Columbus Crew, Portland Timbers advance to MLS final

NY showed more punch and desperation in the second half after only registering one shot in the first half, during which the Red Bulls were aggressive but lacked creativity and left themselves exposed on the back line.

Bradley Wright-Phillips almost got it, but his shot from in close hit the right post.

The New York Red Bulls are in a massive hole.

The Columbus Crew dropped a 1-0 decision to the New York Red Bulls but won on aggregate 2-1, advancing to the MLS Cup final where they will face the Portland Timbers.

The Crew will host Western Conference champ Portland in the championship match December 6.

“You can’t say anything better than that, really”, Trapp said.

It was a tactic that produced several prime chances for the Crew but not the early goal that it scored its previous two victories, including the fastest goal in playoff history scored by Justin Meram nine seconds into the first leg. They just couldn’t capitalize.

“In every way this has been a magical season, and it was an inch from having a real chance to have something even more special”, Marsch said. The guys will enjoy tonight and then we’ll get back to work.

To add to the heartbreak for the Red Bulls, the width of the post was all that separated it from taking the series to extra time. The attractive, high-octane attacking style that took the Red Bulls to the league’s best record in the regular season was left looking predictable and ponderous until it was ultimately too late.

Reaching the MLS Cup Final, Red Bulls captain Dax McCarty said, was the standard to which a successful season for his team would be determined. They worked their way into first place and never relinquished that spot on their way to winning the Supporters’ Shield. A sold-out crowd at Red Bull Arena was in fervent mood before kickoff and for much of the encounter, but its team, which also failed to sparkle in edging past DC United in the Conference semifinals, struggled to deliver on the pitch.

Columbus Crew win 2-1 on aggregate.

Still, they were confident they could dig out of it, especially playing at home, where they had been dominant all season. It took some stellar goalkeeping from Luis Robles, who last week was named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, to keep the score tied going into halftime.

In the 38th minute, Kamara was able to turn on Miazga to volley a ball at Robles, who had to dive to his right to knock away.

At the other end, the Crew closed ranks, limiting the Red Bulls to a single, off-target shot in the first half.

Berhalter made one change to his starting lineup, reinserting defender Gaston Sauro after the Argentine was suspended for the first leg because of yellow-card accumulation. He said he was proud of what his players accomplished. It just wasn’t enough.