“This was going to be our day”, Crew Coach Caleb Porter remarked, “Our time, our day, our trophy”. This attitude set forth by the Columbus’ Crew head coach was an unshaken and rather infectious belief in the team’s ability to win the MLS Cup. On Saturday, the Crew faced off against the Sounders in an attempt to win their second MLS Cup and sixth major trophy in franchise history, despite the odds being stacked against them.
While preparing to face the league’s defending champions, the Crew received a devastating blow. On Friday, their most important player, midfielder Darlington Nagbe, and key member, Pedro Santos, tested positive for the coronavirus. With the championship game the next day, it meant the Crew would be playing without the help of Nagbe and Santos. That day, Porter acknowledged that the absence of these players was a huge loss but remained convinced that his team could re-adjust in time.
This confidence proved to be well-placed when in the 25th minute, attacking midfielder Lucas Zelarayán finished a beautifully-timed shot to the back post, resulting in the first score of the game and putting the Crew up 1-0.
A mere six minutes later, Crew player Derrick Etienne Jr., the replacement for Santos, sent a zinger past Sounders goalkeeper Stephan Frei off of an assist from Zelarayán, making the score 2-0 in the Crew’s favor.
After the half, Seattle, in an all-out attempt to be back-to-back champions, failed to rally and the Crew’s third goal in the 85th minute, yet again from Zelarayán, was the icing on the cake. As the final seconds ticked down, Columbus, led by the soon-to-be-announced MVP Zelarayán, found themselves MLS Cup champions at their own Mapfre Stadium.
A Special Victory
For the Crew, this championship was a significant one. In 2017, it was all but final that the Columbus Crew would be moved to Austin due to an unpopular business decision by former owner Anthony Precourt. Ohio locals united to keep their beloved MLS team and started the #SavetheCrew campaign. A lawsuit was filed by the city of Columbus against Precourt that eventually resulted in new ownership and an unmoved team.
When Coach Porter took the head coaching job in January 2019, he was driven to win a championship with the Crew, not for his own legacy, but for that of a determined and tenacious city. Five years ago, as head coach of the Portland Timbers, Porter denied the trophy to the Crew in a 2-1 victory at the 2015 MLS Cup. On Saturday, in the first moments of their win, Porter shouted, “When I took the job, I had a dream to take the MLS Cup to those fans over there.” While the victory was certainly less sweet without fans at the stadium, there is no doubt that this championship was won for the whole city of Columbus.
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