The whirlwind that had been the 2020 MLS season comes to a close on Saturday night with the Columbus Crew hosting reigning champion Seattle Sounders for the MLS Cup title (8:30 p.m., FOX, Unimas/TUDN).
The Sounders are searching for their third MLS Cup in five seasons, while the Crew will to add to their 2008 championship in the final match to be played at Mapfre Stadium.
The Crew will be without two of their biggest stars, Darlington Nagbe and Pedro Santos, with Caleb Porter turning to youngster Aidan Morris to replace Nagbe while Derrick Etienne Jr. returns from COVID-19 to step in for Santos.
The Sounders will deploy the same starting lineup from last week’s 3-2 rollercoaster win over Minnesota United.
The SBI editorial team is in Columbus for Saturday’s final and will be providing extensive coverage throughout the night, including providing regular updates here in the comments section. Feel free to join us, and share your own thoughts and opinions on the MLS Cup Final.
Enjoy the action.
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Fulltime. Crew are the 2020 MLS Cup Champions after posting a convincing 3-0 win over the Sounders. Zelarayan the obvious MVP with two goals and an assist in a determined performance from the hosts, who claim their second MLS crown and first since 2008.
GOAL Crew and that’s the DAGGER, and who else but Lucas Zelarayan with his second goal of the night.
3-0 Crew, 82nd minute.
An absolute masterclass from Zelarayan tonight.
80th minute- Crew 2-0.
Eloy Room with a HUGE save to deny a Jordan Morris header in the 80th minute.
73rd minute- Still 2-0 Crew. Sounders pushing for a first goal but still can’t break through. Crew have held up well, making the defensive plays they need to make.
Better from the Sounders this half, but still unable to find that last bit of quality in the final third. Lodeiro’s near miss just now in the 71st minute about as close as they have really gotten.
Kelvin Leerdam and Will Bruin enter for Joao Paulo and Alex Roldan.
Bruin gave the Sounders a big spark off the bench to ignite the comeback against Minnesota United. Can he do it again?
Schmetzer makes his third and fourth subs, and is throwing the kitchen sink at the Crew to try and get back in this one. That’ll open up plenty of space in behind for the Crew to exploit, though.
The Sounders have taken control in the second half, but the sharpness on the final ball isn’t there yet. Still struggling to break through and really test the Crew defense.
Still 2-0 Crew, 57th minute.
How is Smith not a straight red, makes no play on the ball sends elbow to the face. 100% straight red in any other match.
Joevin Jones and Nouhou Tolo are replaced at halftime by Gustav Svensson and Brad Smith.
Cristian Roldan will move to the right wing to start the second half.
Zelarayan with a masterclass in the first half, burned the Crew for both goals.
And how about Aidan Morris. The youngest starter in MLS playoff history came to play.
We knew Caleb Porter would have Crew start fast, but the Sounders were surprisingly flat. Lodeiro+Morris+Ruidiaz were largely invisible.
Brian Schmetzer is the master of 2nd half adjustments. When will see some changes? Will he push the right buttons to wake up his stars? He usually does.
The Sounders still have not found this game, which is a credit to the Crew’s ability in closing down spaces and stifling the attackers. Sounders will need to make major adjustments at the half because right now nothing in this match indicates a comeback is possible.
So far, so good from Aidan Morris. The youngest starter in MLS history is playing like a veteran right now. Holding up well so far against the the Sounders.
Goal Crew, x2!
Another movement that starts on the right is finished on the left, as Zelarayan feeds Etienne Jr. for a curled strike. Sounders are shellshocked.
GOAL CREW!!
Extremely well-hit volley by Lucas Zelarayan to make it 1-0 Crew in the 25th minute.
Harrison’s hopeful long cross finds Zelarayan streaking in and he gets enough on it to beat Frei, who was fooled by the well-hit volley.
HUGE save by Stefan Frei to keep it 0-0. Denies Gyasi Zardes to keep it 0-0, 18th minute.
Lodeiro with a sliding challenge on Zelarayan that is whistle as a foul. No yellow foul despite the Crew players and fans’ best protests. Think Lodeiro is a bit lucky there not to go in the book.
The Lodeiro challenge on Zelarayan didn’t look nearly as bad on the replay. No yellow, as much as the Crew were adamant about wanting a card there.
The start of this one is that of a typical final. Both teams still feeling each other out, with most of the game being played in the middle third. No one with a dangerous scoring opportunity through 14 minutes.
The first 10 minutes have been very much a feeling-out process. Crew definitely not sitting back and defending. Caleb Porter all but promised his team would attack and they have definitely tried pushing the issue early on.
Sounders a bit imprecise in the early going, hitting passes astray and out of bounds.
How will Aidan Morris hold up in a game of this magnitude? The Crew rookie is a talent, but he’s facing somer real killers on the Sounders.
Action is underway at Mapfre Stadium. Where conditions are cold and windy.
A crowd of 1500 is in attendance for this one, limited attendance due to the Coronavirus pandemic.