“He’s very good in the air and he scores a lot of goals”.
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The 2015 MLS Cup final may lack the star power of recent championship deciders but the Columbus Crew and Portland Timbers will still bring an attacking mindset to what looks to be a compelling matchup. And he’s really turned things around.
“I always feel in the programs I’ve been in, the clubs I’ve been in, I think it’s always important to keep a piece of the past, always”, Timbers head coach Caleb Porter said. “It’s important to have guys who have been through the wars and suffered”.
The Crew are part of the MLS Eastern Conference, so their name may not be as familiar as Western Conference rivals like the Seattle Sounders. There has been some discussion of moving MLS Cup to Tuesday or Wednesday going forward. The striker from Sierra Leone tied for the MLS goals lead with 22 in the regular season. But he fell in practice Saturday, clutching his right leg. The Crew will need a quick recovery.
Crew coach Gregg Berhalter admitted he’d have to tweak his game-plan if Kamara was unavailable. “So I’m going to go in the locker room and figure out what happened and figure out what the treatment is and if he is going to be available”. In getting past Kansas City, Vancouver and Dallas, Portland can complete their ascent from their United Soccer Leagues period, and earn their right to be amongst the premier teams in the MLS.
The club’s Twitter account provided information once Kamara had been evaluated, confirming the 31-year-old will be a game-time decision.
SCOUTING THE CREW: Columbus is appearing in its second MLS Cup championship game. For Columbus, playing in only its second MLS Cup final and looking to repeat its 2008 success, it was a nightmare. Started all but one game during the regular season, scoring five goals and tallying five assists. 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.
Afterward, the Timbers danced with the Cup in a confetti-filled celebration with more than 1,000 of their fans, many of whom traveled at high cost on short notice.
After a less-than-impressive 2014 season in a stacked MLS Western Conference (12-9-13), the Timbers decided to make some significant moves in regards to their roster.
In his end-of-season, state-of-the-league address earlier in the week, MLS commissioner Don Garber said the success of the two small-market teams validates the league’s idea that every fan should believe that their team has the chance to win the MLS title.
The two players may both wish to play through the center, but that is about where the similarities stop. Both teams have scored six total goals in the series.
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Higuain is happy at the heart of the Crew’s run to the final, which came because Columbus netted 58 goals despite allowing 53, the second-most of any playoff qualifier. The goal scorer is awarded the slice.
