Following Saturday’s dramatic 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls at home, Columbus Crew SC travels to Bridgeview tomorrow for a clash with the Chicago Fire in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16. The match marks the fourth straight year that the Black & Gold have reached the last 16 of the competition, but the club has not advanced past this stage since reaching the Final in 2010.
Despite that fact, midfielder Justin Meram says that Crew SC is going into the match with a different mentality than in recent years, and are hungry for a spot in the quarterfinals.
“We’re going in there to get a win. The last couple years [we were] knocked out in this round, so we’re focused, we’re ready; we’re going to give it all we’ve got to get a good result,” he says. “They’re going to have the momentum, they’re at home, so if we can get a first goal and keep a clean sheet, then we’ll be alright.”
Crew SC has been hit with a number of injuries and health issues so far this season. But regardless of who is available to take the pitch, midfielder Ethan Finlay says that the Black & Gold have big plans for the remainder of the U.S. Open Cup.
“[The match against Chicago] is another great opportunity for us to show our depth, to show this does mean something to us,” he says. “I know it means something to our fans, obviously we won this tournament before, and I’d love to raise that trophy again sometime later this year.”
Tuesday’s meeting with the Fire will be the Black & Gold’s second of three matches this week, with the next being on the road Sunday at Sporting Kansas City. Sporting Director and Coach Gregg Berhalter says that despite many injuries, Crew SC is prepared to win.
“We have two good games coming up. Tomorrow in Chicago, Open Cup and then Sunday against Kansas City. Tomorrow we’re going to give it everything we have and see what happens, and Sunday, we’ll do the same,” he says.
Kickoff for the match against the Fire is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
