Columbus Crew defeats LAFC to win 2024 Leagues Cup

The Columbus Crew defeated Los Angeles FC 3-1 on Sunday to win the 2024 Leagues Cup. It's Columbus' second final victory in nine months after defeating LAFC in December to win the MLS Cup.

Columbus started the game with a masterful, throttling first-half performance that choked out LAFC's potent attacking threat. Coach Wilfried Nancy encouraged his players to hold the ball and creep forward like an advancing army; they kept the game firmly in LAFC's half and allowed it precious few opportunities to break forward.

The biggest question facing Columbus before the match revolved around its wingbacks: would it select new signing DeJuan Jones, an MLS veteran with a defensive mindset, or Mo Farsi, the ex-futsal champion known for tricky offensive passes? Nancy opted for Farsi, and that decision paid dividends from the very first minute.

Farsi was everywhere, pushing forward to create attacks and sprinting backward to protect his goalkeeper from Los Angeles's front line. It was Farsi who had the vision to steal the ball off Eduard Atuesta just outside the Los Angeles penalty box in the 45th minute; it was Farsi who set Cucho Hernandez up for Columbus's opening goal a few seconds later.

The biggest question for Los Angeles, however, was about its star forward. Would it give French World Cup winner Olivier Giroud his first start in black and gold? Or would it leverage him as a late-game substitute as it did in previous Leagues Cup matches? Coach Steve Cherundolo rolled the dice and let Giroud play, and again the choice proved to be the right one.

Giroud struggled to break through Columbus's choking pressure in the first half, but mere moments into the second — after Cherundolo made some midfield adjustments that allowed Los Angeles to hold the ball better — Giroud leaped up to score a towering header that leveled the match.

When Giroud shook off Columbus's pressure, LAFC was able to do the same. It grew out of its shell-shocked first-half performance and started to look more threatening. Polish forward Mateusz Bogusz found the back of the net but saw his goal chalked off for a correct offside call; LAFC legend Denis Bouanga broke through and nearly scored on several further occasions. As the game ticked toward 90 minutes, still tied at 1-1, it was LAFC who looked far more likely to break through.

It wasn't to be. Columbus, perhaps inspired by LAFC's lethal wait-and-strike mentality, kept its cool and found the breakthrough moment instead. Cucho Hernandez, Columbus's talisman striker, found the ball to the right of LAFC's goal and curved a perfect shot into the far corner. His goal set the score at 2-1 with mere minutes left to play and secured the trophy for Columbus.

But Cucho and Columbus weren't done. LAFC, forced to throw everything toward Columbus's goal, opened up space in midfield, and Cucho sprinted through with the ball to find himself one-on-one with LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Rather than strike the ball himself, Cucho laid it off to his young teammate Jacen Russell-Rowe, who scored with aplomb. The celebratory smoke still hadn't cleared from Cucho's goal moments earlier.

There's no question that the Crew is America's greatest offering to the global soccer stage. Its fluid play patterns, interchangeable positioning and unbreakable team spirit set it apart from every other franchise in MLS. This was Columbus's second major trophy in a year, but it's unlikely it will be its last. It will compete —fiercely — for the Supporters' Shield and the MLS Cup as the American soccer season draws to a close.

Columbus will return to MLS action on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union.