The Columbus Crew defeated Liga MX side Club León 1-0 Tuesday night to keep its hopes of entering the knockout rounds of Leagues Cup 2025 alive. Max Arfsten deservedly received player of the match honors; the USMNT international was all over the pitch, creating chances, dribbling opponents, and ultimately scoring the game-winner in the second half. 

The game’s action kicked off immediately, as Marcelo Herrera went down near the 18-yard box within the opening 60 seconds. In trying to win back possession, Jaine Barreiro collided with Herrera from behind, knocking him to the ground. The referee ruled in favor of the Black & Gold, awarding the Crew a free kick just a hair outside the box.

Diego Rossi took his chance at goal, but his shot deflected off the wall consisting of Crew and Club León players. Luckily for an unsuspecting Arftsen, the ball fell right to his feet; he immediately fired the rebound toward goal, and despite an effort from Oscar Jiménez to save his side with a diving effort, the ball had already crossed the goal line to put the home side ahead–momentarily, at least. The goal was ruled offside as Dániel Gazdag was a touch behind the last defender when the ball deflected off him in the wall, bringing the score level once again.

Patrick Schulte faced his first test of the night in the 21st minute from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner, James Rodríguez. The Colombian midfielder intercepted the ball following a poor touch from Dylan Chambost outside the 18-yard box and launched a low shot first-time with his left foot toward the bottom left corner of the goal. Schulte was quick to react, diving to save the ball with outstretched arms.

Just two minutes later, a mistake at the back from Club León nearly cost the away side. Rossi pounced on a backward header from Nicolás Fonseca that put him directly through on goal. He brought down the bouncing ball as he approached the six-yard box and cut onto his right foot. The move outsmarted his defender, but Rossi’s shot was saved by Jiménez, who was able to close him down in time.

In the 35th minute, Taha Habroune created a chance out of thin air. He closed down Barreiro, cutting off his passing lanes to assertively win back possession, stealing the ball from his feet. Habroune stormed forward, coasting along the edge of the 18-yard box before playing a pass across to Rossi. Rossi took three right-footed touches: one to control the ball, a second to fake out a defender with the outside of his boot, and a third to fire off a low-driven shot next to the penalty spot, which Jiménez was able to counter.

After the frustrating offside ruling in the first half, Arfsten finally got his name on the scoresheet in the 53rd minute. Second-half substitute Ibrahim Aliyu played a precise through ball to Herrera, splitting the Club León defense and putting the defender through on goal as he approached the six-yard box. Rather than attempting an effort on goal, Herrera opted to cut the ball back through the maze of defenders, finding Arfsten wide open. Composed as can be, Arfsten first faked a shot, sending one defender flying in the opposite direction, before sending a curling strike directly into the upper right corner of the net, leaving Jiménez with no option but to watch the ball soar behind him as he attempted a save. 

A scuffle ensued in the 59th minute, stemming from a chance on goal from Herrera. As the defender approached the ball near the penalty area with his eyes fixed on the goal, he inadvertently collided with Jiménez. Jiménez reacted by hurling the ball at Herrera, inciting a tense altercation between players from both sides. Both Herrera and Jiménez were shown a yellow card for the incident.

In the dying moments of the match, Schulte prevented the game from being decided by a penalty shootout by making a crucial save. Salvador Reyes guided a left-footed cross from the left edge of the 18-yard box into the penalty area, where Ismael Díaz awaited his service. Díaz struck the ball with his right foot first-time toward the middle of the net, but Schulte quickly got low to block the near-equalizer.

In a game that likely required all three points to remain in contention for the Leagues Cup knockout rounds, the Black & Gold got the job done when it mattered. As things stand, the Crew sit atop the MLS-specific table in Leagues Cup with seven points and a +3 goal differential across three fixtures. They earned one point from the 2-2 regulation-time draw and 4-2 penalty shootout loss versus Toluca, three points in the 3-1 victory over Puebla, and three points in Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Club León.

But 12 fixtures remain in the third matchday of the tournament, and the Black & Gold could be usurped. Their qualification into the next phase of the competition is contingent on several Leagues Cup fixtures scheduled for Wednesday, August 6th, and Thursday, August 7th. The top four teams in each Leagues Cup league-specific table advance to the Quarterfinals, where they will face a team from the opposite league. For example, if the Columbus Crew remain in first place, they will face the fourth-place team from the Liga MX table. 

Outside of Leagues Cup action, the Black & Gold plays its next fixture away from home versus New York City FC on Saturday, August 9th at 7:30 p.m. ET.