The Portland Timbers took an early lead in the first half against the Columbus Crew during the MLS Cup Final on a historic goal from Diego Valeri.
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The Timbers will travel to Columbus to face the Crew SC at the MAPFRE Stadium in Sunday’s showpiece.
Portland could not have got off to a better start in their first ever MLS Final, as Clarke’s loose touch was pounced upon by Valeri, who bundled the ball home.
“We’ve worked really hard from day one, and being able to play at home, there’s nothing else you could ask for”, said Columbus striker Kei Kamara, whose availability for the game is unknown after he suffered a leg injury during practice Saturday.
Portland Timbers, from left to right, Lucas Melano, of Argentina, Rodney Wallace and Nat Borchers celebrate their 2-1 win over the Columbus Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup championship soccer game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus finished second in the Eastern Conference which means they had a first-round bye in the playoffs. Hell, that was my first Cauldron road trip with my, then girlfriend, now wife.
Portland captain and center back Liam Ridgewell, who is expected to cover Kamara at times during the match, is ready for physical forward.
The play began when Liberian midfielder Darlington Nagbe kept the ball from going out of bounds at the sideline.
Because against Portland, the Crew will need all the help they can get.
It’s a bittersweet end to the season for the Black and Gold and, for MLS, it’s one that will result in more scrutiny to the lackluster officiating that has plagued the league for most of the season.
While this is a tough loss, it’s hard for me to sit here and say that Columbus perhaps wasn’t ahead of schedule with their rebuilding.
But that was the only shot on target among the nine Columbus took in the match. “We were comfortable. We were tight”.
Because let’s be honest, we’re sad we’re not there, but it’s gonna be a great game. There was early frustration, in part because Valeri (ACL) and Will Johnson (broken leg) were missing, as the Timbers had only three wins in their first 12 matches. Fenando Adi is still a big threat as a striker, but the Timbers are less reliant on him to score than Columbus are on Kamara.
“All I could think about (at the final whistle) was sharing that moment with my players”, he said.
The two MLS cup finalists show us how having a stable midfield is very important for having a successful season.
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Kamara, who is from Sierra Leone, followed up his stellar regular season with three goals in four playoff games. The last time the Timbers played for a championship was a loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 1975 NASL Cup. In the conference semifinals, Columbus beat Montreal 4-3 with extra time, and claimed the East title with a 2-1 victory on aggregate over NY.
