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LittleOzzy wrote:I think Montreal is going to win the Cup this year.
They are just looking better and better each game.
THE MATCHUP
It's a meeting of one of the oldest clubs in Major League Soccer history against one of the youngest when Columbus Crew SC meet the Portland Timbers in MLS Cup 2015 at MAPFRE Stadium. The MLS original Crew SC will be looking for their second MLS title in their second trip ever to the league championship game, after winning MLS Cup 2008; for the Timbers, which came into Major League Soccer in the 2011 season, it's their first trip to the championship game.
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Columbus Crew SC are making their second appearance in the MLS title game, their first coming in MLS Cup 2008, when they defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-1 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Crew SC are looking to become the sixth club in MLS history to win multiple MLS Cups (D.C. United, Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City, LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes)
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The Portland Timbers are looking to be the 10th team in league history to win MLS Cup and would become the third expansion team ever (created from an expansion draft) to claim the league championship (Chicago Fire, 1998; Real Salt Lake, 2009).
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The Timbers are the 13th club to reach the league's title tilt. Toronto FC (2007), San Jose Earthquakes (2008), Seattle Sounders FC (2009), Philadelphia Union (2010), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2011), Montreal Impact (2012), Orlando City SC and New York City FC (both 2015) all have yet to play in the MLS championship game, while Miami Fusion FC, formed in 1998, did not reach the MLS Cup Final in their four-year existence, nor did Chivas USA in their 10 seasons (formed in 2005).
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The teams met once during the regular season, also in Columbus -- a 2-1 Portland Timbers victory on Sept. 26. Fanendo Adi scored a pair of goals, in the 28th and 50th minutes, to lead the Timbers' victory; he netted a team-high 16 goals in the regular season. Kei Kamara scored the lone Crew SC goal in the 43rd minute, one of his 22 goals scored in the league campaign, tied for the most in MLS this season.
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The win by the Timbers was their first in three trips all-time to Columbus, Crew SC having come away with 1-0 victories in the first two meetings in the Ohio state capital.
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The all-time series has been split exactly down the middle since both teams have been in the league. In six matches all-time, each club has won two (with two draws), and each has scored six goals.
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Crew SC scored 58 goals in the regular season in 34 matches, tied for the second-best attacking record in MLS, an average of 1.71 goals per game (even with Toronto FC, behind the New York Red Bulls 1.82 goals per game). Crew SC conceded 53 goals, an average of 1.56 goals per game, the 15th-best defensive mark in the league.
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The Timbers scored 41 goals in the regular season in their 34 matches, tied for the 17th-best attacking record in MLS, an average of 1.21 goals per game. The Timbers allowed 39 goals over the campaign, an average of 1.15 goals per game, the third-best defensive record in MLS.
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In home matches, Crew SC recorded a 9-4-4 mark in the regular season, tied for the 10th-best winning percentage (.647) on their home ground in the league. Crew SC won both of their home games in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, defeating Montreal Impact (3-1) and New York Red Bulls (2-0).
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On the road, the Timbers were 7-8-2 -- their .471 winning percentage in away games tied for second-best in MLS (only Vancouver Whitecaps FC were at .500). The Timbers did not lose either of their away matches in this year's MLS Cup Playoffs, winning at Vancouver (2-0) and gaining a draw at FC Dallas (2-2).
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Both teams will be wearing their primary home uniforms, continuing a trend from their previous appearances. Columbus Crew SC will be in their all-yellow first strip, which they also wore in their 2008 MLS Cup appearance. The Portland Timbers will be in their primary uniform of green shirts with the white and yellow chevron and white shorts. The teams wore the same uniforms in their Sept. 26 meeting in Columbus.
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For the second time in MLS Cup history, two teams outside the Top 10 media markets in the country (per designated market area) will be contesting the league's championship match -- Columbus, Ohio is ranked No. 31, and Portland, Ore. is No. 24. The first was MLS Cup 2013, which featured Kansas City (ranked No. 31 at the time) and Salt Lake City (No. 33 at the time).
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The Timbers are just the third team to begin in the Knockout Round and reach MLS Cup. The other two met in MLS Cup 2012, when both the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo started in the opening round and reached the title game, won 3-1 by the Galaxy.
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