Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope you had a good weekend and that Monday wasn’t too rude of an awakening.
Well another MLS season is officially in the books and it went out with a bang, as Columbus won a tremendously entertaining final on Saturday, dominating LAFC in the first half before doing enough to see out their 2-1 win.
Two cups in four seasons isn’t bad for a franchise that was left for dead and it validates Wilfried Nancy’s coaching style and possibly opens the door for him to move to Europe.
But the Crew remain a compelling model for smaller market MLS teams, mixing big time signings (Cucho Hernandez) with MLS cast-offs that know how to execute their role in the system.
In some sense, Nancy’s style is a fancier version of what Vanni Sartini likes to do. That was my first thought as LAFC was put on the ropes by a dominant first half from the Crew — it reminded me of the Caps’ win in Los Angeles earlier this season, both in style (a midfield that cut out the passing lanes that LAFC loves to spring, pressure from wingbacks) and in one-sidedness. LAFC responded (when don’t they?) but the end result was the same for both clubs.
It is a deserved cup for Julian Gressel, who underscored his quality by going from a fringe player at the beginning of the postseason, seemingly frozen out over his contributions, to perhaps the main reason they were in the finals to begin with after helping to spark the comeback from down 2-0 against FC Cincinnati. Whether in Columbus or somewhere else, one imagines Gressel will be handsomely rewarded this offseason.
As an aside, it was a real shame for LAFC to concede a harsh penalty (which I actually think was the right call) — that’s a club that really hasn’t gotten any calls in the playoffs and it seems the officials are out to get them. You hate to see it.
This being MLS, however, you can’t even take a breath now that the season is done — the trade window opens up today and free agency opens up in two days. No rest for the weary in this league! We’ll have all you need to subsist on over the course of the offseason so fret not folks.
Best of the Rest
More on what Columbus’ MLS Cup triumph says about their unique brand of soccer
Don Garber weighs in on Messi, a 4th DP (don’t bet on it), expansion and more in his annual state of the league speech
Wilfried Nancy’s leadership in Columbus highlights an uncomfortable truth about the league and the untapped potential of Black coaches
Orlando City are employing the logic of an amoeba by working on a contract extension with coach Oscar Pareja
no wonder Montreal flounders and flops season-to-season- with an inept, power-monger, control freak in owner, Joey Saputo, the trend will continue- he continually shoots himself and the Club in the proverbial foot
letting a high quality head coach in wilfried nancy leave for Columbus underscores saputo’s ineptness- its too bad that Europe will come calling for him, but he deserves a higher profile IMO
having said that, the Whitecap owners in their own way are also inept- lets see what they do with the Ryan Gauld contract- will they be inept or astute ? their history says the latter
thanks for a soccer year of covering the Caps !
i mean the owners history is the former– INEPT
Just think, a couple of years ago on the eighty six forever web site, there was a very vocal group of people demanding that the Whitecaps owner should be like the Montreal ownership, loud & “hands-on”/interfering with the running of the team. Oh, how the wheel has turned!