MLS Cup: How to watch, stream, who to watch, preview, prediction

The Portland Timbers beat the Columbus Crew 2-1 in the MLS Cup Final.

Porter repeated after the Timbers title-clinching 2-1 win at Columbus that he prefers his team play a proactive style that puts pressure on the opponent.

While Portland impressed on the pitch, the real fun started after the match, when the team returned to their dressing room.

Liam Ridgewell aims to make history with MLS club Portland Timbers by winning the club’s first ever MLS Cup on Sunday.

Five minutes later, the referee missed an obvious ball that was out of bounds which resulted in Lucas Melano playing a stunning ball to the head of Rodney Wallace, this put the Crew down 2-0.

Columbus, who last won the Cup in 2008, will be approaching the game as any other. This is Portland’s first trip to the league’s championship game.

Portland Timbers took an early lead in the game with Diego Valeri putting Adam Kwarasey’s side up in the first minute.

Columbus played the ball back to Clark and the American kicked it to his left, away from onrushing attacker Valeri, to set up a long clearing blast.

It’s finally here. Nine months after the season started, we’re ready for the championship game.

It spoiled the home team’s bid to become the first major professional team from OH to win a title in the Buckeye State in more than 50 years. Minutes later, Adi came close again for Portland, but his header went off the post.

Caleb Porter dryly noted in his pre-match press conference that the Timbers hadn’t had one player selected in the MLS all-star team, but that’s the way he likes it.

Crew coach Gregg Berhalter admitted he’d have to tweak his game-plan if Kamara was unavailable.

“They had a good defense all year and we knew they were going to be very hard to break down and we knew that (on) those chances you don’t have much time to get the shots off and they did a good job”, Berhalter said.

It probably was the worst goalkeeping gaffe at a U.S. D-1 soccer final since the Cosmos’ Steve Hunt picked the pocket of Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Tony Chursky at the 1977 Soccer Bowl in Portland, Ore.

The biggest thing the Crew have working in their favor is their scoring prowess.

Kei Kamara was injured in practice Saturday and his status for the match was in the air.

Coincidentally, Columbus was the first MLS team to lose a home championship final since the Revolution in 2002.

“Obviously the team that we have is a little younger than those New England teams that I was on”. He could be an even bigger threat than Kamara given Columbus’ leaky defence: The Crew let in 53 strikes this season, compared to a mere 39 for the Timbers. If they can work it down the flanks and get it strong frame of 6-foot-4 striker Fanendo Adi – who scored 16 goals this year and has the ability to body up and bully defenders – they have a good chance of finding the scoresheet.