Just over a week ago, 19,026 spectators witnessed one of the most exciting matches in MAPFRE Stadium history. In front of its second largest playoff crowd in Columbus, Crew SC defeated the Montreal Impact 3-1 in extra time.
With that result, the Black & Gold turned around the series that had opened with a 2-1 loss in Montreal, showing there’s an advantage to playing the decisive Second Leg at home.
This time around, however, Columbus is hosting the New York Red Bulls in the First Leg of the Eastern Conference Championship. As the lower seed, Crew SC will have to travel to Red Bull Arena for the return match on November 29.
However, for forward Kei Kamara, that's a good thing.
“We just played here, [we have] good momentum, we’ve been playing well and to have them here and play the first game here, I think it’s really good,” he says. “We’re preparing here, there’s no need to travel anywhere; just play the game and look forward to the next one.”
Crew SC announced it is expanding capacity for Sunday’s match as a result to high ticket demand. With bleacher seating being added to the stage on the North end, Vice Captain Wil Trapp is looking forward to a thrilling atmosphere.
“The last game against Montreal was huge in terms of support form the fans and we left them on a high, as well as us,” Trapp says. “So I think coming into this game, it’s going to be rocking, we’re excited and expanding it to more people is only going to make it even more exciting.”
Like Trapp, fellow midfielder Tony Tchani reflects on the Eastern Conference Semifinal match in Columbus with a smile on his face.
“The crowd was terrific. At some points I couldn’t even hear myself because it was so loud,” he says. “The whole year the fans have always been there for us, but on Sunday they came out very strong and we expect that this Sunday.”
While Tchani is setting the bar high for Columbus supporters, he has high expectations of his team as well. He says securing a shutout at home is what’s most important.
“We just have to make sure that at home we don’t concede because that away game is very crucial,” he says. “If they have an away goal, something happened at home that can cost us on the road. We have to make sure that if it doesn’t go our way, we should at least get the 0-0 and get to Red Bull Arena knowing that at home we didn’t concede. That should be our first priority.”
The Black & Gold will have to try to keep a clean sheet without centerback Gaston Sauro, who is suspended due to yellow card accumulation. Fellow defender Tyson Wahl could make an appearance in his place. Wahl is also focused on keeping a clean sheet, but says Crew SC doesn’t intend to alter its attacking style of play.
“We know that it’s important to start off this series in the right way,” he says. “I think we’re going to be committed to playing our style and our game, while at the same time knowing that we really don’t want to concede a goal. I think that’s going to be a huge goal of ours; but by no means are we going to play defensive or bunker in.”
At the end of the day, Trapp says the Black & Gold want a win at home.
“We’re going to try to be cautious but smart about how we play this game,” he says, “but ultimately [it’s] how we want to win in front of our fans.”
The desire to win for the club and the city of Columbus resonates throughout the entire team. Tchani says the playoff atmosphere at MAPFRE Stadium fuels the team even more to succeed.
“It really helps us because we play for the fans,” he says. “They’re always there supporting us because we worked through some tough times this season and they’ve always been there for us. The only thing we can do is give 100 percent no matter what happens.”
The First Leg of the Eastern Conference Championship kicks-off at 5:00 p.m. ET and is set to be televised nationally on ESPN as well as available locally on the radio on CD102.5 FM (English) and La Mega 103.1 FM (Spanish). Limited tickets are available and can be purchased here.
