Columbus is 2-2 in championship games in the last year: The Crew beat LAFC 2-1 in the 2023 MLS Cup, lost to Pachuca 3-0 in the Concacaf Champions Cup final on June 1, and beat LAFC 3-1 in the Leagues Cup final on Aug. 25, before Wednesday’s defeat.

The Campeones Cup, which started in 2018, is played annually between the winner of the MLS Cup and the winner of Mexico's Campeón de Campeones.

It was Crew defender Malte Amundsen who scored the goal to tie the Campeones Cup match 1-1 in the second half, a score that would hold through regulation and send the Crew to penalty kicks against Club America. It was also Amundsen who missed Columbus' final penalty kick, allowing Club America to defeat the Crew 5-4 for the Campeones Cup trophy.