Can the Columbus Crew rely on Diego Rossi to lead them to a Leagues Cup Championship?

The Columbus Crew are coming off a dominant showing against Inter Miami in the League Cup Round of 16. In the 3-2 comeback win over one of MLS’s most prominent teams, forward Diego Rossi continued his hot streak, leading the club to the next round with a two-goal performance.

His energy in the second half led to the team recovering after being down by two goals through the opening 67 minutes, with the Crew scoring three in just 13 minutes to ultimately take home the win.

"“I didn't like the first half. We discussed with the players, they came back with better energy, and they did the job.”"

- Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy

Rossi will be under a spotlight for the Crew as they look to continue finding success through the quarterfinal round of Leagues Cup action. Through the last two cup outings for Columbus, the 26-year-old has knocked in four goals since the club entered the tournament in the Round of 32.

Now, in the 2024 campaign, he has a total of 13 goals across MLS regular season and Leagues Cup action, proving to be a critical piece of Nancy’s offensive threat. He also has found 10 assists this season.

So, can Columbus rely on the standout forward to continue leading the charge through the quarterfinal and beyond?

Fortunately, 2024 has already seen the most amount of appearances on the field for him, with 23, in a singular season since 2019. For Rossi being in his second year with the team, its an exciting sight for the Crew as they look to find further their sights on adding more silverware to the trophy case.

From now until the end of September, the Crew will compete in nine games and the need for reliable, everyday talent, is going to be crucial in maintaining their strong performances on the pitch.

Rossi certainly is going to be starting every game moving forward, having come off the bench in just two outings this season, and in the Leagues Cup, there is a high chance that Nancy will keep him on the pitch from start to finish.

At the halftime break of Tuesday’s game against Miami, Rossi struggled through the opening 45 minutes but remained on the pitch into the second half. With the team bringing on the likes of Christian Ramirez, Mohamed Farsi and Alexandru Matan, they instantly shifted the energy to help propel Rossi into scoring positions.

"I adjusted certain things, but it (the substitutions) was planned," Nancy said. "Obviously the subs who came in brought something, but this is their job. When someone comes from the bench, he has to help the team to perform."

Rossi also has elevated his game this season on the playmaking side of things, working well with the substitutes on Tuesday. His passing completion percentage is at a career-high, sitting at nearly 89%. As known, he went on to score two goals in 11 minutes, with the winning goal being found on a pristine connection with Farsi built off stellar passing.

Rossi has a proven track record as a prolific goal scorer. His ability to find the back of the net consistently is a major asset for the Crew, especially now that he’s grown further into an exceptional playmaker. Moving forward, he can be one of the most valuable players in Columbus’ organization as they look to be named 2024 Leagues Cup Champions.