MLS Cup: LAFC can’t find comeback magic in loss to Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio — They call them miracles for a reason.

Seeking its second consecutive MLS Cup following a dramatic and improbable last-ditch rally in 2022, the Los Angeles Football Club fell short of a repeat bid on Saturday, falling 2-1 to the Columbus Crew.

The Crew scored pair of first-half goals, first from match most valuable player Cucho Hernandez, and another by winger Yao Yeboah, before holding off LAFC for a frantic final stretch that was made more dramatic by a late Denis Bouanga score for the visitors.

Columbus dominated LAFC through the opening 45 minutes down its right side, pushing the ball deep to the Ghanian midfielder Yeboah.

Setting up Hernandez’s opening penalty, the Crew began through the center of the pitch, beating Timothy Tillman and Ilie Sanchez before shifting left and providing midfielder Aidan Morris room to hit the ball into space toward the LAFC endline.

Yeboah, 26, first-timed a floated pass to the top of the 18, where Diego Rossi, with his back to goal, attempted to flick it behind him toward the LAFC net.

Defender Diego Palacios, trailing behind the play, moved to intercept Yeboah’s cross. When Rossi attempted the redirection, the ball connected with Palacio’s right bicep and hand, prompting referee Armando Villareal to blow his whistle and point to the penalty spot.

Hernandez’s subsequent conversion was the first goal LAFC conceded in 400 minutes of playoff action going back to the first match in its opening-round series against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Four minutes later, the Crew, again operating down the left with Yeboah, scored its second while a brief burst of rain slicked the pitch.

Just beyond midfield, fullback Malte Amundsen bypassed all 10 LAFC position players, rolling an ideal left-footed pass to Yeboah, who snuck into the box behind Hollingshead to find himself alone against Maxime Crepeau.

The winger took a dribble and beat the Canadian keeper, slotting in the shot with the outside of his left foot.

Other than a chance just prior to halftime, when winger Cristian Olivera worked a cross that bounced off Kellyn Acosta past the far post, LAFC was mostly toothless.

Columbus maintained nearly 62% of the possession, as both clubs finished the match with five shots apiece that hit the target.

The bulk of LAFC’s opportunities came late as it scrambled to make a dramatic comeback two years in a row.

With the final quarter-hour looming, LAFC clawed its way into the match when Bouanga found his 38th goal of the year, tying him for the record for most scores by an MLS player in a calendar year with captain and teammate Carlos Vela.

Stepping up to intercept a pass, center back Jesus Murillo dribbled into the box before rolling it across to a wide-open Bouanga.

The French striker’s one-time blast with his right foot was saved by 22-year-old Patrick Schulte, who last year guarded the Crew 2’s net as that group won an MLS Next Pro competition.

The rebound fell directly to Bouanga, who tucked in the finish, producing a hectic final stretch that included seven minutes of stoppage time.

A Gareth Bale moment never materialized, as the Crew saw the game out in front of a Lower.com Field record crowd of 22,802.

The victory lifted Columbus, one of the league’s inaugural franchises from 1996, to its third MLS Cup victory in four finals appearances – and second in four seasons – after qualifying for 17 postseasons.

LAFC’s 53rd match, an all-time high for an MLS team after playing 40 during its Cup-winning campaign, included three chances to lift a trophy amid traveling 62,784 miles.

However, none came to fruition. The missed opportunity to repeat as league champions – and match the rival L.A. Galaxy, which was the last to do so in 2012 – marked LAFC head coach Cherundolo’s first postseason defeat after winning his first six. He would have been one of two coaches to win titles in their first two seasons with a club.