Columbus Crew food poisoning: Was something nefarious at work in Champions Cup loss?

Crew president/general manager Tim Bezbatchenko did not fly to Pachuca, Mexico, until game day Saturday morning, so he escaped what befell most of his team and every member of its coaching staff – a stomach illness that had players vomiting in the locker room and, in the case of one assistant, heaving to the side of the field right after the game.

Bezbatchenko got regular reports Thursday, when the team arrived in Pachuca, and throughout Friday. He was able to piece together a timeline of Black & Gold’s massive discomfiture in the leadup to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. CF Pachuca won 3-0 in front of a home crowd of 30,000 at Estadio Hidalgo, and the final score does not do justice to Pachuca’s dominance, or the windfall was secured by Liga MX Club.