Crew is not playing for reputation of MLS in CONCACAF semifinals

The Crew is the last MLS team standing in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Some have opined that when the Black & Gold take on CF Monterrey in the first leg of their series Wednesday night, they are playing for the reputation of the league. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

The reigning MLS Cup champions are making their first-ever appearance in the Champions Cup semi-finals. But nobody should make the mistake of thinking the Crew are representing anyone other than the organization and their dedicated fans. Those who run MLS have made it clear the team they choose to be the face of the league is Miami, not the Crew. So, all the media members trying to hitch the league’s reputation to the Crew can kindly go back to slobbering all over Messi and Miami. You know, the same Miami team that was run off the field last week by Monterrey.

When you come right down to it, I could care less about the reputation of MLS. It doesn’t matter to me if the league is the world’s best or worst. I could care less that Messi is in the league and, truth be told, wish he’d go back to Europe. What I care about is the Crew and how they fare each time they step onto a pitch. If they get a win Wednesday night, please don’t try to turn it into a statement on the quality of MLS. The league’s choice for its darling team has been made very clear. That team is no longer in the tournament. The Crew is still very much alive and they are most definitely not carrying the torch for MLS.

When I’m at the game on Wednesday night, I’ll be wearing black and gold, just like every other Crew fan in attendance. I promise you that not one of us will care a bit about how the outcome makes MLS look.