There will be the heritage of Quebec and Montreal soccer on display in this MLS Cup final.
On the LAFC side, goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, returning from his broken leg suffered in last year’s final, and assistant coach Marc Dos Santos. These two representatives of La Belle Province and former Impact players won the title last year against the Philadelphia Union.
On the Crew side, the list of former Montrealers is long: defender Rudy Camacho, traded from CF Montreal during the summer. Goalkeeper Evan Bush, second to the holder Patrick Schulte, who mainly acted as a mentor for the rookie goalkeeper in 2023. Quebec full-back Mohamed Farsi, who has just had his first full season in MLS. And this, thanks to Wilfried Nancy, the French head coach who moved from CFM to Columbus last year, with his assistant Kwame Ampadu, his physical trainer Jules Gueguen and video analyst Maxime Chalier.
“I’m very proud of that,” Nancy said about Quebec’s representation in the MLS Cup final Tuesday morning at a press conference in Columbus.
“We were sending each other messages with Marc Dos Santos […], like life is funny because we were together in Montreal, we worked together. Now Marc lives in LA and I live in Columbus and we meet up for an MLS final. This is the beauty of life, of football. We deserve it, with all humility, because there is work that has been done, risks taken. We find ourselves in the final with Quebec players and coaches, and we are very proud of that. »
Do you remember the spectacular soccer deployed by CF Montreal in 2022? Wilfried Nancy’s Crew, in 2023, added another layer. Making them the most entertaining team to watch in MLS this year. It’s not just the author of these lines who says it: Nancy and her Crew have been the darling of the American media since the Frenchman’s arrival at the helm. By building their game from the back, making short, quick passes up front, maintaining possession, the Crew scored 67 goals in 2023, the highest total in the league. The Crew is lively and works tirelessly. It is “limitless,” says Nancy.
But in front of them, the opposition is strong. And if the Crew scored a lot of goals, they also often left their game open behind. Denis Bouanga and Carlos Vela will only want to make short work of this space. Denis Bouanga, a Frenchman who arrived from Saint-Étienne in the summer of 2022, won the MLS Golden Boot, with 20 goals, in addition to his 7 assists. He also scored four goals in four playoff games. In other words: he’s all fire. Carlos Vela has been synonymous with LAFC since the club’s first season in 2018. Again this year, he put his name on the scoresheet with regularity (9 goals, 12 assists). Rudy Camacho and the Columbus Ramparts will have their work cut out for them.
We were talking about the offensive brilliance of the Columbus Crew: we predict that your eyes will be glued to the Colombian Cucho Hernández and the Uruguayan Diego Rossi. Let’s let LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo explain why his team should be especially wary of Cucho, who has 16 goals and 11 assists this year. “He has everything going for him [he is the full package],” he says. He is good technically and physically. He has gumption, he is intelligent, he knows how to lower his shoulder to outwit defenders, he does it at a very high level. We’ll have our hands full. » Yes, we expect an offensive match.
This is where the name Giorgio Chiellini comes into the conversation. The Italian defender, a 39-year-old veteran, champion last year and with Italy at Euro 2020, is a role model for those interested in athletes who are as smiling as they are competitive. He even seems to have formed a beautiful friendship with Crépeau. These two men have the defensive cause at heart. “He is a disciple of this sport,” said Cherundolo. He watches all the MLS teams, all the players, videos after games and on the plane. He asks questions. He shows videos to other players. He makes sure to know all our opponents inside and out before facing them. » We can be sure that Chiellini will be ready for this second final in two years. And assured that the cameras will have fun focusing on him to capture his smile and his good-natured sportsmanship at several moments in this match.
