By Staff Writer: James Schryver
The time is nearly here to announce who will be playing in the final game of the MLS season. Here’s what happened in the last few weeks of the playoff season.
In the Semi-final round for the Western Conference, four teams battled it out and two rose above to advance. No. 4 Houston F.C. rose above No. 8 Sporting K.C. with a score of 1-0. Several key saves from both keepers held the game to a small score line. No. 2 Seattle Sounders fell to No. 3 LAFC by a score of 1-0 with a rocket of a shot from #99 Dénis Boanga.
The Eastern Conference boasted slightly more goals but not by much. No. 1 Cincinnati F.C. rolled through No. 4 Philadelphia Union with a score of 1-0. The only goal of the match was scored in the fourth minute of added time making an exciting end to the game. No. 3 Columbus Crew dominated No. 2 Orlando City F.C. 2-0. The two goals were scored when the game went into extra time as it was 0-0 at the first 90 minutes. Columbus Crew’s goalkeeper, #28 Patrick Shulte, put on a showcase of spectacular saves keeping Orlando City F.C. scoreless.
Now for the Western Conference Final. It was a sad night for Houston F.C. who fell 2-0 to LAFC. One of these goals was an own goal on a misdirected clearance by a Houston defender.
Meanwhile in the Eastern Conference, a heated rivalry was underway with only 110 miles separating the teams of No. 1 F.C. Cincinnati and No. 3 Columbus Crew. Cincinnati F.C. scored two fantastic goals in the first half, one of which was a free kick from 20 yards out that beautifully curled in the bottom post. However Columbus Crew came back in the second half: one an own goal scored by a Cincinnati defender and the next was a scramble inside of the 18 yard box. After 90 minutes of regular play, the game went into extra time. In the 115th minute, the Crew caught their opponent off guard and was able to score the final goal of the game and upset Cincinnati 3-2. Looking on, the MLS Cup will be hosted by Columbus in Lower.com Field on Saturday, December 9th at 2 pm. This will be an exciting showdown between the Columbus Crew and LAFC to see who will hoist the MLS Cup and be crowned champions of the league