And then there were two. The MLS Cup Final will take place on Saturday, December 9th as the reigning champions LAFC will be looking for the repeat as they visit the Columbus Crew, who will be representing the Eastern Conference. The kick-off is scheduled for 4 PM EST at Lower.com Field. Columbus finds themselves in the showpiece after just edging out Cincinnati 3-2 in extra time in the conference finals, courtesy of a Christian Ramirez winner in the 114th minute. LA meanwhile blanked Houston 2-0 on Saturday. They can become the first repeat winners since the LA Galaxy in 2011 and 2012. Keep reading for the Columbus Crew vs LAFC picks.
Before we get into the odds, match preview, and picks, check out our MLS betting page if you plan to put money down on this game.
Columbus is actually a very slim favorite here with +120 odds. LAFC comes back at +240. When it comes to recent meetings, LAFC has won two in a row against the Crew but the last clash was in 2022. In the process, they’ve bagged five goals and haven’t conceded. Regardless, Columbus has the slight edge in the sportsbooks, which is rather interesting. Playing on home soil is probably a factor in that.
Columbus is one of the longest running franchises in the MLS and do have a history of success. They’ve won the MLS Cup in 2008 and most recently 2020. But, the last two years saw the Crew miss the postseason all together before really putting together a fantastic campaign in 2023. Wilfried Nancy’s men finished in third place in the East this season with a 16-9-9 record and have beaten Atlanta United, Orlando City, and Cincy en route to the final.
But, it was not easy for Columbus in the conference finals. The Crew went into halftime down by two goals and had to dig deep. An own goal from Cincinnati cut the lead in half before Diego Rossi equalized late in the second period to force extra time. Then, Ramirez netted late to win it for the visitors. It was only fitting that he was the one who made the difference considering Ramirez was a super sub for this side all year long, bagging 10 goals.
The Crew are a phenomenal team who control the ball more than any other club in Major League Soccer. They’re cool, calm, and collective. Cucho Hernandez has been the leading man all season, scoring 20 times and supplying eight assists. He assisted Ramirez’s winner and showed just how unselfish he is. Columbus has a very deep bench as we saw in the conference finals and that will surely come into play again in the showpiece. Having a guy like Hernandez who can start or come on as a substitute and make an instant impact is huge.
LAFC is on the verge of starting to be mentioned as a dynasty. While their regular season wasn’t spectacular (14-10-10, third in West) they have so much experience and that’s shined through in the playoffs. The Black and Gold dismantled the Vancouver Whitecaps in the opening round across two legs before beating Seattle and Houston since. In fact, Los Angeles has only conceded twice in the postseason and that was in one game against Vancouver. This backline is rock solid while their attack isn’t too bad, either.
Denis Bouanga had a career year, finishing with 24 goals and six assists to lead the way up top. Carlos Vela also added nine goals and eight assists. Not the numbers we’re used to seeing from the Mexican, but he is still an integral player for LAFC each and every match. In the conference finals, it was Ryan Hollingshead who opened the scoring in the 44th minute. An own goal in the 80th minute sealed the deal for LA. The Dynamo actually controlled 70% of the possession but LA made a point of capitalizing on their opportunities. That’s a sign of a good team.
As we all know, the Black and Gold won the MLS Cup last year in dramatic fashion against Philadelphia. They’ve now made the playoffs in four of their five years since becoming an expansion team. In the playoffs, Bouanga and Vela aren’t exactly firing on all cylinders but Hollingshead, a 32-year-old defender, is finding his scoring touch. He netted a brace in round one before the goal on Saturday. Expect him to be a key factor again.
This is a difficult one to predict. Both sides have lethal finishing and strong backlines. In a game like this however, I do believe home advantage can play it’s part. That being said, I’ll take the Columbus moneyline on Saturday.
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