The Columbus Crew have already made history in their 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup run. They became the first MLS team to win on the road in Mexico against Tigres in the quarterfinals of the tournament, and they followed it up with an even more impressive feat, knocking out five-time champion CF Monterrey - once again in Mexico - in the semifinals.
Now, they’re on the verge of history: they could become just the second MLS team to win the Champions Cup, following suit of the Seattle Sounders in 2022.
Fronting that charge has been an unexpected 21-year-old striker, Canada international Jacen Russell-Rowe. The forward, who is a graduate from their reserve team in MLS NEXT Pro, scored two crucial goals to help lead the Crew into the finals of the tournament, converting against both Tigres and Monterrey.
The youngster has come up huge for the reigning MLS champions during their brilliant tournament run, alleviating some of the pressure on former U.S. international Christian Ramirez and superstar attacker Cucho Hernandez - and Russell-Rowe attributes his success in 2024 to both.
Ahead of the biggest match of his career, the Canada international spoke with GOAL about his brilliant run in the Champions Cup and what it would mean if the Crew can earn a result for the third-straight match on the road Saturday night in Mexico to be crowned champions of CONCACAF.
USA Today ImagesIn 2022, after impressing at the MLS NEXT Pro level with Crew 2, the then-19-year-old signed a first-team contract with the Crew, and his rise has been accelerated ever since. He’s made 51 senior appearances, netting nine goals across all competitions along the way. But 2024 has been what he describes as a “breakout” season.
“I started with Crew 2 back in 2022 and I had a good year with them, but halfway through the year, I was able to sign with the first team and get my debut,” he said. “And then we went on to last year, where I was getting integrated into the first-team a little more, where I'm always training with them and being a part of the roster. And then this year, I'm getting more of a breakout where I'm in a lot of rosters and I'm playing a lot of big games for the team and I'm just trying to shine.”
Russell-Rowe is embracing the moment, and is ready to tackle whatever is in his path - including a date in the CCC final against heavyweights Pachuca. He attributes part of his rise to staying patient and calm, living every moment in real-time, without worrying too much about what lies ahead.
“Living in the moment and taking it day by day,” he says of his approach. “I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but I can see myself trending in the right direction and you know, that's always positive for me.”
With the likes of both Ramirez and Hernandez ahead of him, Russell-Rowe has two incredible mentors from which to learn. The Canada international described his Colombian compatriot as someone who sports incredible “aggression and tenacity” while exhibiting a sense of “confidence” nobody else on the pitch can match.
USA Today Images“He's so very he's so smart, so that's the one thing I really take from him,” Russell-Rowe says. “I watch how he thinks, his movement, where he puts himself compared to where his teammates are, because he's just very good at manipulating space and timing his runs.” The ex-U.S. international has taken Russell-Rowe under his wing, providing insight on how to better himself as a striker while still displaying the unique characteristics he brings to the pitch. Russell-Rowe described some of the tips from the veteran, including how Ramirez provides “details on the field” and how “little things that will give you an edge on a defender.”
Ahead of Saturday night’s continental final, Russell-Rowe feels he’s “dreaming” when he considers playing in the second cup final of his young career. After winning 2023 MLS Cup, the Canadian is buzzing, but he’s also calm, composed and ready to face adversity on the road in Pachuca - which, notably, is a city with an elevation of 8,000 feet above sea level.
“We've had some some altitude bikes to help us (adjust to the city) to adjust to the altitude because it's a very big difference,” he says, “and honestly, like, we're gonna feel it. We know we're gonna feel it.
Getty Images“Because we don't want to be at too much of a disadvantage, we want to be able to play our style and other than that… we're trying to feel fresh for the game. There's not much else we've been doing. We pushed hard last week and this week we just wanted to feel fresh with our training and stuff.”
Looking back on the two goals he scored in the buildup matches to the final, he can still hear the crowd, feel the touch of the ball on the surface of the pitch and recall the realization that it was his moment to shine.
“If I'm being honest, it's something I hadn't ever thought about or dreamed of to be in that moment,” he says. “But once I was there, you realize how big it is. But I don't let these things get the best of me … I look up into the crowd and I see the stadium and I see the fans roaring and I try to enjoy and just kind of melt into the environment and just let it sink in and not get the game to get too big.”
The Crew’s run has been deemed magical, and it can’t be overstated how unheard of it is for an MLS side to go on the road in Mexico and win against a powerhouse like Tigres. They did it, and they followed it up emphatically in the semifinals. Even a young Russell-Rowe is aware of how storybook everything feels at the moment.
He described the atmosphere among the throngs of ardent fans in Mexico as something the Crew “don’t play in every day in MLS” and as a result, it fueled his desire.
USA Today Images“They're very, very unified,” he says of the supporters in Mexico. “They all know the chants, they all know what the team is about. And they're cheering for 90 minutes straight - 90 minutes straight you can feel the energy, the atmosphere, the whistling. And it's always packed out. Like, we were just in El Volcan (Tigres Stadium) and then we're in Monterrey’s Stadium, where there are like 40,000 fans … it's definitely a little different and a little louder.”
Saturday’s match, in Russell-Rowe’s view, will be the marquee soccer event of the night. He recognizes other games will be happening at the same time, but believes that all of MLS - and beyond - will tune in to support him and his teammates as they look to attain the crown of CONCACAF and hoist the Champions Cup trophy.
It adds pressure, but it’s welcomed pressure. It’s an added weight onto their shoulders, but again, it’s welcomed motivation - and Russell-Rowe is ready.
“We know everybody's gonna be watching even if they say they aren't,” he says. “It's such a big game. I mean, just for the continents, for North America, you know? So we know there's gonna be a lot of eyes - and to have all your friends and your family all watching you in a game with so much meaning … it really gets you anxious. Like, I'm very anxious to be out there and be in Mexico and to be under the lights in that game because we're playing for something big and everybody's going to be there to see it.
Getty Images“It would just bring me so much, I think, joy. And you don't always get to feel pure joy when you're a footballer, because you don't win every year. You know, luckily, we were able to win MLS Cup last year, and you got to feel that. But then to go on to another competition, a new competition that it's quite difficult to win, as it seems, to be able to lift that and to know that I'm representing myself and where I came from in the city of Columbus. So well, it would bring me… pure joy.”