Post-match: Crew @ Cincinnati - 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs: Conference Final - 12/2/23 6:00 PM

I get that comparatively speaking the Crew is sort of small potatoes compared to the Browns

But I bet Jimmy enjoys owning the Crew a whole lot more.

So he can be forgiven for providing California champagne.

This time.

It's a Black & Gold party 🙌 pic.twitter.com/246qydR0uI

— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) December 3, 2023

 

I liked the Play by play saying “l’ve been standing for sixty minutes, l have to go to the restroom, Ican’t sit down, and I can’t stop watching, for fear I’ll miss something”. They were not wrong, it was one hell of an ending. And when the Food Lion defender was “juggling”, I think he was just gassed, and couldn’t get control of the ball. They all looked gassed, and a little deflated.

 

Alright, so now that I’ve had some sleep after the drive home and a night full of screaming in the cold… what a game!!

After Cincy’s third goal was disallowed, I turned to my wife and said I’m leaving if they get a third. About five minutes later we got our first and it was all on.

The real question is, do we continue with the same lineup for LAFC, or do we make the switch and start Ramierez over Matan? If we do that, we have no real striker on the bench to change the game (sorry JRR). So I'm leaning towards stay the course.

Question of Farsi vs Gressel as well. Easily Farsi worst game in the playoffs. Gressel’s benching seems to have motivated him, tough call. Again, I might lean stay the same, but just make an early sub if needed like last night.

 

Some of the East Coast Elite Group Text were cursing Nancy for leaving on Rossi. Another member of the thread in the 85th minute(!!!!!) threw in the towel and complained, "I assume Cincy fans are nuanced enough to understand the refs gifted them the game winning goal on a set piece."

Never count this team out. Believe that Rossi will come good. His history and pedigree have shown he can do it time and time again. Trust in Nancy. If he doesn't have your trust by now, I wonder what team you've been watching all season.

It's a beautiful thing.

 

We should enjoy Nancy while we have him, I expect somebody bigger will be calling, when the time is right.

 

This worries me. Our game is to dominate possession to limit opposing team’s chances. Houston dominated possession from the first whistle but didn’t even score 1 goal. LAFC was content to counter, and did it very well.

I need to watch the WCF replay to set an appropriate anxiety level for the final.

 

I wouldn’t count on that, they ‘deserved’ to win. Listening to some of them losing their minds over the effects mics at the end was like the music of the spheres.

 

Houston only scored 51 goals during the regular season. We scored 67. That gives me some confidence. I see what you’re saying. Still, giving up 60+% of possession to the best attacking team in MLS isn’t without its risks.

 

Nancy prefers to hold possession in the other teams’ half. Possession plus sixty yards is a much better way to play that game than kicking it around in your own defensive end.

 

Zero awareness, but I assume, too, they were just gassed. I mean, Cucho ran directly in front of both of those players, and they didn’t respond. Pretty shocking.

The energy level disparity between these two teams as the match went on was remarkable.

 

I’m wondering if anyone else had the same experience watching the third goal. It goes in, we see Ramirez celebrating, of course everyone is going crazy that I’m watching with so we can’t hear the announcers call. But then in the background, we see Amundsen standing there completely still with his hands on his head and his mouth open. Offsides. He must’ve seen the flag. It’s coming back. No no no no no.

As it turns out, Amundsens celebrations were born of exhaustion. He couldn’t even bear to run to the corner to celebrate with his teammates. What an incredible team. What a season. What a coach, the very best in the league regardless of what happens Saturday.

 

I agree with most of this-except I heard the Cangelosi and Higginbotham announcing tandem both say almost the exact same thing during game 3 against Atlanta: What an absolute honor it is to call this game, this is unbelievable soccer we are witnessing, I have to pinch myself and on and on.

Yet more evidence as to how special this team and coach is.

 

I had the same reaction as Amundsen - complete disbelief

 

https://t.co/SfuRcPryK5 pic.twitter.com/VbTbzWdF9m

— Pat Brennan (@PBrennanENQ) December 3, 2023

Cincy May never recover from this for a long time. One of the most remarkable playoff games ever, on their field, against a rival, with all the awards they won in the reg season, up 2 goals late.

Especially in extra time, Cincy just was nowhere to be found. Injured played pathetically limping around.

Truly the harder they fall to the Nth degree.

 

Just watched the highlights and hearing the crowd cheers after goals two and three are memories to not forget. In the stadium we all were just going crazy yelling. To know it was enough to pickup on TV is fantastic. My mind is looking toward Saturday. It will be an epic march to the match like we haven't seen before as we pass under the railroad towards a Cup. Cannot wait, is it Saturday yet?

 

Recall, too, that moments earlier Amundsen had just made that leaping run into the box trying to get his head on a cross. The team didn’t stop running until the final whistle. Still, they must have been exhausted. Moriera basically collapsed on the pitch when the match ended.

 

YES. I saw this too. Immediately it reminded me of Roma's Champions League comeback vs Barcelona a few years back. When Manolas put in the header he's going nuts, the entire team is going nuts, except for Roma's right back Alessandro Florenzi who was in a near identical state to Amundsen. Standing on the edge of the 18, hands on his head, mouth agape in disbelief. It brought such a huge smile to my face.

 

My son found this, somewhere.

 

Maybe it's cause I'm older now, or because the Cincinnati fans I know are good people, but I'm so much less focused on the Cincinnati fans than our club. Cincy had a great season. They should be proud. I personally think winning the Supporters Shield is more difficult than winning MLS Cup, but obviously the league and 99.99% of fans value the MLS Cup more. This will definitely sting for Cincinnati for a while, but I think when they look back on the season they will still remember it fondly. I remember 2015 very fondly despite shitting the bed at home in MLS Cup.

But, my larger point in the previous post is that if you are spending too much time focused on opposing fans, or refs, or whatever, you are gonna miss something special. It's maybe harder than winning the Shield, or the Cup itself, to come from 2-0 down in the 75th minute, on the road vs the top seed in a Conference Final, and these guys just ********in did it.

They've earned and deserve our full focus.

 

Does anyone have a shot of our traveling support in the stands at Cincy? Showing multiple sections?

 

Your quality of posts are missed around here. Well said.

 

@KHT_Crew had a spectacular animated gif depicting that gaffe. It was hilarious and brilliant.

 

I haven't read through all the posts here, and I'm sure someone has mentioned it. But, man how great has Darlington Nagbe been?

Of everyone on the team, I am most excited for him at the moment. He won a Cup in 2020, but didn't get to play the match. He's worked through some brutal seasons with Porter. And he earned the full trust of a new manager and has been phenomenal.

Now, fingers crossed, he has the opportunity to captain his home club, at home, in front of a sold out house for MLS Cup.

I can't wait to watch him next Saturday.

 

keep Farsi in as a starter, bouanga is so dangerous and I would rather have the better defender out there providing support. Same with Ramirez on the bench, but god forbid the crew go down 1 or 2 before half, Nancy would need to put them both on for the second half immediately.

 

The Ramirez for Morris sub was puzzling when it happened, but my goodness was it the perfect sub, the crew didn’t need the defensive work of morris since FCC were parking the bus in the second half, Nancy recognized that, and kept all of his attackers on the field, while adding additional pressure with the Gressel and Ramirez subs. coaching masterclass.