This time two years ago, the Columbus Crew’s future in Ohio’s capital still wasn’t guaranteed. On Saturday, one of Major League Soccer’s original clubs stands alone as the 25th MLS Cup champion.
The Crew stunned the defending champion Seattle Sounders 3-0 Saturday at home, getting two goals from match MVP Lucas Zelarayán and another from Derrick Etienne Jr. in what ended up being a rout. But the one-sided score line was no less than Caleb Porter’s team deserved.
With two league titles and another appearance in the final since 2016, the Sounders entered the contest at Mapfre Stadium as the prohibitive favorite after coming back to beat Minnesota United in the Western Conference semifinal.