It's today, at 4pm (KO is at 4:10pm, I believe) on Fox, Fox Deportes, and non-paywalled on Apple TV.
It should be a good one. Columbus, I think, will be the favorites on the basis of home-field advantage. The East was stronger than the West this year, so pretty much any actual contender from the East that made it to MLS Cup was going to host. Columbus plays good soccer under arguably the best coach in the league, Frenchman Wilfried Nancy. He did great things with Montreal and he's continued his work in Columbus. He gets everything out of his players and his teams are committed to quality possession soccer.
The Crew have one of the best forwards in the league in Colombian Cucho Hernandez. The Darlington Nagbe / Aidan Morris combo in the midfield is very strong, especially if Morris (the less consistent of the two) is on his game; Morris has been a big game player in the past, coming out of nowhere to dominate the 2020 MLS Cup. The Crew's defense can pass, but they're a little suspect defensively, especially on set pieces. Nancy has relied on Patrick Schulte, a young goalkeeper, who has gotten better as the year has progressed but still has his ups and downs.
LAFC have a ton of talent, but will likely cede possession. On their way to MLS Cup, they have waited out possession-heavy teams like Seattle and Houston, and beaten them with counterattacking prowess. Now, they'll have to do the same against an even better possession-heavy team in the Crew. Gabonian winger Denis Bouanga was an MVP finalist and has had a huge season. Carlos Vela isn't what he was, but he's still there. The team is so solid defensively, in the midfield, and the goalkeeping has gotten better as Maxime Crepeau returned from long-term injury.
It should be a good one. Columbus, I think, will be the favorites on the basis of home-field advantage. The East was stronger than the West this year, so pretty much any actual contender from the East that made it to MLS Cup was going to host. Columbus plays good soccer under arguably the best coach in the league, Frenchman Wilfried Nancy. He did great things with Montreal and he's continued his work in Columbus. He gets everything out of his players and his teams are committed to quality possession soccer.
The Crew have one of the best forwards in the league in Colombian Cucho Hernandez. The Darlington Nagbe / Aidan Morris combo in the midfield is very strong, especially if Morris (the less consistent of the two) is on his game; Morris has been a big game player in the past, coming out of nowhere to dominate the 2020 MLS Cup. The Crew's defense can pass, but they're a little suspect defensively, especially on set pieces. Nancy has relied on Patrick Schulte, a young goalkeeper, who has gotten better as the year has progressed but still has his ups and downs.
LAFC have a ton of talent, but will likely cede possession. On their way to MLS Cup, they have waited out possession-heavy teams like Seattle and Houston, and beaten them with counterattacking prowess. Now, they'll have to do the same against an even better possession-heavy team in the Crew. Gabonian winger Denis Bouanga was an MVP finalist and has had a huge season. Carlos Vela isn't what he was, but he's still there. The team is so solid defensively, in the midfield, and the goalkeeping has gotten better as Maxime Crepeau returned from long-term injury.
