Lucas Zelarayan says goodbye on emotional night for Columbus Crew fans
The festivities, short as they were, had wrapped up. Standing near the midfield line at Lower.com Field on Monday night, Lucas Zelarayan had just been given a formal farewell moments before the Crew were set to host Club America in Leagues Cup play. One final time, the denizens of the Nordecke finished the call-and-answer refrain by shouting his last name.
Zelarayan turned toward the west stands, took a step and stopped. His body faced the stands, but his head turned over his right shoulder toward the Nordecke. A growing, echoing chant had made its way to midfield, and it stopped the departing midfielder in his tracks.
It was his first name they chanted, pointing their arms in unison and freezing him in place. Turning to face them, he drank it in, patting his heart with his right hand in a gesture of gratitude before ambling, almost awkwardly, off the field and into a suite.
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Not even four hours prior, the breaking news of Zelarayan’s sale to Saudi Arabian club Al Fateh dropped like a lead balloon on a city preparing to celebrate a shot against Liga MX’s most storied team. The Crew went on to hand the Eagles a 4-1 defeat, one that sets them up for a Friday home date with MLS foe Minnesota in the first knockout round, but both teams walked into the stadium already assured of passage out of the group stage.
The biggest headline was that the Crew were suddenly without their dynamic, prolific star whose shadow lingered over what otherwise would’ve been an overly joyous night for Crew fans.
“My time here, it was very special for me as a player and a person,” Zelarayan told the fans. “I will never forget this city. … Thank you, for the love, for the support. I don’t know what to say. It’s too difficult to speak at this moment, but thank you to all the fans. I hope you enjoyed watching me play here.
“The fans will stay in my heart forever.”
The news hit different players at different times. Christian Ramirez, who along with Cucho Hernandez and Zelarayan formed a formidable three-headed attack that had made the Crew one of the league’s most dynamic offenses, said this had been a few days in the making.
“A few of us, we had known for a couple days that it was a possibility so we went out to dinner with him a few days ago and just enjoyed time together,” said Ramirez, who scored the Crew’s third goal and assisted on the fourth.
One of the players who was clearly clued in was Hernandez, one of Zelarayan’s closest friends on the roster. Through a club interpreter, Hernandez declined to specify when he knew Zelarayan would be leaving but did not try to hide that it was an emotional situation for him. Ramirez said it was clear that Hernandez was playing with emotions heavy on his heart.
“It’s been a very tough two days for me,” Hernandez said. “Having to go out to play, that’s what technically they pay me for. I have a job to do, and that’s what’s most important at this moment.”
Defender Steven Moreira also did not want to get into too much detail on receiving the news but said they all got a text message sometime before the game.
“We lose a very good teammate,” he said. “It’s crazy. We feel a little bit surprised. It’s a little hard to play one game and five hours before, you know one of your good teammates leave.
“I feel very happy for Lucas, but it’s bad for us, for sure.”
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Crew coach Wilfried Nancy was firm about two points during his postgame press conference. First, Zelarayan will go down as one of the club’s all-time greats. But after that, the coach was quick to point out that the Crew are about their collective, never just one player.
“He wrote a story in the club,” Nancy said of Zelarayan. “Now, the idea is to focus on the team. The team is the most important, and I have a massive respect for Lucas. He knows that, but the idea is to be together. I know that Columbus and all the fans will never forget Lucas, but now we have to look forward and the club has a vision.”
The move had the potential to submarine what instead shaped up to be a memorable night at Lower.com Field. The Crew nearly conceded a goal in the first minute, fell behind by a goal and then scored four unanswered as Zelarayan watched from a suite with his family. Leading the charge was Hernandez, who after scoring his first goal celebrated by doing his half of a celebration he had always performed in concert with his now-former teammate.
Hernandez said he didn’t feel any extra pressure to score for Zelarayan but did say he knew he would score when he blasted the right crossbar during the seventh minute.
“I know it was emotional for a lot of guys, especially Cucho, who you could tell it was affecting him throughout the day when we met up for pre-match meal and stuff as a team,” Ramirez said. “I’m glad he was able to score two goals.”
Playing in front of a passionate crowd filled with Club America fans, trailing by a goal less than half an hour into the game, the Crew picked themselves off the floor and came roaring back. Nancy said the performance validated what he feels about his club but didn’t otherwise show him anything new.
“I learned nothing in terms of the togetherness that we have,” he said. “I learned that we were able to be consistent against a really good team and were able to do a really, really good game. There is no statement. This is, we focus on us and we have to move forward and we have to enjoy this kind of game.”
What the Crew’s ultimate vision looks like without a player like Zelarayan is not yet known. The MLS summer transfer window closes Wednesday, and in an email to season-ticket holders the Crew indicated that there could still be more moves to come. After touting recent additions Julian Gressel, Yevhen Cheberko and Rudy Camacho, the message added, “We are younger, deeper and stronger, and we still have a few days left in the window. There could be more to come.”
Zelarayan will address the team one final time Tuesday, Ramirez said. Hernandez expressed his belief that Alex Matan, Jacen Russell-Rowe and Kevin Molino, among others, will help fill the void he leaves behind. Reinforcements could be on the way as well.
“I’m proud that we won this game and gave him that farewell that he so truly deserves, because he’ll go down as one of the best players to play for Columbus Crew, if not the best,” Ramirez said. “We’ll see what the people upstairs do to continue to add because obviously you see they’re very active.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lucas Zelarayan says goodbye, Columbus Crew beat Club America
