The Columbus Crew will play in the MLS Cup Finals once again. Crew clinched their third finals appearance with a hard-fought 1-0 win over the New England Revolution on Sunday night.

Columbus looked like the better team starting the game but failed to convert their chances in the first half.

New England, on the other hand, looked like they were focused on keeping their goal protected while waiting for their opponent to make a mistake.

The second half continued in the same manner, but this time, Columbus managed to get a breakthrough.

Lucas Zelarayan came from the left side and delivered a nice cross to find defender Jonathan Mensah in the Revolution’s penalty box.

Instead of trying to get it done himself, Mensah laid off the ball to Artur, who had an easy job finding a way past Matt Turner.

New England’s attempts to tie the game fell short, with the Crew’s backup goalie Andrew Tarbell ready for every ball that found its way towards him.

The Columbus Crew, who won the MLS Cup back in 2008, now wait to see who they’ll play from the Western Conference. It’ll be either Minnesota United FC or the Seattle Sounders FC , depending on who wins their match.

The MLS Cup Finals is set for 12th December at Crew’s Mapfre Stadium.

“We’re one step away,” said Columbus head coach Caleb Porter after the game. “That’s what I keep going back to. The job’s not done.”

The post Columbus Crew Clinch MLS Cup Finals With 1-0 Win Over New England appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Seattle Sounders are on their best come postseason time. And they showed that in the first round of 2020 MLS Cup playoffs, beating the LAFC 3-1 and securing a spot in the Western Conference semis.

It was a dominant performance from the reigning MLS Cup champions, as Sounders opened the scoring just 18 minutes into the contest. Raul Ruidiaz and Jordan Morris made a well-executed setup in LAFC’s penalty box, making it easy for Nicolas Lodeiro to strike it home and give his team a lead.

LAFC had a chance to bounce back right away, being awarded a penalty in the 21st minute following a Nouhou Tolo’s tackle on Carlos Vela. LA’s star striker took it upon himself to execute but delivered a bad shot that was easily caught Sounders’ goalie Stefan Frei.

Seattle increased their lead in the 66th minute when Ruidiaz used a commotion in LAFC’s penalty box after a corner kick and scored from a beautiful volley.

Colombia’s Eduard Atuesta gave some hope to LAFC by scoring in the 77th minute, but this turned out to be everything that the LA team managed to do. Sounders closed out the game just three minutes later after Morris added a goal to his name alongside the assist.

Sounders, who have a chance to add their third MLS Cup win in five years this season, will next face FC Dallas.

LAFC, on the other hand, is ending their quest for trophies early on once again and will have to go back to the drawing board.

The post Defending MLS Cup Champs Seattle Sounders Beat LAFC 3-1 to Open the Playoffs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Columbus Crew will play in the MLS Cup Finals once again. Crew clinched their third finals appearance with a hard-fought 1-0 win over the New England Revolution on Sunday night.

Columbus looked like the better team starting the game but failed to convert their chances in the first half.

New England, on the other hand, looked like they were focused on keeping their goal protected while waiting for their opponent to make a mistake.

The second half continued in the same manner, but this time, Columbus managed to get a breakthrough.

Lucas Zelarayan came from the left side and delivered a nice cross to find defender Jonathan Mensah in the Revolution’s penalty box.

Instead of trying to get it done himself, Mensah laid off the ball to Artur, who had an easy job finding a way past Matt Turner.

New England’s attempts to tie the game fell short, with the Crew’s backup goalie Andrew Tarbell ready for every ball that found its way towards him.

The Columbus Crew, who won the MLS Cup back in 2008, now wait to see who they’ll play from the Western Conference. It’ll be either Minnesota United FC or the Seattle Sounders FC , depending on who wins their match.

The MLS Cup Finals is set for 12th December at Crew’s Mapfre Stadium.

“We’re one step away,” said Columbus head coach Caleb Porter after the game. “That’s what I keep going back to. The job’s not done.”

The post Columbus Crew Clinch MLS Cup Finals With 1-0 Win Over New England appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Seattle Sounders are on their best come postseason time. And they showed that in the first round of 2020 MLS Cup playoffs, beating the LAFC 3-1 and securing a spot in the Western Conference semis.

It was a dominant performance from the reigning MLS Cup champions, as Sounders opened the scoring just 18 minutes into the contest. Raul Ruidiaz and Jordan Morris made a well-executed setup in LAFC’s penalty box, making it easy for Nicolas Lodeiro to strike it home and give his team a lead.

LAFC had a chance to bounce back right away, being awarded a penalty in the 21st minute following a Nouhou Tolo’s tackle on Carlos Vela. LA’s star striker took it upon himself to execute but delivered a bad shot that was easily caught Sounders’ goalie Stefan Frei.

Seattle increased their lead in the 66th minute when Ruidiaz used a commotion in LAFC’s penalty box after a corner kick and scored from a beautiful volley.

Colombia’s Eduard Atuesta gave some hope to LAFC by scoring in the 77th minute, but this turned out to be everything that the LA team managed to do. Sounders closed out the game just three minutes later after Morris added a goal to his name alongside the assist.

Sounders, who have a chance to add their third MLS Cup win in five years this season, will next face FC Dallas.

LAFC, on the other hand, is ending their quest for trophies early on once again and will have to go back to the drawing board.

The post Defending MLS Cup Champs Seattle Sounders Beat LAFC 3-1 to Open the Playoffs appeared first on SportzBonanza.