Darlington Nagbe leads Columbus Crew against Pachuca in search of Concacaf Champions Cup glory

On Saturday night, the Colombo Crew will have the chance to make history when they face Pachuca in the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup, in Mexico. With a place in the Club World Cup and continental glory at stake, it’s a moment that shows what Wilfried Nancy built in such a short time in Columbus that they have the chance to follow up on an inaugural season where they won the MLS Cup with an even bigger prize by becoming the second MLS team to win a Champions Cup final.

MLS has been improving in the competition. The three previous finals were played between teams from MLS and Liga MX, with one won by MLS. It’s something the Columbus Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe recognized in preparation for departure. With players like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in Major League Soccer, the league has come a long way since Nagbe joined in 2011, but one constant has been him filling his trophy cabinet.

“It shows that the league is growing, which is great not only for MLS but also for the players, so it’s definitely exciting,” Nagbe told CBS Sports.

Captaining the crew on this journey, there is a certain zen that comes over Nagbe and the team because they have been here before, but also because Nancy knows how to prepare her teams down to the smallest detail. Since the Crew will play at Hildago Stadium, which is 7,843 feet in elevation, they prepared by doing altitude training before traveling to Mexico. From masks in training to simulate shortness of breath, to players sleeping in altitude tents, there isn’t a detail that hasn’t been covered and that’s before we get to Nancy’s tactical settings on the pitch.

“[The altitude training] It’s about trying to get used to these conditions as much as possible. Anything helps, so a little bit that you can do here, even if you can’t get exactly the same feeling, a little bit that you can do to adjust your body and get used to that feeling when you go there helps,” Nagbe talked about how training is helping the team acclimatize.

“It’s just to replicate the type of air you’ll breathe in and out while you’re there. I think the mask and the things they created for us are to replicate that as best as possible. You’d have to ask the science guys.”

Knowing that Pachuca will put pressure on the Crew and do everything possible to tire them, the Crew prepares to be pressured at altitude and having a midfield made up of Nagbe and Aidan Morris is a big advantage. The pair have already won MLS Cup together and Morris has grown as a player since having to replace Nagbe in the Crew’s midfield due to Nagbe missing MLS Cup 2020 due to Covid. Now together again in midfield, they are two players who know what is expected of them.

“My role now is to be available for when the next pass is not just in attack, but if we win the ball and it turns, to be available and be able to put pressure on them to win the ball back. Aidan, what we’re trying to do well is be close to each other,” Nagbe said. “Trying to give the team an opportunity to play, break the pressure and get it to the key guys so they can try to make plays for us.”

Although Nagbe makes things look simple due to his experience, if the Crew can win the midfield battle by keeping the ball away from Oussama Idrissi and Salomon Rondon, they will have a great chance of calming the Pachuca fans and pushing for victory. With Diego Rossi It is Cucho Hernandez leading the Crew’s attack, a Pachuca comeback could be fatal if the execution is correct in the match.

This is why detailing the details but keeping things loose is so important to your preparation. There is no right way to prepare for a cup final, but there is always the chance that a team will feel the nerves that could cause them to collapse at a big moment. The Crew is not one of those teams. On the brink of the most important game in the club’s history, they are acting like a team that has been there before, because under Nancy they already have. Now it’s time to execute, but when they know who they are, it only makes facing a difficult challenge like Pachuca easier.

How to watch and odds

• Date: Saturday, June 1st | Time: 9:15 p.m. ET
• Location: Hidalgo Stadium – Pachuca de Soto, Mexico
• TELEVISION: FS1 | Live broadcast: Fubo (Try it for free)
• Chances: Pachuca -170; Draw +310; Colombo Crew +440