In a promising rematch of the MLS Cup 2023, the Leagues Cup Final was filled with a lot of roaring fans as the game evolved into one of the most intense battles. Fans have seen this scene before and they have seen it again, and the Columbus Crew emerge victorious at 3-1, beating LAFC in a crucial final showdown to clinch the Leagues Cup 2024.

A game that has been decided in the final moments, the Leagues Cup Final has been quite a story to look out for, and it cannot be denied that many fans were left celebrating in the end as Columbus took over in added time to seal the deal, bringing their best plays when it mattered most, which has definitely proved to be the story of the game.

Wilfried Nancy’s Crew is now roaring out loud in the league with a lot of impressive strides, and this victory in the Leagues Cup is definitely another expansion in their trophy case after winning the MLS Cup 2023 – roughly just nine months earlier, and it even came less than three months after the team managed to reach the Concacaf Champions Cup Final. This is definitely a strong case for one of the MLS club contenders at this point in time.

Heroics from Cucho

The game took a long time before it actually had goals in the mix. A side lob from Mohamed Farsi allowed a cutting Cucho Hernandez to pull off a massive header in the 45th minute to give Crew a 1-0 lead in the final. The best number 9 in the MLS showed off that he has what it takes to outpace the defenders of the LAFC, and he did well to pull off heroic finishes in this game.

Mateusz Bogusz nearly had a goal in the 53rd minute, only to be called an offside. Latest signing Olivier Giroud would later on drill a header for himself in the 56th minute on the back post to tie the game. This drought would go on for some time, as Hugo Lloris’ defense for LAFC proved to be a pivotal factor, but the Crew answered well on the defensive end to prevent their opponents from scoring – leading to added time.

Cucho would later float it for a cutting Jacen Russell-Rowe, making it appear like a pass, only to fake it as the ball caught Lloris flat-footed, leaving a wide-open goal scored by the Crew to retake the lead. The crowd celebrated in that goal as the Crew fans knew that they are just a few moments away from clinching the Leagues Cup title.

The Dagger Shot

Cucho has been the story of the game, and with LAFC clearly getting desperate to score a goal of their own, chaos definitely ensued. LAFC’s attackers were on the front trying desperately to score a goal in the 92nd minute. However, tight defense by Crew and overwhelming defensive lines hampered the play that was initially drawn up by LAFC, leading to a loss in possession by the team.

This opened up a breakaway possession for Columbus in the closing moments of the game. Cucho earned possession as he drove the ball and later passed it up to Russell-Rowe just before he reached the box. The latter would go on to drill the clinching goal in the 93rd minute to seal the championship, closing the game at 3-1 to add the Leagues Cup Championship to their trophy case.