Columbus wins 2023 MLS Cup! Crew defeat LAFC to claim third-ever league championship
It was a match worthy of a Cup final, with the Crew taking home the all the hardware at the final whistle. Two first half goals saw Columbus go into halftime with a 2-0 lead, but LAFC made it a match come the final 45. However, the Black and Gold fell just short, with Wilfried Nancy’s side winning 2023 MLS Cup.
Cucho Hernandez opened the scoring for thew Crew from the penalty spot, after LAFC defender Diego Palacios committed a handball offense in the box. Wingback Yah Yeboah doubled their lead four minutes later with a stunning finish, accompanied by a brilliant assist from defender Malte Amundsen. They appeared to be cruising to victory, even as the second half began, but LAFC’s star man Denis Bouanga arrived at the show in the 74th minute to make things interesting.
The Gabon international net his 38th goal in all competitions of 2023, making it 2-1 with 16 minutes to spare. However, the Crew held strong, and denied LAFC back-to-back titles.
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THE MVP
Yaw Yeboah: The Crew wingback had a game for the ages, capping it off with a goal himself. His dynamic performance was beyond influential, creating space on the wing for the attackers while putting in a remarkable defensive shift. He was everywhere on the pitch for Columbus, wreaking havoc on the left side of the pitch for Ryan Hollingshead and Timothy Tillman.
Yeboah shut-down winger Cristian Olivera at the same time, keeping the young Uruguayan quiet all match. It was a full performance on both ends of the pitch, and deservedly, is recognized for it.
The goal was a thing of beauty, too, with central defender Malte Amundsen playing a ball of dreams to the Ghanaian. The wingback then took three touches and slotted it in past LAFC shotstopper Maxime Crepeau into the bottom-right corner.
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THE BIG LOSER
Steve Cherundolo: After the departure of Chicho Arango in 2022 and most recently, Kwadwo Opoku to Montreal in the recent summer transfer window, LAFC completed the remainder of the campaign without a proper and true center forward. With a goalscorer like Denis Bouanga on the wing, it seemingly looked like the reigning champs would be fine throughout the majority of the year… until the final stretch of the regular season.
Carlos Vela, who has been playing in the center of the front three, came into the contest scoreless in his past 15 games. However, it’s not entirely his fault. The expectation for the former Mexico international to play the role of a hold-up striker who can play off of two very dynamic wingers was far-fetched in the long run, and that flaw was put on full display tonight. Vela’s workrate and passion on the pitch could only get him so far in that role, and it’s on Cherundolo for failing to implement a system that got the most out of the former league MVP.
The 2024 offseason presents the biggest challenge yet for one of MLS’s most glorified teams: They have an aging club legend in Vela who is out of contract and need an elite striker. Who do you prioritize? Can you get both? Cherundolo has decisions to make, because Saturday’s result rests on his failure to get the best out of a ridiculously talented group, despite Bouanga’s individual brilliance.
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WHAT COMES NEXT?
It’s the MLS offseason, meaning that players will now go about exploring a bit of life off the pitch. However, it’s just under one month until players are set to report for 2024 preseason, meaning that time will go fast.
However, for Columbus, it’s celebration time: the Crew will go about celebrating this title for the next few days, and heck, they deserve it. They knocked off the reigning champs in stunning fashion in front of their home fans and claimed the trophy of all trophies across this league: their third MLS Cup.
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