CARSON — By the time the Columbus Crew kicked off in Wednesday night’s Leagues Cup quarterfinal, it was Major League Soccer’s last hope at a semifinalist in this year’s two-league tournament.
By the 13th minute, that hope took a big hit and by halftime, it was all but over.
Thanks to a pair of first-half goals, Club América completed the field for an all-Liga MX semifinals, with a 2-0 victory over the Crew on Wednesday in front of 20,637 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Club América will face Monterrey in a semifinal on either next Tuesday or Wednesday. The other semifinal will feature Club Leon taking on Toluca.
Club América’s Raphael Veiga opened the scoring with a curling shot from 20 yards out that kissed off the inside of the left post and into the back of the net.
Columbus nearly had an equalizer in the 40th minute. Cristián Borja was ruled to have committed a handball infraction after referee Marco Ortiz confirmed it with a video review. Brais Méndez stepped up to take the penalty shot, but his attempt was smothered by América goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota.
In the 45th minute, Cota was again called upon, this time making a sprawling airborne save on an attempt by Josef Martinez. Then, right before the halftime whistle, América delivered the knockout blow as Brian Rodriguez slid a shot just out of the reach of Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte for a 2-0 lead.
Columbus was able to keep América from adding to that lead, but the Crew were unable to find the necessary combinations to break through against the América defense in the second half.
MLS teams had won the tournament title every year since it was expanded in 2023: Inter Miami FC in 2023, followed by the Philadelphia Union (2024) and the Seattle Sounders last year. Each of those years, the final featured two MLS teams.
The top four teams after pool play, in both the Liga MX and MLS standings, advanced to the quarterfinals. All four quarterfinals featured a Liga MX team against an MLS squad.
The MLS quarterfinal woes began Tuesday with Club León defeating Real Salt Lake, 3-0, and Monterrey knocking off the Chicago Fire, 2-1. On Wednesday, Toluca handed Austin FC a 2-0 defeat.
Columbus, which is currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, entered Wednesday’s match winless in its past four MLS games, including a 3-2 loss against Nashville SC last Saturday that saw the Crew allow two goals during second-half stoppage time.
This year’s tournament was the first time games were played in Mexico during the group play phase. However, for the knockout rounds, several stadiums around the U.S. were held for hosting priority if a Liga MX team needed. Last year, Orlando City SC faced Toluca in a quarterfinal in Carson.
The final and the third-place match will be played on Sept. 6. The two finalists and the winner of the third-place game secure spots in next year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup.