Unlike our first two matches highlighted on Crew SC’s “Road to the Cup,” this one’s far from a comeback win. During Major League Soccer’s regular-season finale the Black & Gold celebrated a 5-0 blowout of D.C. United, and every single goal mattered on Decision Day.
Second place in the Eastern Conference was on the line on October 25, and the Black & Gold made it crystal clear they wanted that spot. With a win earning them a Knockout Round bye in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, they executed what was arguably their most dominant performance of the season.
More impressively, they did it without key offensive contributors Kei Kamara and Federico Higuaín, who were suspended due to yellow card accumulation. So who stepped up for Crew SC? Nine different players recorded an assist or goal, among them Ethan Finlay who recorded a brace.
The Black & Gold set a new club record with the largest-ever margin of victory in a match where they also registered a shutout. Props, Steve Clark. The score line could be deceiving, but the goalkeeper made four saves to keep a clean sheet.
So five goals, yes, very impressive… but we didn’t pick this match just because we love seeing goal celebrations and hearing our supporters roaring. The final three goals came in a span of 14 minutes and they made a huge difference for Crew SC’s post-season.
Those three goals are the reason Crew SC is hosting the 2015 MLS Cup in Columbus and not playing it in Portland, Oregon. Both teams finished the regular season with a 15-11-8 record and 53 points, initiating the first tiebreaker: goal differential. Columbus finished with +5, while the Timbers were only +2, giving Ohio the nod to play host for the final.
“It’s fortunate the way it turned out,” Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter says. “That’s why you play the regular season, that’s why every goal matters, every point matters, because you come into situations like this where it’s a tiebreaker and you have the tiebreaker. I’m thankful for the year of work that put us in position and there’s nothing better for this community than to be hosting the MLS Cup. We’re excited that the fans have been behind us and now they get to see a final.”
The MLS Cup kicks off at 4 p.m. ET this Sunday and will be televised on ESPN and UniMás.
