COLUMBUS, Ohio — For much of the rainy MLS Cup at the Columbus Crew’s gold-splashed palace, there was a greater sense of coronation than tension.
The hungry hosts had scored twice in the first half Saturday, and with Los Angeles FC flashing few of the elements that had positioned it for a possible repeat championship, the Crew seemed certain to raise the trophy for the third time.
But finals are almost never this easy, and when the final whistle broke a tension-cooked stretch run unfurling in heavy rain, the Crew and its record crowd at Lower.com Field celebrated a 2-1 thriller.