And that’s all she wrote! The 2023 MLS season is finally a wrap, with Columbus Crew just being crowned as MLS Cup winners in a 2-1 win over LAFC.
Columbus played wonderful host to this penultimate event in North American soccer at Lower.com field Saturday afternoon. Crew fans showed up in droves while LAFC supporters subsequently made the west coast proud, creating a raucous and wild atmosphere.
After the pre-match festivities, the game kicked off in front of the sea of black and yellow. Crew supporters did well to bring their own flair to the match, and to their credit, their supporters section had all the vibes and colors of a mini-Borussia Dortmund.
Columbus absolutely dominated the first half, making it difficult for LAFC to ever string together more than a few passes. It was obvious that LAFC would live and die by their ability to counter attack, but they simply could never get any momentum. Columbus was suffocating, and did well to keep players like Denis Bouanga and Carlos Vela in check.
The first goal of the game arrived in the 31st minute as a PK was awarded to Columbus due to an LAFC handball in the box. The Crew’s prime goalscorer Cucho Hernandez stepped to the spot and slotted the ball home to make the final 1-0, and Columbus’ supporter’s section went ballistic.
LAFC’s struggles continued, and the west coast side simply didn’t seem to show the heart and desire as much as Columbus. The Crew would capitalize again off an exquisite pass by Malte Amundsen that broke every line on the field to an on-running Yaw Yeboah. He fell in behind LAFC’s defense and was able to finesse a shot past LAFC’s keeper to make it 2-0 before the half.
Frustrations grew as the players returned to the field, and shortly after the half cards started flying as the game became a bit more chippy. In the 49th minute, Cucho was hammered by a heavy slide courtesy of Carlos Vela – who was immediately issued a yellow. However, LAFC grew into the match and began to create a few chances of their own.
Patrick Schulte, the Crew’s young but capable keeper, made an incredible – if not painful – save in the 74th minute via his face. Unfortunately for him, the ball took a weak bounce and Denis Bouanga was able to tap it in to make the game an interesting 2-1. From that point, the Crew seemed content and confident to hang on to their lead, using moments like corners to simply possess the ball and frustrate LAFC more instead of going for the third goal. That isn’t to say they didn’t have opportunities, but they weren’t as “in control” as they were in the first half.
Crew manager Wilfried Nancy made a few changes near the end of the match, removing guys like Diego Rossi and Darlington Nagbe for Julian Gressel and others, which could’ve sparked controversy had LAFC managed to tie the game and ultimately taken it to penalties. Columbus held strong, however, and played with discipline and creativity in what Nancy described later as “savviness.”
The final whistle blew after seven minutes of stoppage and the celebrations immediately commenced – including an emotional embrace of two ex-championship winning Atlanta United players, Darlington Nagbe and Julian Gressel.
While perhaps not as high-scoring as it could’ve been, Columbus deserves the praise of simply being the better team on the pitch. LAFC’s Giorgio Chiellini and coach Steve Cherundulo both noted that while they didn’t believe Columbus was a better team per se, they were indeed the better team on the night. Wilfried Nancy congratulated his team on not only winning, but winning while playing as themselves – moments before being showered in beer and champagne.
From the Scarves and Spikes crew, it’s been a pleasure bringing Atlanta United and MLS content all season, culminating in this wonderful MLS Cup final. If not subscribed/following, be sure to do us a favor and check out the links below. We’ll be covering the MLS offseason as we roll towards the new year!
Plenty of ways for you to follow the conversation both before, during, and after the show!
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple and Spotify
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
Support us on Patreon starting at $1.17/mo.
Shop our Etsy store!
[…] 2023 MLS season is finally a wrap now that Columbus Crew has taken top honors with MLS Cup, and silly season has kicked off with trades, free agency, exchanges of Monopoly money, and […]