Who’s ready for more cup soccer?
The Columbus Crew make their 2024 Leagues Cup debut on Friday night when they host Sporting Kansas City in a Round of 32 matchup.
Numbers to Know
32 – As mentioned above, we’re already in the one-and-done stage of Leagues Cup, which pairs Major League Soccer and Liga MX clubs. The Black & Gold automatically advanced through to the knockout stage thanks to winning the 2023 MLS Cup. As for Sporting Kansas City, the visitors arrive at Lower.com Field after already playing two group stage matches. Oh, and speaking of 32, in the Black & Gold’s last 32 home matches, they’re unbeaten in 30 of them – including 20 wins.
9 – In case you forgot, Cucho Hernández has been on a scoring spree this summer – and let’s hope it continues. In his last outing, he scored a hat trick against English Premier League club Aston Villa in the Leagues Cup Showcase on July 27. Since the Concacaf Champions Cup final on Jun. 1, the Colombian has nine goals and seven assists. Despite only being in Columbus since mid-2022, he already ranks sixth in club history with 48 goals. Oh, and he had a pretty decent outing in the last matchup with SKC.
12 – Well, this isn’t the regular season, but let’s rely on regular-season stats for this section. Through 26 league games, SKC has 24 points, placing the club 12th in the Western Conference standings. It should be noted Kansas City is unbeaten in six of its last seven games across all competitions. In fact, the only loss was its last game: a 2-1 loss to Toluca on Monday night. In SKC’s other group-stage match, the side won, 2-1, at home against Chicago Fire FC on Jul. 28.
23 – Crew supporters should be aware of Willy Agada on Wednesday night, who has nine goals and two assists through 25 league appearances. The 24-year-old forward has been on a prolific scoring run in throughout the last month, with six goals in his last seven games across all competitions. His form entering Friday night is the opposite of the last meeting between the clubs – so don’t underestimate him.
When They Last Met
The Black & Gold battered Kansas City, 4-0, when they met Jun. 22 at Lower.com Field. Cucho produced a hat trick, while Christian Ramirez also got in on the scoring. That match was also the final Crew appearance for Aidan Morris before he moved to Middlesborough FC in the English Championship.
Match Overview
Who: Columbus Crew hosts Sporting Kansas City
When: Friday, Aug. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Lower.com Field
Tickets: Come for the Cup Run
How to Watch: MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app
How to Listen: La Grande 102.5 FM | Alt 105.7 FM | iHeart Radio app | Sirius XM FC
