Arace: Crew will have the ball in MLS Cup Final and LAFC won't. Who'll be more dangerous?
The road to the MLS Cup opened on Saturday, Sept. 16.
On the East Coast, the Crew melted down in Orlando, where they blew a two-goal lead in the last 20 minutes of the second half and lost, 4-3. The Crew, for all the scoring they would do this season – they would match a 25-year-old franchise record and lead the league with 67 goals – got hash tagged that night. They were stamped as a team prone to late-game mistakes, and one that could not win on the road.
Since Sept. 16, the Crew are 7-1-3, playoffs included, with 24 goals for and 13 against. They are 3-0-1 at home in that span, 2-0 in the playoffs.
On the West Coast, Los Angeles FC beat the LA Galaxy 4-2 in an El Trafico rivalry game, at the Galaxy’s place in Carson, California. The most punishing part of their schedule, which included a litany of U.S. Open Cup, Champions League and Leagues Cup games, was behind them. And they found some wind.
The El Trafico victory launched LAFC on a 7-1-2 run, playoffs included, with 23 goals for and nine against. They are 4-0-2 on the road in that span, 2-0 in the playoffs.
And here they are
Saturday, LAFC (18-10-10) will face the Crew (20-10-9) in the MLS Cup championship game at Lower.com Field. Kickoff will be a few ticks past 4 p.m. LAFC is the defending champions.
It will be a clash of contrasting styles.
LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo has honed his team’s game down to an essence. LAFC defends and they counter. As outside back Ryan Hollingshead said after LAFC’s 2-0 victory over visiting Houston in the Western Conference Final last weekend (as quoted by mlssoccer.com):
“(Houston) wanted the ball. They like to play this little tiki-taka in the middle of the field, these little movements, little one-twos, three of their guys just kind of pass the ball, but they’re going nowhere. And so we just said, do whatever you got, have the ball as much as you want.
“They created zero dangerous chances. … And so, a lot of teams, it’s like, yeah, they’ve got possession, they may be moving the ball. But if they’re not creating dangerous chances, who cares? We know how to just wear teams down like that. How frustrating is it for a team like this to have the ball 70% of the game and create nothing, right? … So, it’s a very strategic play from us.”
LAFC is big, especially in back. They have a terrific goalkeeper in Canadian national Maxime Crepeau. They have an old school sweeper, the legendary Giorgio Chiellini, who carries with him a tool bag that includes a leather sap, grappling hooks and a smile. The other center back, Jesus Murillo, is no slouch, either. Along with the outside backs, Diego Palacios and Hollingshead, they know how to smash most any attack that gets through the midfield.
And then they counterattack with murderous intent, which is how they’re built. Denis Bouanga, who is written in on the left flank of a 4-3-3 but is more of an attacking midfielder, is one of the fastest forwards in the league. He’s also magic with the ball on his feet. He led the league in goals with 20 and is one goal shy of tying the single-year record for goals in all competitions (he has 37) by an MLS player. The record belongs to his teammate, Carlos Vela, who at age 34 remains one of the most dangerous attackers in the league. And on the right flank, there’s Cristian Olivera, another dynamic speed demon.
Yes, if LAFC’s and the Crew’s roads to the MLS Cup final are eerily similar, the way each team approaches the game couldn’t be more different.
It's about the journey
Crew coach Wilfried Nancy’s renown for developing talent to run his 3-4-2-1, possess-and-attack system has only spread in his first year in Columbus. By midseason, the Crew were being feted as the most entertaining team in the league for their beautiful soccer – it is a symphony of progressive passing and explosion of scoring – and for their reputation for letting points slip through their fingers. Set-piece defense was a particular issue. So was winning on the road.
To say Nancy adjusted his priorities to shore up the back end would be misleading. Actually, it would be wrong.
It is true the Crew are 4-1-2 on the road since Sept. 16, with the one loss coming in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series in Atlanta. (Final score: 4-2.)
It is also true that Crew have been much stingier since Sept. 16. They’ve allowed more than one goal in a game only twice since, including a 4-2 victory over Atlanta in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series in Columbus.
Suffice to say, they’ve worked on their set-piece defense and, while they are not a tall team, it has certainly improved.
It's the result of Nancy’s process. The Crew are a sounder going backwards than they were two months ago because Nancy’s players have become more comfortable in his scheme.
Everyone knows how Nancy wants to play: He wants the ball. He wants his players to draw defenders, and to handle the pressure. He wants to pass through this pressure, unbalance the defense and attack. He has the personnel to do it. His central midfield tandem of Darlington Nagbe, who is shooting for his fourth MLS Cup, and young Aidan Morris, who is shooting for his second, are concert masters. Forwards Alex Matan, Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernandez are like a collection of kitchen appliances that spin and whorl and chop and dice. Each of them performs numerous roles, but Cucho is the Cuisinart; he had 16 goals and 11 assists during the regular season; he has 14 goals and three assists in his last 13 games, playoffs included.
We can talk about intangibles. There is the home-field advantage, which is so pronounced in MLS, and the Crew are 17-1-5 in all competitions at the LDC since the season’s lid-lifter in late February. On their home turf, the Crew have soundly beaten the MLS team with the best record in the West (St. Louis City, 2-1 on July 23), the best team in Liga MX (Club America, 4-1 on July 31) and the Supporters’ Shield winners (FC Cincinnati, 3-0 on Aug. 20). They also toyed with Atlanta in the two playoff games played here last month.
But what is home field in the final, when MLS sponsors, who will sit on their hands, are in possession of thousands of tickets? The advantage is, at least, mitigated – and LAFC, who is battle-tested, confident and ready to become the first team to win back-to-back MLS Cups since the Galaxy in 2011-12, do not feel disadvantaged.
Momentum? The Crew are coming off a signature, Hell is Real victory over Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference Final, in Cincinnati last weekend. It was a master class by Nancy, who pulled striker Christian Ramirez, wing back Julian Gressel and midfielder Kevin Molino, among others, off the bench, and they were crucial to a comeback victory for the ages.
Intangibles might be a wash
The Crew want the ball and they will have the ball. What’s next? Will they be more creative than Houston in getting through Ilie Sanchez’s midfield? Can the Crew break down a big, bruising and determined defense? Can the Crew, when they turn the ball over, keep their shape going backwards? Can they manage the speed of Bouanga and Olivera? Can they defend set pieces? LAFC is very good at set pieces.
LAFC is the most talented team the Crew have faced, Cincinnati included. Can the Crew do what they do, and manage their emotions when things are not going their way and wear down the visitors?
How much better than Houston’s is the Crew’s attack?
Since mid-September, these questions have been on a collision course. Answers on Saturday.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus vs. LAFC is a clash of styles, star power in MLS Cup Final
