CARSON, Calif. -- The best team during the regular season claimed Major League Soccer's ultimate prize on Sunday, and the league's best player, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, turned in a performance for the ages, as the Columbus Crew earned their first-ever MLS Cup with a 3-1 win against a game New York Red Bulls side in MLS Cup 2008 at The Home Depot Center.
Crew forward Alejandro Moreno opened the scoring in the 31st minute, slotting a tight-angled shot past Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero. New York equalized early in the second half through John Wolyniec, but Chad Marshall's header from a Schelotto corner kick restored the Crew's lead 87 seconds later. Schelotto then earned his MLS Cup record third assist in the 82nd minute, with his pass allowing Frankie Hejduk to cap the scoring.
Schelotto was named the MLS Cup Most Valuable Player for his record-setting performance, becoming the third player in league history to win league MVP honors as well as in the MLS Cup Final, joining Tony Meola (2000) and Carlos Ruiz (2002).
The match started with New York inviting Columbus to camp out in their half, and the Crew were only too happy to oblige. An attempt to isolate attacker Robbie Rogers on the left wing saw him taken down by Chris Leitch after just four minutes, earning the Red Bulls defender a yellow card.
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• Schelotto named MLS Cup MVP
• Hejduk adjusts style in MLS Cup
• Lewis: Right team took Cup
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• Wolyniec rewards Osorio's faith
• Red Bulls waste strong first half
• Cup win sweet for Crew's Moreno
• Red Bulls can't dodge final dagger
• Crew win Cup with team effort
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• Red Bulls notebook: Still proud
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SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Shortly thereafter, Rogers had the Crew supporters on their feet when he slotted home a Schelotto free kick. But Rogers was correctly adjudged to have been offside, nullifying the tally.
The Red Bulls then showed their ability to strike quickly on the counter two minutes later when a flowing move involving Wolyniec and Dave van den Bergh resulted in the Dutchman's cross being headed out for a corner by Crew defender Gino Padula.
Van den Bergh's involvement increased from there. Twice in a three-minute span his crosses found Wolyniec in the box, but on neither occasion was the Red Bulls forward able to get a clean shot off. Wolyniec did manage to get his feet set after being set up by Dane Richards, but his shot was well over the bar.
More of New York's play then started to go through Richards. The Jamaican shook loose down the right wing in the 23rd minute, only to see his cross miss everyone. Richards then duplicated his effort the right flank six minutes later, leaving three Crew defenders in his wake. His centering feed found Angel wide open in the box, but the Colombian volleyed just over the bar.
With New York seemingly gaining the upper hand, the Crew gave the Red Bulls a taste of their own counterattacking medicine to break on top in the 31st minute. Schelotto picked van den Bergh's pocket on the right touchline, and his quick pass forward found Moreno isolated against Diego Jimenez.
With seemingly little angle after running at the New York defender, Moreno unleashed a shot from the right side of the area that appeared to catch Cepero a bit out of position, and it just snuck inside the far post, giving the Crew a 1-0 lead.
It marked the first time during this postseason that the Red Bulls had trailed as they allowed their first goal in 206 playoff minutes, and while the half ended with the same score, it wasn't much longer before they pulled level.
A mazy run from Richards in the 51st minute, cutting inside from the right after receiving a ball in space, saw him evade four Columbus defenders, and his clever through ball to Wolyniec allowed the Red Bulls forward to nudge the ball past Hesmer for the equalizer.
But the Red Bulls were barely done celebrating when they found themselves trailing again. Schelotto's inch-perfect corner kick was headed with authority by Marshall, leaving Cepero with no chance. It was the second goal in as many games for the MLS Defender of the Year, both coming off Schelotto services on set pieces, and the 87-second gap between goals was the third shortest in MLS Cup history.
Richards continued to be a menace on the right wing, playing almost as a third forward. In the 63rd minute, his point-blank shot from Kevin Goldthwaite's long throw was well-saved by Hesmer. Six minutes later the New York midfielder drew a foul from Padula that earned the Crew defender a yellow card.
Schelotto then came within inches of making the game safe in the 77th minute. A centering pass from Moreno found the Argentinean playmaker in acres of space at the top of the box, but his curling shot struck the crossbar, and the Red Bulls were still alive.
With 12 minutes remaining, New York head coach Juan Carlos Osorio tried to turn the match around, bringing in Jorge Rojas for Luke Sassano. But it was Columbus who stepped up their game, and once again it was Schelotto at the heart of the action.
With the reigning MVP apparently bottled up at the top of the box, his deft chip over the top of the New York defense found Hejduk in stride, and his looping header over the onrushing Cepero made the score 3-1, clinching matters for the Crew.
All that was left was to give Schelotto his due, and that came in stoppage time when his substitution was met with rapturous applause by the Crew faithful. That roar was exceeded only at the final whistle, when the yellow-clad Columbus fans massed at the north end of the stadium could officially celebrate their first league championship.
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