The Major League Soccer playoffs have finally come to an end, with Columbus Crew beating the defending champions, Los Angeles Football Club, 2-1. This was Columbus’s third MLS final win, and boy was it an exciting one.

This game was all Columbus crew. Columbus gained the lead at the 33-minute mark with a penalty kick, and then they quickly gained a two-goal lead four minutes later. The two goals were scored by Cucho Hernández and Yaw Yeboah. 

Columbus absolutely dominated this game, with 62% possession throughout the game. One of the main reasons Columbus dominated this game was their defense. LAFC could barely get a shot on goal because every time Columbus turned the ball over, they would surround whichever LAFC player had the ball. 

One player that was on fire in this game was Cucho Hernandez. He scored the penalty kick that put the Columbus crew in the lead. He leads his team in goals and is tied for assists. He also played for the Colombia national team. Cucho Hernandez played his heart out in this, but so did every single player on Columbus Crew. 

Not only was their defense good, but their offense was unstoppable. Their passing was on point, and they were really good at confusing the LAFC defense. The Columbus Crew team was just really consistent throughout the entire game, and it was one of the most exciting games I’ve watched in a while.

Now, I’m not saying that LAFC played badly. This was a very competitive game filled with lots of emotion. LAFC scored in the 74th minute to put them back into the game, and they played their hearts out in the final 20 minutes. But after 7 minutes of extra time, the Columbus Crew won the cup. To end the 2023 MLS season.

The 2023 MLS season was a very historic season, not just for Columbus crew but for the entire MLS league. St. Louis got its own team, and the MLS got Lionel Messi. With the 2023 MLS season finally over, I look forward to seeing what happens next season.