The Columbus Crew may be shorthanded, but they're not playing like it.
Lucas Zelarayan's 25th-minute goal opened the scoring in MLS Cup, and Derrick Etienne's goal six minutes later padded the advantage, as the host Columbus Crew lead the reigning champion Seattle Sounders, 2-0, at Mapfre Stadium.
Columbus was forced to play without Darlington Nagbe and Pedro Santos, two core stars and midfield cogs who tested positive for COVID-19 this week. Etienne and Aidan Morris took their places in the lineup, with the latter the youngest starter in MLS Cup history.
Both sides started brightly, but it was Columbus that had the game's first true scoring chance, with Stefan Frei impressively stopping Gyasi Zardes's chance from inside the box after a corner kick.