Crew win Concacaf match but lose series to LAFC

Tueday, March 11, 2025
Staff Reports
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Crew's Diego Rossi follows through after kick

The Crew’s Diego Rossi follows through on a penalty kick goal that put the Black & Gold on top by two over LAFC on Tuesday at Lower.com Field. Photo: Kevin Lam

LAFC was in Columbus Tuesday for the second leg of their Concacaf Round of 16 match against the Columbus Crew. A week ago in Los Angeles, LAFC beat the Crew 3-0 in the first leg, which meant that Columbus either had to win 3-0 and prevail in overtime, because the aggregate total and away scores of the two games would be tied, or had to win by four goals.

The Crew scored the first goals of this Tuesday’s match. At the 10-minute mark, Diego Rossi passed from the right end line to the middle of a crowded penalty box, where Jacen Russell-Rowe found control for a quick kick into the net. The second Columbus score was on a penalty kick from Diego Rossi toward the end of the first half.

The Crew had a golden opportunity two minutes into second-half stoppage time when Diego Rossi had a free kick from just outside the box, which was saved by LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. With all of the pressure in the LAFC zone, they were able to break out and get a score from Denis Bouanga to end the game at 2-1, Crew.

The aggregate score from the two legs of the series was 4-2 in favor of LAFC, so they will move on to the Concacaf quarterfinals. The Crew will return to California Saturday to take on San Diego FC in MLS action. The match gets underway at 10:30 p.m. EDT.