Diego Rossi scored his third brace in four matches as the host Columbus Crew defeated the Philadelphia Union 3-1 in a semifinal of the Leagues Cup on Wednesday.
Columbus advances to host the championship match on Sunday against Los Angeles FC, which routed the visiting Colorado Rapids 4-0 in the second semifinal. The contest will be a rematch of the 2023 MLS Cup final, won by the Crew 2-1 at the same venue on Dec. 9.
Rossi scored in the 12th and 43rd minutes to sandwich a 32nd-minute goal by the Union’s Daniel Gazdag. Cucho Hernandez tapped in his own rebound in the 53rd to give Columbus a two-goal lead.
The Crew opened the scoring when Rossi made a diving header at the near post after Andre Blake made a save on a curling strike by Hernandez.
Gazdag took advantage of a giveaway to get the equalizer, but the Crew responded just before the break when Christian Ramirez chipped a pass to Rossi for the finish.
Los Angeles FC 4, Rapids 0
Goals three minutes apart late in the first half by Mateusz Bogusz and Kei Kamara helped host Los Angeles defeat visiting Colorado to create the rematch LAFC wanted.
In addition to the MLS Cup final result, the Crew also went on the road to rout LAFC 5-1 on July 13 in regular-season play.
Bogusz scored on a well-placed shot from 19 yards to the lower right corner in the 42nd minute. In the 45th, Kamara was set up in front by Ryan Hollingshead. Denis Bouanga scored in the 59th minute and Lewis O’Brien added a goal in the 75th to back the three saves made by LAFC goalie Hugo Lloris.
LAFC and the Crew earned spots in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Union will host the Rapids in the third-place match on Sunday with the winner receiving a Champions Cup berth.
–Field Level Media
