Even after that rousing message, Nancy still remembers moments when the atmosphere was surprising.

“The first 20 minutes they had the momentum and the American fans were going ‘olé, olé, olé, olé’ and we were struggling a little bit,” Nancy said. “Then we found a way to come back and the last 20 minutes our fans were going ‘olé, olé, olé.'”

The Crew had already qualified for the next round and could easily have been shut out when Kevin Álvarez scored the opening goal from a quick free kick.

“When we started the game behind, we thought, ‘Oh, this can’t happen today,'” Ramírez said. “That’s when we started finding ourselves.”

Nancy often preaches about mentality, emphasizing the psychological aspect of the sport before the match. Yet the French manager is also a master tactician and changed the line-up of Cucho, Ramírez and Alex Matan. The adjustment resulted in a pair of goals from Cucho either side of half-time that turned the tide.

“They were really aggressive and wanted to match us,” Nancy said. “Then I decided to tactically change the shape to attack. After that, they had some trouble stopping us, and we were able to do what we like to do. In difficult moments, I liked that we were resilient to stay together, because they like to have the ball too.

“Honestly, it was one of the best games of my career because with the atmosphere and the level of the players… I’m really looking forward to playing against them again.”

The Crew were knocked out of the 2023 Leagues Cup in their next match, after a 3-3 draw, losing to Minnesota United in a penalty shootout. But the spark had been ignited. The belief was there. Zelarayán or not, the Crew could compete with anyone.

“I wouldn’t say it was a turning point in our season, but halfway through the year you lose a piece like Lucas, it was emotional,” goalkeeper Patrick Schulte said. “Guys, how they felt about it, it just kind of came out of nowhere. It happened so fast and it allowed us to support each other.”