Columbus Crew 2024 Season In Review

Breaking down the highs, lows, and everything in between

Coming off of the cup in 2023 it was always going to be a tough task to top that honor, but man, were we ever so close to one upping it. 2024 was, in my honest opinion, not a failure. Getting first-rounded in the playoffs was extremely disappointing, but it does not speak to the growth and evolution that we have very clearly seen from this team. There is a lot to breakdown, so let’s get started with MLS play.

MLS:

The MLS Regular season was a resounding success, especially when you just look at the visual stats. Highest ever points haul from a Columbus Crew team, most ever wins by a Crew team, most ever goals scored and goal contributions from a Crew player by Cucho, most unique goal-scorers in single season club history, and most sellouts in a season in club history. We have grown not only in profile and stature, but also in our sustained performances on the field which is something we could have only dreamed of two years ago. And, yea, I will pull out that card because we as fans have been extremely rewarded in the past two seasons with just how good the product has been, and it does not last forever, so it’s good to cherish it and remember what we once were to keep us humble for a bit.

A few games stick out from the regular season that really defined who we were and who we strived to be as well. The 5-1 away win against LAFC in particular sticks out, as it was possibly the best example of just how good this Crew team is at slicing through defenses in the most complex and jaw dropping ways.

The first goal if you remember, was a small triangle of Rossi, Arfsten, and Cucho constantly pressing and making the short passes to expand the LAFC defense which allowed Arfsten to slip in behind unmarked and provide a driven lofted cross right to Ramirez to flash it home, and the second goal was just a pure piece of brilliance off of the onetime finish from Cucho. The other goals came off of pouncing on LAFC mistakes, and well taken set pieces that sealed this game as *possibly* the best performance of the regular season.

Image Credit: The Columbus Dispatch

Another game that stands out is our 4-3 home win over Orlando City. If you remember the Crew of old, and even take your memory back to just last season when an away game against Orlando City ended with the same scoreline in Orlando’s favor, this was a game that we easily could have lost if it were not for the evolving resilience and determination that Nancy is building within this team.

Up 3-0 with 20 minutes to go we let Orlando right back into the game before Cucho made it 4-2 late on and an even later Luis Muriel goal sealed the 4-3 result, and I absolutely adored it. It was not a complete game, but it’s how you respond and how you deal with adversity in these high-pressure environments, and on large occasions this year, the Crew prevailed.

There were a few games that the Crew stumbled in this year, notably against Miami and against Seattle when Abraham Romero was rightfully sent off for punching Jordan Morris in the face, but I would call the regular season a success.

U.S. Open Cup:

I wish we would have been in it, but we weren’t. Next.

Leagues Cup:

I mean yea, this is the big one, we won the whole damn thing, and it was yet another masterclass of clutch knockout soccer that again, this Crew team is slowly making their identity (with other glaring outcomes, however).

Before even jumping into Leagues Cup, the Crew had a scheduled test against Premier League opposition Aston Villa and boy did they manage. Everyone on the pitch tore Villa limb from limb and created the chances for Cucho up top to rip through the Villa defense for a hat-trick, which was a fantastic confidence booster heading into the actual tournament.

After dispatching of Sporting KC, Miami, which was a masterclass in keeping a calm head and regrouping, NYCFC on pens, and Philadelphia, the Crew again matched up against LAFC who looked largely the second-best side on the night yet again as the Crew have largely made them to be on the past three occasions we have played them, and the Jacen Russell-Rowe sealer in added time will still go down as one of my FAVORITE Crew moments in recent history. Just the stuff that legends are made of, so we can easily chalk up our Leagues Cup campaign to a resounding success.

Image Credit: The Columbus Dispatch

Concacaf Champions Cup:

This one stung, hard.

The Crew opened up CCC play with a very even series against the well-led Houston Dynamo, which they narrowly edged through a late Matan winner in the first leg and a first half closing goal from Cucho in the second leg. Well done to see the series out but we had been here before, winning the first series just to stare down the barrel of a Liga MX side that Crew teams of old would have been scared of, yet what we saw against Tigres was the exact opposite.

After falling down 1-0 in the first leg, Rossi would equalize before Aidan Morris was sent off to make the second leg even more of a hill climb, but as always, this Cre team persevered and Tigres all the way to penalties in the second leg and then prevailing on penalties. The first time an MLS side had done so and the first Crew team to drop Liga MX opposition ever. This Crew side sure likes to make history, huh?

And while they were at it, they decided to make even more. A resounding and complete two leg performance against Monterrey in the semi-finals would set up a mouthwatering tie against Pachuca in the final, in Mexico, at Pachuca, in the elements, could we do it?

Image Credit: NBC4

No, we couldn’t.

The altitude and the sickness conditions got to us in the end, which was so disappointing because we were definitely up to the task. 3-0 was the final scoreline and we were absolutely outworked, but I can’t put any blame on the players or the tactics or the effort, we were just sick, tired, and not up to the task.

Disappointing, but not a failure. We’ll get another shot next year to see if we’re up for it again.

MLS Playoffs:

First off, before I jump into this section, no, I am not including Campeones Cup. It’s hardly worth mentioning and I don’t see it lasting as a competition much longer.

Anywho, this playoff series was rough to watch, and it was evident across both games that everyone had used everything in the tank and were running on fumes. The press that we were so used to seeing slowly fell apart and the routine runs from the back and the wings were snubbed out handily by the 5 back that the Red Bulls deployed, and we were only able to break through it in the last 30-ish minutes of Game 2 to make it a competitive outing, only to lose on penalties.

Image Credit: The Columbus Dispatch

Plenty of fans wanted more, desired more, but I understand the fall apart. This squad was still thin and was asked to do so much more when the kind of soccer we play absolutely takes it out of you with how much we control the ball and the pace of the game. We are the dictators of play, but that also comes at a price when you play so many games.

So, to finish off, this year was not a failure. There’s a lot to look back on and be proud of, and it was still an exciting and unifying year to be a Crew supporter, so I will be forever grateful for the heart and soul that was left on the field by the coaches, the fans, and the players when the season ended.

In enough time I’ll have a full roster breakdown of who might be leaving and who should be staying, so keep an eye out for that, same for the next CrewRhino podcast episode coming out tomorrow morning!