Campeones Cup final: Columbus Crew falls to Club América after thrilling penalty shootout

Wilfried Nancy, coach of the reigning MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew, could only laugh in disbelief after a questionable no-call left the club without another prestigious title.

The Crew lost to Club América in the Campeones Cup final after a thrilling, 5-4 penalty shootout that lasted seven rounds after a 1-1 tie on Wednesday night at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.

The match between the reigning MLS and LIGA MX champions left the Crew watching Club América hoist a trophy on the pitch they celebrated their MLS Cup and Leagues Cup titles on.

The Crew saw Malte Amundsen, who scored the 1-1 equalizer in the 77th minute, hit the crossbar on his penalty shot in the sixth round. But it appeared América goalie Luis Malagón left his post on the back line before the shot.

Nancy praised the game referees for informing the players of the rules in the penalty round, until it came to the decisive moment that cost the Crew their third championship in the last year.

“The goalkeeper was not on his line. The referee, he said that … Sorry, I'm laughing, because the referee said that it didn't affect the shot,” Nancy said. “So, I don't know, the rules are rules.”

Club América’s Néstor Araujo scored the game-winning penalty kick, through the hands of Crew goalie Patrick Schulte one kick later, to steal the victory.

Columbus is 2-2 in championship games in the last year: The Crew beat LAFC 2-1 in the 2023 MLS Cup, lost to Pachuca 3-0 in the Concacaf Champions Cup final on June 1, and beat LAFC 3-1 in the Leagues Cup final on Aug. 25, before Wednesday’s defeat.

The Crew nearly became the first team to win two Campeones Cup finals. They won the 2021 Campeones Cup after winning the 2020 MLS Cup. Atlanta United (2019) and New York City FC (2022) are the other MLS champions to win the Campeones Cup in its six-year history.

This Campeones Cup marks another trophy for LIGA MX powerhouse Club América, which has 15 all-time league titles – more than any other franchise.

Diego Valdés, Rodrigo Aguirre, Álvaro Fidalgo and Dávila scored for America in the shootout against Schulte, a member of the U.S. men's soccer team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Rudy Camacho, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Cucho Hernández and DeJuan Jones scored for Columbus in the penalty shootout.

Aziel Jackson and Alexandru Matan missed for Columbus, which was unable to rely on standouts Diego Rossi, who left four minutes before regulation ended, and Christian Ramirez, who was substituted out during the second half.

“He was tired. Simple as that,” Nancy said of Rossi's removal.

Despite Wednesday's setback, Columbus is on an unprecedented run as the premier and most successful Major League Soccer team. They’re a favorite to win another MLS Cup, and have an outside chance at the Supporters’ Shield in the final weeks of the season.

The Crew will visit the White House on Friday to celebrate their 2023 MLS Cup title, before facing D.C. United at Audi Field on Saturday.

Then, the Crew will welcome Lionel Messi and MLS-leading Inter Miami to Columbus next Wednesday in a match that could decide the MLS Supporters’ Shield. If Inter Miami wins its next two games (Saturday vs. Charlotte, and at Columbus), it will win the title given to the team with the league’s best record.

“I’m sad for the players because they deserved better, but I’m really proud of what they did,” Nancy said. “We got close to win this game, but we didn’t. We have to digest, and we have to move forward.”

Campeones Cup: Columbus Crew vs. Club América highlights

Columbus Crew and Club América penalty shootout results in Campeones Cup

Club América has won the Campeones Cup after a 5-4 penalty shootout against Columbus Crew.

• Rudy Camacho scores for Columbus, 1-0.

• Diego Valdés scores for América, 1-1 after one round.

• Alexandru Matan misses for Columbus, 1-1.

• Richard Sánchez misses for América, 1-1 after two rounds.

• Jacen Russell-Rowe scores for Columbus, 2-1.

• Rodrigo Aguirre scores for América, 2-2 after three rounds.

• Cucho Hernández scores for Columbus, 3-2.

• Álvaro Fidalgo scores for América, 3-3 after four rounds.

• DeJuan Jones scores for Columbus, 4-3.

• Víctor Dávila scores for América, 4-4 after five rounds. The shootout goes on.

• Aziel Jackson misses for Columbus, 4-4.

• Ramón Juarez misses for América, 4-4 after six rounds.

• Malte Amundsen misses off the top post for Columbus, 4-4.

• Néstor Araujo scores for América, 5-4 after seven rounds.

Columbus Crew and Club América headed to penalty shootout in Campeones Cup

After 90 minutes and stoppage time, we have a tie in the Campeones Cup. And the game will immediately go to a penalty shootout to decide the champion.

It'll be interesting to see which Crew players participate in the shootout after Diego Rossi and Christian Ramirez were substituted out of the match.

Malte Amundsen goal: Columbus Crew 1, Club América 1

We’ve got a tied match in Columbus after a corner kick and a header in the 77th minute.

The Crew’s Malte Amundsen maneuvered superbly to make the kick from the corner, and found the bottom left side of the net.

The momentum has swung as the match heads into the final 12 minutes of regulation.

Víctor Dávila goal: Club América 1, Columbus Crew 0

We’ve got a score in Columbus, but it comes from the opposition.

América’s Víctor Dávila, who joined the club about two weeks ago, came on as a substitute and scored in the 68th minute to take a 1-0 lead.

It was simply a defensive breakdown by the Crew, as Dávila broke free behind them into a straightaway attack toward the net.

Columbus Crew’s Patrick Schulte with big save: Columbus Crew 0, Club América 0

Álvaro Fidalgo missed in 58th minute, thanks to a stellar save by Crew goalie Patrick Schulte. The save followed a miss by Crew standout Christian Ramirez in an earlier sequence. It’s still scoreless in Columbus.

Columbus Crew and Club América tied at halftime

We’re tied at halftime, but the Columbus Crew had its best attack toward the net.

Cucho Hernandez delivered a pass to Diego Rossi in the box, but Rossi’s header was squared away by Club América goalie Luis Malagón in the 45th minute.

Club America had much of the momentum in the first half, taking six shots with two on target. Columbus had only three shots, with their miss on target.

Club América possessed the ball for 57.71% in the first half, while Columbus had 42.29% possession.

How to watch Columbus Crew vs. Club América in Campeones Cup live stream?

The match will be streamed live via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish, and on TUDN exclusively in Spanish.

Columbus Crew vs. Club América starting lineups

Here are the starters for both clubs in tonight's Campeones Cup:

What time is the Campeones Cup?

The Campones Cup begins at 7:30 p.m. ET inside Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio – home of the Columbus Crew.

What is the Campeones Cup?

The Campeones Cup is an annual competition that pits the winners of the previous MLS and LIGA MX seasons against each other for a trophy. This will be the sixth edition.

Think of it as a North American version of the Finalissima, the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, which sees the Copa America winner take on the UEFA Euro champions in a match.

Columbus Crew on title run

The Columbus Crew beat LAFC, 2-1, in the 2023 MLS Cup, lost to Pachuca 3-0 in the Concacaf Champions Cup final June 1, and beat LAFC, 3-1, in the Leagues Cup final on Aug. 25.

The Campeones Cup is the fourth chance for Columbus Crew to win a trophy before the MLS season ends and the MLS Cup playoffs begin to end the 2024 season.

The Crew has also been here before: After winning the MLS Cup in 2020, the Crew won the Campeones Cup in 2021.

Campeones Cup winners

MLS teams have won three of the five Campeones Cups:

• 2018: Tigres UANL 3, Toronto FC 1

• 2019: Atlanta United 3, Club América 2

• 2021: Columbus Crew 2, Cruz Azul 0

• 2022: New York City FC 2, Atlas FC 0

• 2023: Tigres UNAL 0 (4), LAFC 0 (2)

Columbus Crew vs. Club América recent history

These teams last met during Leagues Cup 2023 group play, where the Crew beat Club América 4-1 on July 31, 2023. Cucho Hernández scored twice, while Christian Ramirez and Steven Moreira scored for Columbus, while Kevin Álvarez scored for Club América.

Columbus Crew vs. Inter Miami on Oct. 2

The Crew is still in contention for the MLS Supporters Shield, and will be one of the most feared teams, along with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, for the MLS Cup this year. They'll meet at Lower.com Field on Oct. 2.

• Top 3 MLS Eastern Conference standings: Inter Miami (64 points), FC Cincinnati (56) and Columbus Crew (56).

• Top 4 MLS Supporters Shield standings: Inter Miami (64), LA Galaxy (58), Cincinnati (56) and Columbus (56).

Columbus Crew has four regular season matches remaining, while Inter Miami, LA Galaxy and Cincinnati have three games left this season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Columbus Crew vs. Club América: Campeones Cup penalty shootout results