May 5, 2021

Columbus Crew SC was bounced from the 2021 Concacaf Champions League on Wednesday evening, dropping its second leg matchup 3-0 at CF Monterrey to lose the quarterfinal series 5-2 on aggregate.

The Liga MX side took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd minute when forward Vincent Janssen fired a cross from the left. Columbus goalkeeper Eloy Room couldn’t control it, and forward Maximiliano Meza tapped home the rebound to start Monterrey’s run after they took a 2-2 Leg One draw back to Estadio BBVA Bancomer.

Meza then doubled Monterrey’s lead in the 26th minute, collecting a squared ball after Janssen managed to win a duel vs. Columbus center back Josh Williams. The Argentine forward beat Room with a one-timed finish and sent Crew SC into halftime down 2-0.

Longtime Mexico national team defender Miguel Layun put the game out of reach in the 71st minute, drilling home a free-kick to the top corner. The right back stepped up from 25 yards out and left Room with no chance, giving Rayados a 3-0 lead.

Columbus recorded six shots on the day and had a couple of early looks through forward Gyasi Zardes. But the Club’s offense otherwise struggled to reach another gear with playmaker Lucas Zelarayan suspended due to yellow-card accumulation and Zardes still recovering from a shoulder injury.

The Crew returns to regular-season play on Saturday, May 8, when the Black & Gold host D.C. United at Historic Crew Stadium for a 1:30 p.m ET kickoff (Bally Sports Ohio, 97.1 FM The Fan).

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