What is next for the Columbus Crew after the Leagues Cup championship?

The Columbus Crew are currently on top of the world.

Back in December of 2023, the team took home the MLS Cup championship over Los Angeles FC, 2-1, for the club's third all-time MLS tournament trophy. Just this past Sunday, the team secured its second trophy in the last nine months as they beat Los Angeles FC in the Leagues Cup final by a score of 3-1. With so much silverware coming quickly, and a regular season that is looking to be another success, what is next for the Black & Gold?

The answer: The Campeones Cup.

In just under a month from Monday, August 26, the Crew will be competing in the Campeones Cup against Liga MX side, Club de Fútbol América. The Cup takes place between the winners of the previous season's MLS Cup and Liga MAX Campeon De Campeones, bringing together the two leagues. After being established in 2018

This will not be the first meeting between the two sides in the last year, as Club América traveled to Lower.com Field for an outing in the Leagues Cup group stage. The Crew came out with a victory, dominating Club América, 4-1. The four-goal scorers are still with the team this season, as Cucho Hernandez. who scored two, Christian Ramirez and Steven Moreira all netted goals.

Heading into this matchup against the pair, the team will look to rely heavily on the duo of Hernandez and Diego Rossi to succeed. Both, have been elite offensively in recent weeks. Hernandez, over the course of his last three games, has netted four goals and dished off one assist, while Rossi has found two goals.

"For me, Diego is an example of the day-to-day work, the ability to do the job, the humility to do the dirty job, and also he is coachable,” said Wilfried Nancy in a post-match interview with MLS after the Crew's win over the Philadelphia Union.

Fortunately for both the Crew and Club América, they've played under the bright lights of the Campeones Cup in years past

In 2019, Club América battled against Atlanta United FC and fell 3-2, in front of a crowd of 40,000 fans. Unlike Club América, the Black & Gold were fortunate to come out victorious in 2021 as they took on Cruz Azul at Lower.com Field. When all was said and done, they left with a 2-0 shutout win.

With experience in winning the Campeones Cup, the Crew should expect to see an advantage over their opposition.

The Columbus Crew are set to gear up to take on Club América on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The game will take place in Columbus, Ohio, at Lower.com Field.