Looking back at the Columbus Crew’s three previous MLS Cup finals

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Saturday will be the fourth MLS Cup Final for the Columbus Crew and the third straight they will host as they face Los Angeles FC at 4 p.m. at Lower.com Field.

Saturday will mark the Crew’s first MLS Cup at its stadium Downtown after hosting its previous two finals at Historic Crew Stadium.

The Black & Gold’s three previous finals are separated by 12 years that include two Crew titles on opposite sides of the country and a loss that had one of the most controversial goals in MLS Cup history.

Here is a look back at the Crew’s MLS Cup games before they face LAFC in the 2023 final:

2008: 3-1 win over New York Red Bulls in California

It took Columbus, the first club in MLS, 12 years before they made its first MLS Cup final after a remarkable 2008 season. The club won the Supporters’ Shield with a league-best regular season points total of 57 that included winning 17 of its 30 games.

Leading the way for coach Sigi Schmid was Argentine playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who had seven goals and 19 assists, becoming the club’s first MLS MVP winner. Other notable players included defender and captain Frankie Hejduk, forward Alejandro Moreno, midfielder Robbie Rogers and defender Chad Marshall.

After beating the Chicago 2-1 in the Eastern Conference final, Columbus was set to play the New York Red Bulls in its first MLS Cup. In this era of MLS, the final was played a neutral site so both teams headed to Carson, California.

The Crew won 3-1 on goals from Moreno, Marshall and Hejduk to claim the club’s first trophy since 2002. The victory cemented multiple players as club legends, bringing home the first major men’s professional sports trophy to central Ohio.

2015: 1-2 loss to Portland Timbers in Columbus

It took the Black & Gold seven years to make its second MLS Cup final. With the change in MLS’ playoff format, the Crew earned the right to host the final on Dec. 6 at Mapfre Stadium.

Columbus finished as the second-best team in the East and got past the Montreal Impact and the Red Bulls to clinch home field for MLS Cup. The squad included a dangerous offense led by Federico Higuain and Kei Kamara, with defenders Michael Parkhurst and Gaston Sauro anchoring the defense.

Coming to central Ohio to face the Crew was the Portland Timbers, who featured star midfielder Diego Valeri and included two future Black & Gold members: coach Caleb Porter and midfielder Darlington Nagbe.

Columbus had a nightmare start to the final, giving up a goal after 27 seconds. Goalie Steve Clark’s poor touch inside his box led to Valeri pressing him and sliding to put the ball in the net.

Portland scored again just six minutes later after a missed call from the officials. A Timbers pass went out of bounds for what a Crew throw-in that wasn’t called. Midfielder Tony Tchani dribbled the ball thinking it was a throw-in, but Nagbe took advantage and started the attack that ended with the second goal.

The Timbers’ 2-1 win remains their only MLS Cup title despite making the final again in 2018 and hosting in 2021.

2020: 3-0 win over Seattle Sounders in Columbus

Five years later, the Crew returned to the final after a season unlike any other in MLS history. Two weeks after Columbus played its opening match, the league announced a pause in the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Play didn’t resume for four months and the Crew went five months between games at Mapfre Stadium. Columbus made the playoffs despite playing in front of an empty stadium as club-record signing Lucas Zelarayan starred for the Black & Gold.

Thanks to some help in the Western Conference, the Crew earned the right to host MLS Cup and welcomed the defending champions Seattle Sounders in the last full season at now-named Historic Crew Stadium.

Two days before the final, the Crew announced starters Darlington Nagbe and Pedro Santos tested positive for COVID-19 and would miss the final. This left the Sounders as massive favorites, but Columbus shut that notion down quickly once the final kicked off.

In front of just 1,500 fans, Zelarayan opened the scoring for the Crew in the 25th minute with Derrick Etienne Jr. doubling the lead five minutes later. Zelarayan scored the dagger with 10 minutes left and completed a dominant Crew performance to win an unexpected second MLS Cup title.

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