Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Caleb Porter and Tim Bezbatchenko talked about bringing silverware to the Columbus Crew when they were hired in January of 2019. The team is on the cusp of doing so.
However, the roots of the Crew’s MLS Cup finalist team extend back six years. This Black & Gold team was built piece by piece, including members of the club’s last appearance in MLS Cup, giving the team continuity. The new leadership identified and fortified the roster, including breaking the team’s transfer fee record last offseason to speed the transition from scrappy overachievers to build what looks to be a consistent winner.
Saturday s MLS Cup final is full of dramatic stories, and ESPN s analysts tell some of the most engrossing that will play out at Mapfre Stadium, break down how Columbus and Seattle match up, and predict who will lift this year s trophy.
Tactical matchup
In the run-up to Saturday s MLS Cup final, much of the focus was on the respective midfields. Which one could impose its will on the other and carry the game? With roughly 24 hours to go until kickoff, that s still true, though not for the reasons most observers imagined. The Crew will now be without midfield fulcrum Darlington Nagbe as well as winger Pedro Santos after the pair were deemed medically not cleared to play, a staggering loss given what each player provides.
The Seattle Sounders are taking on Columbus Crew SC on Saturday at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, in MLS Cup 2020 (5:30 p.m. PT; FOX, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM). Here are several major storylines and matchups to watch.
MISSING PIECES
The big news out of Columbus ahead of Saturday’s clash is that Crew SC midfielder Darlington Nagbe and winger Pedro Santos are not medically cleared to play. Nagbe has been an integral part of Columbus’ success in his first season with the club. Reunited with former Portland Timbers and Akron Head Coach Caleb Porter, Nagbe reestablished himself as one of the league’s best tempo-setting central midfielders and quarterbacks in Porter’s possession-based attack. Santos, meanwhile, started 22 matches for Crew SC this season, recording six goals and eight assists, as well as scoring the game-winner in extra time against Nashville SC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
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