Laurent Courtois started his tenure as interim coach on the right foot, leading the Crew to a 1-0 victory over New York City FC, advancing the club to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.
“I’m so happy for the guys, for the club and for me,” Courtois said. “We were feeling bad about not only the loss, but the way we lost over there. To make it right in front of the fans that way was really good.”
After going winless through the first four games of the month, the Crew relieved Henrik Rydstrom of his duties on May 17 and promoted Courtois from assistant coach. The stretch included falling 3-0 to NYCFC in regular-season play.
The Crew allowed NYCFC forward Hannes Wolf to record a hat trick during the loss, while getting off only two shots on target of their own, but in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, Columbus improved its shots on target to seven and held New York City to zero attempts on goal.
Using the first half to find its rhythm under Courtois, the Crew broke the scoreless tie in the 59th, when midfielder Max Arfsten launched a goal from the top-left side of New York City’s box.
“I think we had just a bit more dynamic movements from the front lines,” Arfsten said. “A lot of interchanging movements from Diego [Rossi], Taha [Habroune], myself, whoever’s out there. I think it was a lot of moving around, and that’s what created spaces for us to operate.”
Columbus Crew improve in second half after previous struggles
When explaining the decision to fire Rydstrom right before the eight-week World Cup break, general manager Issa Tall cited the Crew’s struggle to stay in games during the second half.
Of the 11 draws and losses recorded in 2026, the Crew had held a second-half advantage in seven. In those games in which the Crew went into halftime tied, they were 1-2-1.
The Crew got off to a slow attacking start against New York City, taking their first shot in the 18th minute. However, at halftime, Courtois remained confident.
“We could play a little bit faster,” Courtois said. ” But I didn’t mind it so much because of just the nature of the game, the accumulation of games, the potential of extra time, etc. I thought that was also a good way to manage the game. Once we created that slight difference, we were actually capable of exploiting a little bit more.”
Laurent Courtois opts for earlier substitutions
By the 76th minute against New York City, Courtois had used all five of his substitutions.
Waiting too long to make substitutions had been an issue during Rydstrom’s 16-game stint, but Courtois gave the players entering the lineup a chance to make an impact.
“The way the subs came in and raised the level – they not only maintained it, but they raised it,” Courtois said. “It was really crucial for us.”
Still, Picard had notes for his reserve players, including one in particular for forward Hugo Picard.
In the Crew’s previous two U.S. Open Cup wins, Picard scored four of their seven goals. Looking to notch a fifth, the 23-year-old took a shot that ricocheted off the left goalpost.
“Picard, he went to the shot because he wants to score so much,” Courtois said. “But maybe that’s a moment more to keep the ball and kill time. Those little things, but like I said, so happy for everyone.”
Columbus Crew have long wait before competing in U.S. Open Cup again
With the World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19, and Leagues Cup taking place throughout August, the Crew will have to wait nearly four months to compete in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. The next round of the tournament is slated for Sept. 15 and Sept. 16.
Because teams have the potential to acquire multiple new players before the semifinals begin, U.S. Open Cup guidelines state that “all players from a club are eligible to participate, and players can be added up to one day prior to a match.”
This is the first time the Crew have reached the tournament’s semifinals since 2010. The Crew’s only U.S. Open Cup title came in 2002.
“I told them [we are competing for a trophy] just literally before the game started,” Courtois said. “We talked a lot about the quality of their heart, but let’s come back to talk about their winning mentality because we’ve won everything in this league. They should remind a few people. [Against NYCFC], they did that.”
bmackay@dispatch.com
@brimackay15
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew secure U.S. Open Cup win in first game under Laurent Courtois: Takeaways
Reporting by Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
