Match Focus: Five Key Points Ahead of Sunday's MLS Cup Final
After an exhilarating regular season, and an even more captivating play-off series, the MLS Cup final is set. The Columbus Crew will host the Portland Timbers in Sunday’s showpiece game, with the winners lifting the biggest prize in North American football.
Both sides have surprised somewhat by making it to the final, with Portland aiming to lift their biggest piece of MLS silverware in the franchise’s history. It will be a compelling clash, and here are five key factors that will decide the match.
Portland’s tactical game plan
Caleb Porter seemingly became something of a tactical mastermind towards the end of the season and into the playoffs. He was always one of MLS’ more strategically aware coaches, but in both legs against FC Dallas the Timbers had a game plan - and executed it well.
At home against the Texans, Porter decided to go with more dynamic, speedy players in the final third with Diego Valeri suspended. It worked as Darlington Nagbe - who made five key passes - Dairon Asprilla and Lucas Melano - who both notched three shots on goal each - all impressed, with the Timbers running out 3-1 winners.
But in Frisco, Porter decided to sit back and absorb pressure instead, with Portland claiming just 46.1% of possession, well below their season average of 50%. That tactical adjustment saw them through the game, with the exception of a small 15-minute wobble, and will serve them well in the MLS Cup final.
Kei Kamara’s inherent goalscoring threat
In MLS without Sebastien Giovinco, the Columbus Crew striker would surely have the MVP award all to himself. Kei Kamara has scored 25 times in 36 appearances in MLS this season, making him the league’s most prolific marksman. He is indeed the player that defines the Crew’s MLS Cup challenge. It all rests with him.
Krei is a hub of attacking productivity, averaging 4.2 shots per game and contributing six assists over the course of the season. He is a battering ram and gives Columbus the kind of presence in attack that no other MLS side can boast.
The Timbers’ injury concerns
Porter’s side were made to count the cost of making it through their Western Conference final. Liam Ridgewell picked up a calf injury in the first leg, with striker Fanendo Adi limping off in the second leg. Both players are crucial to the Timbers’ chances of victory in Columbus.
Ridgewell alongside Nat Borchers - a shrewd pick-up from Real Salt Lake at the end of last season - has formed one of the strongest centre-back pairings in the league, with the Englishman averaging 6.4 clearances per game. Borchers also averages 5.2 per game, although Ridgewell is the more proactive of the duo, averaging 1.9 interceptions per game.
But the potential absence of Adi could have an even bigger impact. The Nigerian striker is the Timbers’ top scorer for the season, with 18 goals to his name from an average of 2.4 shots on goal per game. He is a clinical finisher - the kind Portland need to win the MLS Cup final - but his hold-up play is just as important. Every which way you look, the Timbers need Adi on Sunday.
The Columbus Crew’s supersub
Gregg Berhalter’s side have quality in abundance all over the pitch and they also have it on the bench as well. Cedrick Mabwati has become something of a firecracker for the Columbus Crew this season, particularly in the playoffs and towards the end of the regular campaign.
While Cedrick might boast just one goal and one assist to his name from 12 appearances made in 2015, he has provided the Crew with impetuous when they need it most. Besides, most of those appearances have been as a substitute, so to judge his productivity by way of ratio would be unfair.
His statistics don’t make for especially impressive reading, even as a substitute. He averages only 0.4 shots on goal per game, 0.2 key passes and 0.7 dribbles. But that’s what makes Cedrick so compelling as a threat across the attacking line - his main attribute is energy and drive. In the latter stages of Sunday’s match, that’s something the Crew might need.
The midfield battle for control
Generally speaking, the team that controls the midfield is the team that controls the match. Both the Columbus Crew and the Portland Timbers are teams that like to dictate the pace of the game, and so Sunday’s final could be decided in the centre of the pitch.
In Wil Trapp, the Crew have one of the most prolific passers in MLS, with the 22-year-old averaging 64.9 passes per game. But he will come up against Valeri and Diego Chara on Sunday, making it difficult to find the space and possession he usually commands.
Valeri is the creative half of the duo, with the Argentine averaging 3.2 key passes per game from his mobile role around the edge of the opposition box. Chara is the destroyer, averaging 3.8 tackles per game - between the two, Portland have a midfield duo to control any game. The Crew have quite the task on their hands.
Who do you think will come out in Sunday's MLS Cup Final? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
