The tone was set right from the start.
Hosting the MLS Cup Final, the Columbus Crew used the atmosphere, which aside from the fans also included on-again off-again rain and wind, and put its stamp on the match right from the outset. Goals inside a four-minute stretch from Cucho Hernandez and Yaw Yeboah punctuated a dominant first 45 minutes, and while LAFC made a game of in in the second half, pulling a goal back from Denis Bouanga, the hole dug in the first half turned out to be too massive for LAFC to climb out of, and Columbus captured its third MLS Cup title with a 2-1 win at Lower.com field.
“It’s special, I still don’t think it’s sunk in yet, I think this is the standard that the Columbus Crew organization stands for,” Crew midfielder Aidan Morris. “I think every time you step on the field, especially at home, you’re expected to win. Lots of resiliency we showed this year, and adversity and I can’t thank enough people as part of their sacrifices going into this year, not only this year, but this past seven years I’ve been in Columbus. So yeah.”
The Crew were the aggressors in the first half. The Crew got a chance when Amundson played a ball for Hernandez on the right side, Cucho quick crossed into the penalty, but a heads up play from Giorgio Chiellini kept an open Diego Rossi from getting a shot inside the penalty area. Then in the 23rd minute, Hernandez curled a dangerous ball towards the far post, the ball was out of Crepeau’s reach.
Columbus finally saw its efforts at the start of the match pay off. Aidan Morris sent a ball down the left side of the field, Yeboah chased the ball down, crossed into the penalty area, Rossi touched a ball up in the air, the ball went off Diego Palacios’ right shoulder, then his right hand, and referee Armando Villarreal signaled the Crew to the penalty spot.
Cucho Hernandez stepped up to the spot for the Crew and buried the shot to his right while keeper Maxime Crepeau guessed wrong. Four minutes later, Columbus doubled the lead when Malte Amundsen sent a ball forward and Yeboah made a brilliant run to get behind LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead to get into the penalty area, Yeboah took a touch, then slotted the shot past Crepeau to make it a two goal game.
“In the first half, yes, we played a good first half. I am so happy because the most important thing was not to win, but to be ourselves,” Crew head coach Wilfred Nancy said. “My players did it and that’s why we had the opportunity and that’s why we won. I’m really proud of that as a coach. Yes, we can talk about tactics, we can talk about a lot of things, but the performance that we had tonight was spot on.”
LAFC finally was able to get going on offense midway through the second half. LAFC had a golden chance when Denis Bouanga dribbled down the left side, played a ball to the six-yard box, Vela was there for a potential tap-in goal, but could not get on the ball. LAFC finally did find the back net in the 73rd minute, as Jesus David Murillo won a ball from Diego Rossi, dribbled all the way inside the penalty area, played a ball that ended up at Bouanga’s feet, Bouanga took the shot, Schulte stopped the shot, but left a rebound inside the penalty area and Bouanga finished the second chance to cut the Crew’s lead in half.
“My message at halftime was that that was not enough,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “It’s a final, there is no tomorrow, and there’s no reason to rest or to hold back and we were quite disappointed. We showed them their mistakes and that it’s nothing tactical, it’s just poor decision making on the field. There were no tactical errors or any new game plan or readjustment of information.”
The 2023 MLS Cup Title is another crowning achievement for the Crew, one of the league’s original franchises. Saturday’s appearance was the Crew’s second in three years, the other coming in 2020, which was also won at home against the Seattle Sounders, though only a few thousand were able to see it live as the league, much like all of society, was still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Saturday’s win was also extra special not just for the franchise, but the city of Columbus, as the city came very close to losing the Crew, as the team’s previous owner, Anthony Precourt, had tried to move the franchise to Austin, Texas. However, efforts by the fan base, the city leaders and the league eventually found a buyer, in the Haslam/Edwards group, with Precourt receiving an expansion franchise for Austin. In addition to new ownership, the team also got a new Stadium in the heart of Downtown Columbus, even as it meant leaving what is now Historic Crew Stadium, a facility that has meant so much to American Soccer.
Photo courtesy of Major League Soccer
For LAFC, Saturday’s final marked the end of a long an tiring road in its quest to repeat as Champions. LAFC quickly found out that life as a reigning MLS Cup Champions comes with its challenges, though LAFC did is best to answer them. No stretch was quite more challenging for LAFC than navigating the early part of the regular season combined with CONCACAF Champions League play. LAFC made it to the final, but came up short against Leon. LAFC also came up short in the US Open Cup, inaugural Leagues Cup, and the Campeones Cup.
“The season was a success for us regardless of the results tonight,” Cherundolo said. “I don’t think any other team has done what we’ve done. Would it have been icing on the cake to win tonight? Absolutely. Are we disappointed? Absolutely. Did Columbus deserve to win tonight? Yes, they did, they played a fantastic game.”
LAFC now must deal with the futures of two of its key top players. Forward Carlos Vela and defender Giorgio Chiellini are free agents, and their futures with the franchise are murky. Chiellini, 38, was a key figure on the LAFC back line for the one-and-a-half seasons in Los Angeles, even getting the start in Saturday’s final. Vela’s status figure to be a little more emotional, as he was the franchise’s first ever signing, and since putting on the LAFC shirt, has been nothing short of stellar, scoring 78 goals in 152 matches, winning the MVP in 2019 and leading LAFC to two Supporters’ Shields and the MLS Cup title in 2022.
