The Columbus Crew showed the heart of a champion to keep their Leagues Cup 2025 hopes alive.

Last year's tournament winners entered Tuesday’s Phase One finale knowing they needed a victory to have any chance of advancing to the quarterfinals.

Wilfried Nancy’s side delivered on part one of that equation, beating LIGA MX's Club León 1-0 at Lower.com Field in a thrilling match with goal differential on the mind.

“It’s not easy,” Nancy reflected post-match. “We start a game that, you know, you have to win, but you also have to score a lot of goals.

"It’s difficult to tell that to my players, so that’s why I’m really proud of what they did.”

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Gutsy win

The Crew stayed hungry without desperately pushing forward, not letting frustration take over despite being abl

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