Not many players have joined the Columbus Crew with more pressure on their shoulders than Lucas Zelarayan. Brought as the most expensive signing in club history for a reported fee of $7-plus million from Liga MX side Tigres, the Argentinean also had the daunting task of replacing club legend and fellow countryman Federico Higuain, from whom he inherited the No. 10 jersey.
With the 2020 Major League Soccer season just one match away from its conclusion and the Crew hosting the MLS Cup Final against defending champions Seattle Sounders at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, it’s hard to believe either the club or the player could have envisioned how things would play out the day Zelarayan first set foot in Columbus, January 12, exactly 11 months before MLS Cup.