JUST THE FACTS: COLUMBUS CREW WINS MLS CUP

[Diane Scavuzzo]

For the Second Time in MLS History, Columbus Crew SC won the 2020 MLS Cup


Tired of loads of opinionated soccer writers? We get it. (And, yes, we can say that.) Here are just the facts on the Columbus Crew’s smashing victory over the Seattle Sounders.

Columbus Crew SC won the second championship in the club’s Major League Soccer history, defeating Seattle Sounders FC 3-0 in the 2020 MLS Cup on Saturday evening. Seattle won the 2019 MLS Cup.

The goals were scored by Zelarayán in the 25th minute, Etienne just six minutes later, and once again by Zelarayán, in the 82 minute of the match. Columbus Crew SC shut to the Sounders who tried to score but never found the back of the net.

• Columbus Crew SC won MLS Cup for the second time in club history, making their third appearance in the title game, also winning MLS Cup 2008 vs. New York Red Bulls, 3-1.
• Crew SC became the seventh team in MLS Cup history to win multiple league championships.

• Lucas Zelarayán was MLS Cup MVP after scoring two goals and adding one assist, involving in all three Crew SC goals.
• Zelarayán became just the third player to score two goals in MLS Cup, along with Landon Donovan (SJ, 2003) and Alecko Eskandarian (DC, 2004).
• Zelarayán also became just the second player in MLS Cup history to be involved in three goals in a single final. The first: Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who recorded assists on all three goals for the Columbus Crew in MLS Cup 2008.

[IMG alt="Aidan Morris of Columbus Crew SC became the youngest player in history to start an MLS Cup final, at age 19 years, 27 days. He is just the second teenager to start in MLS Cup, after Landon Donovan, who was aged 19 years, 231 days when he started MLS Cup 2001.
Morris became the youngest player to be involved in a goal when he recorded an assist on the first Columbus goal. "]https://www.soccertoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Aiden-Morris.jpg[/IMG]

• Aidan Morris of Columbus Crew SC became the youngest player in history to start an MLS Cup final, at age 19 years, 27 days. He is just the second teenager to start in MLS Cup, after Landon Donovan, who was aged 19 years, 231 days when he started MLS Cup 2001.
• Morris became the youngest player to be involved in a goal when he recorded an assist on the first Columbus goal. The previous was also Donovan, who scored in MLS Cup 2001.
• Derrick Etienne Jr. scored in his first MLS Cup appearance, his first career goal in the MLS Cup Playoffs (in his seventh game).
• Crew SC goalkeeper Eloy Room was the 10th goalkeeper to record a shutout in the MLS Cup final, recording two saves.
• It marked the seventh time in MLS Cup history a team scored three or more goals in a game, the second year in a row after Seattle’s 3-1 win last year. Crew SC are one of two teams to have done it twice, along with their MLS Cup 2008 victory (also: D.C. United, 1996 and 2004).
• Crew SC held a 2-0 lead at halftime, the fifth time a team led by two goals at halftime, the first time since 2004 (D.C. United).

Jan 9, 2019; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Crew SC head coach Caleb Porter addresses attendees during an introductory press conference for the new Columbus Crew SC ownership at The Ivory Room. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

• Caleb Porter became the sixth head coach in MLS history to win multiple titles, the fifth now with two wins (behind Bruce Arena with five). He is also now the third coach in league history to win MLS Cup with two different teams, having also won in 2015 with the Portland Timbers (also in Columbus, vs. the Crew).
• Sounders FC saw their winning streak in the MLS Cup Playoffs put to an end after eight games, the longest postseason winning streak since the end of the shootout era (since 2000), and the second-longest in league history.
• Nicolás Lodeiro saw his streaks of seven consecutive games in the MLS Cup Playoffs with an assist, and eight consecutive games with a goal and/or an assist – both all-time MLS postseason records – come to an end.

Source: Press Release


The post JUST THE FACTS: COLUMBUS CREW WINS MLS CUP appeared first on SoccerToday.

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