Within six minutes in the first half, Zelarayan hit the target and he set the table for Derrick Etienne’s goal. At the end of the second half, Zelarayan unleashed a solid shot in the skylight which sealed the outcome of the game.
Threatened to move to Austin, Texas a few seasons ago, the Crew won their first title since 2008 and their first under head coach Caleb Porter. The Columbus team gets a shutout for a third straight playoff game.
We weren’t going to let the past determine our present, Porter said. It was going to be our year, our day and our trophy. This is the post I shared before the game.
Zelarayan, the MLS newcomer of the year after signing the most lucrative contract in Crew history, has proven to be the best player on the pitch. His team were deprived of midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Pedro Santos due to testing positive for COVID-19.
Two of our players fell in battle and we had to do more for them because we know what they mean to the team, said Crew captain Jonathan Mensah. We wanted to be successful for them.
The Sounders weren’t able to repeat their miraculous comeback on Monday’s Western Conference final when they wiped out a two-goal delay from the 75th minute of play to defeat Minnesota United 3-2. .
The Seattle troop were playing their fourth final in five years. They lifted the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019. The Sounders were hoping to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Los Angeles Galaxy, in 2011 and 2012.
It’s a huge opportunity to repeat the feat. We don’t know if we’ll return to the final during our career, Sounders goaltender Stefan Frei said. We let this opportunity slip away, but we have to give them credit. They played well and they were hungry.
The Crew were more incisive in attack early in the match and the first real opportunity to score came from the foot of Gyasi Zardes.
In the 17th minute, after a corner kick was hit by a Sounders player in the penalty area, the ball landed directly on Zardes’ shoe, who unleashed a powerful shot. Frei made a spectacular save, however, and Zardes’ second attempt was blocked by a rival.
The efforts paid off in the 25th minute of play. From a long way down the right flank, Harrison Afful made a perfect cross to the edge of the area. Zelarayan did not hesitate and he shot at reception only to outsmart Frei, who partially stopped the momentum of the ball.
Obviously, it’s less of a problem to fall behind by a goal, but the second goal hurt, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said. You have to give them credit for doing it.
Six minutes later Afful attempted another long cross, but this time Sounders defenseman Shane O’Neill stepped in. The ball, however, landed at the foot of Zelarayan, who showed great patience before spotting Etienne to his left. The American midfielder rolled the ball very well out of Frei’s reach and into the corner of the net.
Seeking to maintain their two-goal lead, the Crew closed the game to resist an attempt to come back from their opponents. Zelarayan took care of adding a more comfortable cushion.
In the 82nd minute, Luis Diaz ran down the right flank and he managed to break away from a Sounders player. Diaz was then very patient in slipping the ball to Zelarayan, who went to wipe the top corner with a superb left-footed strike.
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