The Columbus Crew SC play the Portland Timbers Sunday at 4 p.m. for their second MLS title in team history.
Pat Murphy covers the Crew for Massive Report, and he joins Thomas Bradley from WOSU's After The Score to talk about the game.
The below text is an automatic transcription of the above audio, please excuse any typos or errors.
Thomas Bradley: The Columbus Crew S.C. play this weekend for a second M.L.S. title in team history. Joining me now in studio is Pat Murphy. He covers the team for massive report Pat the Columbus Crew are in the M.L.S. final they play the Portland Timbers Sunday at four. What can fans expect from this game?
Pat Murphy: Yeah it should be a good one. It's two teams that both like to attack. Both play an attractive, possession type of soccer. So it's fun to watch. They both want to score goals and and play kind of and entertaining style. You know they they met once in the regular season at MAPFRE stadium where this game will be held. And it was a 2-1 win for Portland and teams kind of using that a little bit as motivation and a little bit as a learning tool from what happened.
TB: In 2008, the Columbus Crew won an MLS, Their only in club history. Is this team ready to win another one?
PM: I think so that year they were the top team in the league and came in as the favorites. The season they finished second in the Eastern Conference. But upset the top team. New York Red Bulls in the last round to win the Eastern Conference. And they're playing really well you know, offensively and defensively. Both sides. You know their midfield, everything's kind of the kind of clicking at the right time for this team and you know that they're hard going to be hard to beat.
TB: A couple years ago, over the last couple of seasons they've been struggling just to make the playoffs what clicked this year, to put them in a position now to win an M.L.S. Cup?
PM: Yeah they got a new coach going into last season, head coach Greg Berhalter. And he's really turned things around. You know he changed the way they play the possession style I mentioned that it's it's really worked. Last year they made the playoffs but were knocked out in the first round. This kind of. You know learning experience for a very young team and they've kind of built on all of that this year.
TB: And it doesn't hurt that they've got the help of an M.V.P. candidate in Kai Kamara. One of the leading goalscorers in the league.
PM: Yeah he was fantastic they added him for this season and. He's really. You know 22 goals on the season, he's really added a scoring punch up top that they didn't have a year ago. You know he's a guy that they can, a tall athletic guy, that they can put balls. You know into the box for and he's you know almost guaranteed to create a chance other than scoring more goals than Portland on Sunday what do the crew need to do to win. I think the possession games going to be important. Against New York. They kind of sat back a little bit and let New York control the ball because of the way New York plays both of these teams like to have the ball quite a bit and. They're going to want to be. Be the better team when that possession battle and create chances to similar teams so you know who's ever more prepared on the days probably going to be the winner.
TB: Pat Murphy covers the crew for a massive report Pat thanks for joining me.
PM: Thank you.