Columbus Crew were eliminated from Leagues Cup 2026 at Dignity Health Sports Park on Wednesday night, falling 2-0 to LIGA MX giants Club América.
Club América jumped in front after 11 minutes. Former LAFC winger Brian Rodríguez broke away on the counterattack and found Raphael Veiga, who fired a 20-yard, left-footed curler that rattled the far post and nestled in the net.
Just over five minutes later, the Crew nearly equalized. Sean Zawadzki found center back partner Cesar Ruvalcaba with a header in the box, but his volley rang the post from close range.
Columbus earned a penalty in the 39th minute after a handball in the box. However, Brais Méndez's attempt was denied by a terrific diving stop by Rodolfo Cota.
Cota continued his superb first half (six saves) by spectacularly denying Josef Martínez his first Columbus goal just ahead of the break with a sprawling dive to reach his headed effort.
Then, with halftime looming, Las Águilas struck on the counterattack again. Rodríguez weaved through multiple defenders before slotting his finish into the bottom-right corner to give his side a 2-0 advantage.
Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte kept the Crew in the match during the second half, making multiple strong saves. Still, Columbus were unable to find a breakthrough as Club América moved on to a semifinal clash with CF Monterrey.
Goals
Next Up
- AME: Saturday, August 29 vs. Club Puebla - 9:05 pm ET | LIGA MX Apertura
- CLB: Sunday, August 30 vs. New England Revolution - 4:30 pm ET (Apple TV) | MLS regular season
