Hernandez, Deossa, Schulte among Champions Cup semifinals Best XI

MIAMI — Two teams remain in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup hunt after this week's conclusion to the semifinals.

Several players contributed with excellent performances in each two-leg series, and these 11 players stood out the most at their respective positions.

Goalkeeper 

Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew – The 23-year-old Schulte continues to impress with each game, holding a potent Monterrey attack to one goal per game. With five saves in the first leg, and ten in the second leg, Schulte was a headache for Rayados.

Defenders

Rudy Camacho, Columbus Crew – The 33-year-old French defender brought the experience the Columbus backline needed to contain one of the best attacking fronts in the region. Camacho provided 8 steals and six clearances over the two full ninety appearances.

Andres Micolta, Pachuca – Ecuadorian defender Andres Micolta was influential on both sides of the ball against Club America, with a goal in the first leg and three key steals over the entire series.

Sean Zawadzki, Columbus Crew – The 24-year-old homegrown had a stellar first leg with four steals and an assist on the match-winning goal. The Ohio native had one steal and two clearances in the second leg to hold Monterrey to one goal in their home stadium.

Midfielders

Aidan Morris, Columbus Crew – One of the rising stars in the region, the 22-year-old Morris delivered an impact play in the second leg by converting an interception into the match-tying goal, and series-winning goal, prior to halftime. He delivered 10 steals over the two legs.

Emilio Rodriguez, Pachuca – The 21-year-old Mexican midfielder was explosive in the first 15 minutes of the second leg, pouncing on a ball in the box for the opening goal and helping build up the second goal. He was an important element to help Pachuca win the series against Club America.

Alejandro Zendejas, Club America – Zendejas continued his good form in the tournament with his fifth goal for Club America in the campaign to open the scoring in the first leg. He also assisted Henry Martin’s goal in the second leg to bring the aggregate score within one.

Nelson Deossa, Pachuca – The 24-year-old Colombian was influential on the defensive side in the first leg with two steals. In the return leg, he was influential in the offense with five shots on goal, including the series-winning goal.

Forwards

Juan Camilo Hernandez, Columbus Crew – The Colombian striker set the tone for the Columbus offensive with the series-opening goal in the first leg. He had six menacing shots over both matches.

Salomon Rondon, Pachuca – The leader in the Golden Boot did not add to his tally in the semifinals but was influential with seven shots over the two legs, including the attempt that directly led to the Rodriguez goal in the second leg.

Jacen Russell-Rowe, Columbus Crew – The 21-year-old Canadian provided an assist and the match-winning goal in the first leg before coming off the bench in the 85’ of the second leg and scoring in the closing stretch to close the series.