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Columbus Crew vs New York City FC Preview
New York City FC travels to face the Columbus Crew on August 17 at 6:00 pm in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals. Columbus began their campaign late having received a bye to the round of 32 following their MLS Cup victory in 2023.
NYCFC has made it through four games in the competition so far, boasting victories over Tigres UANL, New England Revolution, and Queretaro. Can New York win on the road or will Columbus use their home advantage to reach the semifinals?
Columbus Crew vs New York City FC Head-To-Head and Key Stats
Columbus Crew has clashed with New York City FC 25 times throughout history. There have been six draws between the sides, but Columbus boasts 10 wins over New York. However, the rivalry is tight with NYCFC at nine wins. They last met in June in MLS action.
The Crew dominated much of the first half, forcing a series of wonder saves from goalkeeper Matthew Freese. Santiago Rodríguez hit the post in the 31st minute, proving NYCFC’s danger on the break. New York fullback Mitja Ilenic received a red card in the 39th minute for denying a goalscoring opportunity as the last man. Not deterred by the host’s man advantage, NYCFC stunned the Crew with an opener in the 44th minute. New York caught Columbus on the break and Alonso Martínez’s smart back heel found Augustin Ojeda. He slotted home inside the box to hand the visitors the lead at the break.
Columbus came out in the second half and immediately took the game to New York. They matched the intensity of the first half and found an opening fast. Christian Ramírez tapped home Cucho Hernandez’s pass from close range to level the game in the 48th minute.
The Crew rallied and Mohamed Farsi put them ahead five minutes later, bundling the ball over the line after Freese fumbled a save. Hernandez scored a penalty in the 65th minute to make it 3-1 and give Columbus an insurance goal. Santiago Rodriguez scored a second for New York late on, but the man-advantage was too much. Columbus ran out the deserving 3-2 winners.
The Pigeons last played on August 13 against Tigres UANL in the Leagues Cup round of 16. Guido Pizzaro put the Mexican side ahead in the 17th minute, rising above the New York defence to head home Rafael Carioca’s cross. The Boys in Blue replied almost instantly. Maximiliano Moralez fired low into the bottom left corner in the 20th minute, levelling the game.
Santiago Rodriguez was a constant thorn in the side of UANL’s defence. The Uruguayan attacking midfielder finished with three shots on target and frequently threatened from range. Rodriguez was rewarded for his efforts in the 65th minute. He dribbled through the heart of Tigres’ midfield, linked up smartly with Moralez and buried his effort into the bottom right corner to give the Pigeons the lead. Poor finishing let Tigres down in the latter stages of the game when hunting for an equalizer and New York earned a 2-1 victory.
Columbus Crew recorded a thrilling 3-2 victory over Inter Miami in their last game. Miami was the favourite to lift the Leagues Cup in 2024, having won the competition last year. Things looked bleak for the Crew when Matias Rojas put the Herons ahead after just 10 minutes. The first half ended 1-0 with neither side threatening a goal after the opener.
Miami was the brighter team in the first 20 minutes of the second half. The table toppers doubled their lead in the 62nd minute when a one-two between Diego Gomez and Luis Suarez helped the former bury his finish. Christian Ramirez halved the deficit with a header five minutes later before Diego Rossi sent the fans into raptures with an equalizer in the 69th minute. Rossi secured his brace in the 80th minute and completed one of the most incredible comebacks in Leagues Cup history to send Columbus to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals with a 3-2 victory.
Columbus Crew vs New York City FC Predictions
Correct score prediction: Columbus Crew 3-0 NYCFC
Columbus Crew received a bye to the round of 32 as the MLS Cup 2023 champions and they have been impressive in their opening two games. Wilfried Nancy’s team dismantled Sporting Kansas City 4-0 in their opening fixture before overcoming arguably the best team in North America right now in Inter Miami. The Crew already has a victory over NYCFC this season. They also have the home advantage here and our soccer prediction is for a Columbus victory.
Columbus has the best defence in the MLS. They have conceded just 22 goals this season. New York is the lowest-scoring team remaining in the Leagues Cup, only scoring five in their four games. The Pigeons will have a tough time scoring against the hosts and Columbus can hold firm against the worst offensive team in the competition.
Defend Our House ⛫ pic.twitter.com/adrvUMHKcj
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) August 13, 2024
The Black and Gold proved in their last game that they have firepower going forward too. Inter Miami is the top-scoring team in the MLS and scored 10 goals in the Leagues Cup. Columbus outscored them in a thrilling comeback victory. In just two games, the Crew has already outshone New York in this competition.
The Pigeons can still hurt Columbus despite their position as underdogs. Santiago Rodriguez was excellent against Tigres and has performed well in the MLS this season. The midfielder has eight goals and eight assists in the league and is their talisman in attack. Any threat when going forward is likely to come through the 24-year-old.
Hannes Wolf has also been one of New York’s most impressive performers this season. The forward has five goals and seven assists in the MLS and has been prevalent in his side’s run to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals. However, we expect the Columbus defence to have a plan for both of the Pigeons’ top players and come out with the victory on Saturday.
Columbus Crew vs New York City FC Betting Tips
Columbus Crew are the favourites for this game with our online sportsbook. The Black and Gold have scored seven goals in their first two games and kept a clean sheet in their opener. Wilfried Nancy has his side firing at both ends of the field and they are worth a moneyline wager at plus money. Bet on Columbus Crew to win the game, worth +106.
Leagues Cup betting has Columbus Crew as the favourite to win the competition this year. Part of that is down to the strength of their defence. Nancy’s has set up the strongest defence in the MLS. They have also kept a clean sheet in one of their two games in the Leagues Cup. New York has statistically the worst attack in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals. The hosts can shut New York out in this game. We like a bet on Columbus to win to nil, worth +260.
Soccer betting will look favourably on Santiago Rodriguez’s attacking efforts in this game. The Pigeons will rely heavily on the Uruguayan to get them over the line. Columbus is likely to dominate possession and New York needs a player like Rodriguez who can hurt them on the break. He managed three shots on target in his last game and two the last time he played against Columbus. Bet on Rodriguez to register a shot on target in this game.
Cosas normales para Santi 🫶 pic.twitter.com/VxpALkw9XT
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) August 14, 2024
Over/under betting is an option for this game. Over 2.5 goals have been scored in six of Columbus Crew’s last eight games. That same line has hit the over in half of New York’s games in the Leagues Cup so far. The last time these teams met we saw five goals and we expect the over to hit once again here. A bet on the over is worth -120 with our online sportsbook.
Columbus Crew Team News
Dejuan Jones is carrying a knock from the game against Miami and will miss this game. The main decision Coach Nancy has to make is the addition of Christian Ramirez. The forward replaced Dylan Chambost off the bench against Inter Miami and was an instant game-changer. We expect him to enter the starting 11 for this game. Aside from the injured Jones, the rest of the team should remain unchanged after an impressive comeback against Inter Miami.
- Columbus Predicted lineup: Hagen, Moreira, Camacho, Cheberko, Arftsten, Zawadzki, Nagbe, Farsi, Ramirez, Rossi, Hernandez.
New York City FC Team News
Malachi Jones will be out for the rest of the season after his leg break at the end of June. Andres Perea has been out with a leg injury since mid-July and is not expected to return for this game. The starting XI is likely to remain unchanged for this game.
- NYCFC Predicted lineup: Freese, Gray, Martins, Tanasijevic, McFarlane, Parks, Sands, Wolf, Moralez, Rodriguez, Martinez.
