis Bouanga. Crew fans will be familiar with Bouanga thanks to the frequent meetings between these two sides (Did I mention the Finals?) but may have an underappreciation for just how dangerous Bounaga can be. To this point, the Crew has largely been able to keep Bounaga under wraps when they have met this LAFC side.

Despite scoring in the 2023 MLS Cup, Bouanga has been relatively absent from the score sheet when these two play. Ask any Western Conference team and they will tell you how hard that is to sustain. Bouanga’s combination of speed, strength, and power makes him a terror in attacking transitions. Bounaga has the ability to dribble past and run past (or through) opponents with ease. What makes Bouanga truly special is not only his ability to create opportunities for himself but finish them off in front of the net. Over the course of two legs, Bouanga will have ample opportunities to create and finish chances. Without Cucho in the attack, the Crew can’t afford to get into a shootout with LAFC, so slowing down Bouanga will be key.

How LAFC play: 

In year four at the helm in LA, Steve Cherundolo has helped LAFC stay consistently at the top of the MLS standings and competitive in all competitions during his tenure. Even with just four games to go off so far in 2025, LAFC and Cherundolo seemed primed to be in and around the top of the MLS and region. Cherundolo’s LAFC is one of the most fearsome attacking transition sides in North America. Combined with their defensive stability and organization, as well as their top-level talent LAFC is no joke. Most readers will know this and have no doubt heard this on broadcasts over the last several years. However, the most interesting tactical question is which formation Cherundolo will use in this series. 

Over the vast majority of Cherundolo’s tenure, he’s preferred to use a 4-3-3 formation in and out of possession. In fact, in the 2023 MLS Cup and the 5-1 Crew victory in LA last summer, LAFC were using a 4-3-3 formation. However, in the Leagues Cup Final and the back half of the 2024 season LAFC switched to a 3-4-3 formation, which saw them match up more successfully with the Crew, who use a similar formation. In 2025, LAFC used a 4-3-3 formation in their first three games before switching to a 3-4-3 in their most recent match against NYCFC. One has to wonder if that was a bit of a practice run for how they plan to defend Columbus Tuesday night.

The Crew will likely have the majority of possession in this match and indeed over the course of the two matches in this round. Each side will be happy with this, as Wilfried Nancy and the Crew prefer to keep possession and dominate the ball, while LAFC prefer to attack opponents in transition. Thus, I will spend a bit more time detailing how LAFC will defend.

LAFC has had a mixed approach to defending the Crew, as we have already discussed. They have been most successful when defending with a 3-4-3 formation that shifts to a 5-2-2, like the Crew. In addition, LAFC has succeeded when they look to apply pressure high up the field to create turnovers and keep the Crew from being comfortable on the ball. The best example of this is the second half of the Leagues Cup Final before Cucho won it.

When LAFC are able to do this effectively, it often leads to high percentage chances for their attackers against disorganized opponents. Once this pressure is beaten, LAFC looks to recover with numbers behind the ball and have recently drifted into a 5-4-1 shape with their wingers dropping deeper to defend in wide areas. The wingers will look to shepherd the ball inside so their attacking midfielders can pounce on errant passes and miscues from their opponents. When this happens, LAFC’s attack springs to life with attackers flooding forward in an attempt to catch opponents out of possession. Most importantly, LAFC’s switch to a back five will allow for their center backs to step into the midfield to defend Crew attackers. This freedom to step into the midfield isn’t always available when defending in a back four. 

When LAFC have sustained possession, they typically operate in a 3-4-3 formation with their front three moving quite a bit. Their three centre-backs will stay pretty deep and central to help circulate the ball. Their central midfielders and wingbacks will stay connected to the back three as well to help keep possession. This shape and deep possession are intended to draw their opponents out of their defensive shape and then play a direct ball for Bouanga and company to run onto. This works well as they have plenty of players capable of both handling the ball in possession and springing long balls to attack. 

How the Crew can win:

The Crew lost a heartbreaking final in June of 2024 in the CCC and will be no doubt hungry to get back to the final. Even without Cucho Hernandez and a few others, the Crew has shown through two weeks of MLS play that they are still well-equipped to compete in the MLS and indeed the CCC. The Crew need to play well over two legs against a difficult opponent to advance, but focusing on the following items will go a long way for the Black & Gold.

1. Defend in Transition: The Crew has been much better over the last three halves of soccer after getting dismantled in defensive transition in the first half of Crewsmas against Chicago. LAFC are lethal in transition and the Crew’s playing style is susceptible to good transition play. Look for the Crew to quickly apply pressure once they lose it. Also, look for the Crew to lose the ball in “good areas” where it’s incredibly difficult for their opponents to launch counterattacks from. Lastly, keep an eye on the Crew’s shape even when they have the ball. The idea is to provide stability and safety against turnovers, while still having players in a position to attack.
2. Create Chances in Possession: This CCC tie will be won and lost based on how the Crew generates chances in possession. The Crew will dominate the ball, per usual, but will be facing a tough defensive side that is happy to defend. Look for the Crew to move the ball quickly in the attacking third while using their wing-backs and even center midfielders to overwhelm the LAFC defense.
3. Create Turnovers: The Crew can create some “cheap” offense if they can create turnovers in LAFC’s half. This will be difficult as I don’t expect LAFC to play out from their defensive third too much, but when they do, if the Crew can create and take advantage of turnovers that will add some punch to their attack.