COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Crew knew things would be different this season following the stunning departure of club talisman Cucho Hernández to LaLiga's Real Betis earlier this month.
And while questions were floating around before Saturday's season opener against Chicago Fire FC, they were swiftly answered in a thrilling 4-2 win in front of a sold-out Lower.com Field.
Forwards Jacen Russell-Rowe and Diego Rossi both got on the scoresheet, the latter netting a brace to help fill the Colombian superstar's void, as well as outgoing striker Christian Ramírez, now with defending MLS Cup presented by Audi champions LA Galaxy.
Convincing performance
“It doesn’t matter who is on the team,” Rossi said postgame. “I’m going to work for the team and for myself. I always work like that, no matter which team or which players are around me. We’re always trying to be better.”
Rossi scored the decisive third and fourth goals for Columbus, spearheading the offense off the right side and combining well with Russell-Rowe, who started up front.
Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, who responded well from two first-half blunders with key second-half saves to close out the win, felt Columbus looked cohesive and confident even with the big changes they’ve undergone in the transfer market.
“I’m proud of the team, but it's no surprise to us in the locker room,” Schulte said. “We know the quality we have in the team, and we know that we're gonna have to score by committee and have performances like this where it's a collective effort. We can't just rely on one person.”
Still a force
While the attacking outburst from Rossi, Russell-Rowe and Co. fueled the hosts to victory after falling behind twice to a pair of first-half Brian Gutiérrez goals, Wilfried Nancy’s side still looked like the elite side they've been over the past two seasons, the one led by the 2023 MLS Cup and Leagues Cup 2024 MVP.
“We found a lot of opportunities with the press and we could've scored seven or eight goals today,” Russell-Rowe said. “We were just happy to come back from a losing position to carry on the momentum and find a way to control the game.
“We're a different team, but we're the same team at the same time," he said. "We're always gonna play our style and be very competitive.”
