The Columbus Crew SCA fulfilled their noble aspirations from the M25 Major League Soccer season, such as the last major game at MAPFR Stadium, the first soccer-specific ground in the league’s history, winning the MLS Cup 2020 in potential fashion.
Behind the inspired performance of signing a club record on Lucas Zellrayan, the crew beat the home Seattle Sounders 3-0 on Saturday night, denied the Sounders a repeat of the championship and returned to the top of the MLS for the first time since 2008. Crew, J. Philip f. Anschutz entered new ownership in 2018 after a fan-led movement to keep the club in Ohio overcoming incredible odds to lift the trophy.
Zelaryan put an exclamation point on his MLS Cup MVP, represented by an exc d performance, and made the game 0-0 in the 5th minute. The Argentine playmaker collected a Luis Diaz pass at the top of the 18-yard bat, and then took his left foot shot to the top corner to capture the midfielder’s clutch performance.
Crew winger Pedro Santos and midfielder Darlington Nagbe were absent due to the COVID-19 positive case, although their absence was barely noticeable – especially in the dominant first half. And Columbus got his reward in the 25th minute when Zelara saw a 1-0 backlash for the hosts and Seattle goalkeeper Stephen Free prepared a back left foot shot, making a right, one-shot, early cross from behind. Harrison Aful.
The crew doubled their lead six minutes later, with Derrick Etienne Jr. scoring a delicate shot into the far corner of the house. The Haitian international winger took a 2-0 lead in the 31st minute, after Zalarai made his shot and pulled out an incisive pass, Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny Tiny
Seattle made four substitutions between halftime and the 60th minute, including both outer backs, capturing the magic of their comeback win against Minnesota United FC in the Western Conference Conference final.
The effort was short-lived, however, with Nicolas Lodero scoring in the 71st minute from Jordan Morris. Christian Rolden also came close in the 51st minute when his corner-kick header missed the top corner, and Morris hit the crossbar with a header in the 80th minute. Yet they couldn’t get past alloy rooms, which ended with two savings after returning to the lineup.
Columbus could have scored the third goal in the first half, but Free responded with a shot in the 17th minute before Gassi Jared’s shot. In front of the crew’s center, a corner kick from Josh Williams was collected from a corner kick, however, his left foot attempts were rejected at the door of the house.
Targets
- 25 ‘- CLB – Lucas Zellrayan | See
- 31 ‘- CLB – Derrick Etienne Jr. | See
- 82 ‘- CLB – Lucas Zellrayan | See
Three things
- Big picture: The crew is moving to a new soccer-exclusive stadium next year, and there is no other way to welcome that era with the title than this MLS Original Capping 2020. He also missed the playoffs in 2019, but was in the shield race of most supporters this year until injuries took their toll. Add to the COVID-19 cases during the postseason, and Caleb Porter had a lot going on against the team. But they got bored, got results in convincing fashion and stopped Seattle from winning its third MLS Cup in five years. The Sounders had a “was there, did it” card, though in the end it didn’t matter.
- Man of the match: Lucas Zellrayan was an easy star for the crew, providing two goals and one assist. He finished the A D 2020 MLS Cup playoffs with two goals and five assists in four games, proving why the crew made the former Tigers UNL midfielder the designated player.
- Moment of the match: Derrick Etienne Jr.’s 2-0 goal in the 31st minute was quite clinical and a clear statement was sent to everyone who watched. The crew were all over Seattle in the previous part, and this insurance strike will formally unveil how the game unfolds.
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