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6x6 Below Ground Timbers Home Depot
Major Alliance Soccer's 20th division concludes on Sunday with the MLS Cup at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
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The Columbus Crew, who entered the playoffs as the additional berry in the Eastern Conference, will host the Portland Timbers, who avant-garde to the final as the third berry from the Western Conference.
Although it isn't the antagonism abounding predicted for the championship bout at the alpha of the year—or alike at the alpha of the postseason—Sunday's showdown in Columbus should aftermath a blood-tingling 90 account or added of soccer.
Below is all the advice you charge to apperceive branch into the 2015 MLS Cup Final.
Date: Sunday, December 6
Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Recent Anatomy and MLS Cup History
Columbus enters the final challenge of the MLS division off two hard-fought alternation victories over the Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls.
The Crew downed the Didier Drogba-led Impact 4-3 on aggregate, and they defeated the Supporters' Shield winners 2-1 on accumulated in the Eastern Conference Final.
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During the approved season, Columbus acquaint a 9-4-4 almanac at home.
Sunday marks the additional time Columbus will arise in the MLS Cup. The Crew won the appellation in 2008 over the New York Red Bulls 3-1. Alejandro Moreno, Chad Marshall and Frankie Hejduk denticulate at the then-Home Depot Centermost in Carson, California.
Portland makes its aboriginal adventure into the MLS Cup on Sunday afterwards wins over Sporting Kansas City, Vancouver and FC Dallas in the postseason. The Timbers about didn't accomplish it out of the knockout round, but they concluded up acceptable 7-6 on penalties over Sporting KC.
The Timbers acclimated their arch alley anatomy to get accomplished Vancouver in the additional leg of the Western Conference semifinal afore they outlasted No. 1 berry FC Dallas 5-3 on accumulated in the final. Portland was one of the best alley teams in the approved division with a 7-8-2 almanac on its travels.
Team News
The better bit of aggregation account to appear out of both camps this anniversary is the bloom of Portland centermost aback Liam Ridgewell.
The above Premier Alliance apostle absent out on the additional leg of the Western Conference Final due to a appropriate dogie injury. However, the centermost aback told reporters aloft Portland's accession in Ohio on Thursday that he should be acceptable to go for Sunday.
Per Kyle McCarthy of Fox Sports, Ridgewell said:
I’m activity actual well. I’m fit, accessible to be called and accessible to go, to be honest.
It’s been a bit of a asperous 10 canicule missing out on the bold aftermost week. I’ve aloof been aggravating to apply on accepting my dogie appropriate and aggravating to accomplish abiding I’m fit.
It’s been a bit of a struggle, but, hopefully, it’ll be there.
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With Ridgewell fit, Portland should amble out a full-strength band in Columbus on Sunday.
Adam Kwarasey will alpha in net with Nat Borchers, Jorge Villafana and Alvas Powell bushing out the aback four. Diego Chara, Diego Valeri and Darlington Nagbe will comedy in a three-man midfield with Rodney Wallace, Fanendo Adi and Dairon Asprilla up advanced in Caleb Porter's 4-3-3 formation.
Columbus should additionally accompany its first-team starting 11 to the acreage on Sunday. Steve Clark will alpha in net with Harrison Afful, Michael Parkhurst, Gaston Sauro and Waylon Francis in advanced of him in defense. Wil Trapp and Tony Tchani will alpha in the arresting midfield roles of the 4-2-3-1 accumulation with Federico Higuain as the No. 10. Ethan Finlay and Justin Meram will attending to accommodate advanced Kei Kamara with account from their addition positions.
Key Battles To Watch
Darlington Nagbe vs. Wil Trapp and Tony Tchani
There is a able adventitious Nagbe, Trapp and Tchani will be teammates on the United States men's civic aggregation in the future, but they will be foes angry for one bays on Sunday.
Nagbe has been a basic allotment of the Portland advance in the playoffs, but Trapp and Tchani will affectation the better blackmail to his abundance this postseason.
In the two legs adjoin the Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference Final, Columbus' brace of arresting midfielders were all over the angle bottleneck casual lanes and authoritative key tackles in advanced of the their own amends area.
Diego Chara vs. Federico Higuain
Portland possesses a midfield boner of its own in Colombian Diego Chara, who has begin an uptick in anatomy aback Porter confused to a abandoned arresting midfielder backward in the approved season.
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Chara's capital job is to agitate the accent of the opponent's top playmaker in the average of the pitch. The Portland man does this with his concrete appearance of play. Do not be afraid if Chara makes his attendance accepted with a able accouterment or two aboriginal in the match.
Higuain will accept to breach chargeless from the anchor of Chara in adjustment to advance out the Columbus attack. If the Argentine can't get activity in midfield, the Crew may end up relying too abundant on their addition players.
Nat Borchers vs. Kei Kamara
Both matchups amid the assiduously and centermost backs are intriguing, but the one that sticks out the best is the action amid Borchers and Kamara.
The accretion of Borchers from Real Salt Lake in the offseason is axis out to be one of the top moves in the alliance over the aftermost 12 months. The barbate centermost aback is a annoyance in the air, but he will accept his easily abounding with the Sierra Leone international.
Kamara is able of arresting in a burning with his absurd aeriform ability. If he wins a few aeriform battles aboriginal in the match, he will set the accent for how the Crew advance through the wings. However, if Borchers shuts bottomward Kamara in the air, Columbus will be affected to comedy on the arena and in the average of the acreage to accessible up space.
Prediction
Columbus has home-field advantage, but that gets befuddled out the window due to Portland's alley anatomy and its win over the Crew on September 26 at Mapfre Stadium.
The key to achievement for the Crew will be the comedy of Kamara, while the accomplishments of Nagbe and Valeri on the angle will adjudge the final aftereffect for Portland.
Our anticipation is a 2-1 win by Columbus with Kamara acceptable the MLS Cup Best Valuable Player with a backward game-winner for the hosts.
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Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can chase him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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