Crew, Red Bulls vie for supremacy in 2008 MLS Cup Final

Nov 21, 2008 - 11:21 AM By Bill Bernardi PA SportsTicker Soccer Editor

They have been here since the beginning, but only now are they making their presence felt on Major League Soccer's grand stage.

On the pitch since the league started play in 1996, both the uber-talented Columbus Crew and upstart New York Red Bulls will each look to secure their first title when they square off in the 2008 MLS Cup Final on Sunday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

And with the final whistle, one fairy tale season will ultimately provide the ending for the other.

On one hand you have the Crew, winners of the Supporters' Shield after posting an impressive league-best 17-7-6 record in the regular season.

The Shield has done little to protect its owner in recent years as Columbus is seeking to become the first side with the best record in the regular season to claim the MLS Cup since 2002. The Los Angeles Galaxy accomplished the feat by notching a 1-0 overtime triumph over the New England Revolution to claim the 2002 Cup.

To do so, the Crew will turn to a few familiar faces.

Named the MLS' Most Valuable Player on Thursday, Guillermo Barros Schelotto (seven goals, 19 assists in the regular season) is the key cog for Columbus. The Argentine midfielder has three assists in three postseason matches.

"I came here to help get this team to MLS Cup," Schelotto told the Columbus Dispatch on Thursday. "Not MVP. Not Best XI. I want to win the MLS Cup. It's very important for the team. Maybe the MVP is, too, but MLS Cup is the best."

Add into the mix forwards Alejandro Moreno (team-high nine goals) and Brad Evans (five goals), as well as midfielder Robbie Rogers (six goals) and Columbus becomes a potent side.

The league's Defender of the Year Chad Marshall (four goals, two assists), Frankie Hejduk (one goal, four assists), former Red Bull Danny O'Rourke (four assists) and Gino Padula will be asked to keep the Red Bulls at bay for goalkeeper William Hesmer, who will look to celebrate his 27th birthday in style. A finalist for the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year honors, Hesmer finished the season with a league-best 17 wins and 10 shutouts.

Looking to keep the Crew in check are the Red Bulls, who backed into the postseason following the self-destruction of D.C. United on the regular-season's final day. Geography aside, New York claimed the fourth seed in the Western Conference and promptly booted both the top-seeded Houston Dynamo and third-seeded Real Salt Lake from the postseason.

Leading the Red Bulls' charge is deadly striker Juan Pablo Angel (team-high 14 goals - all recorded after the All-Star break), who in many circles is regarded as the league's best player. The talented Colombian scored twice - albeit without Marshall on the pitch - in a 3-1 triumph over the Crew on October 18 at Giants Stadium. In the teams' previous clash on September 18, Marshall blanketed Angel and kept him off the scoresheet during the Crew's 3-1 victory.

Dutch midfielder Dave van den Bergh (seven goals) has proven to be the team's most consistent player for the duration of the season, while 31-year-old forward John Wolyniec, midfielders Mike Magee (three goals) and Dane Richards (three goals) have contributed during the postseason.

"March Madness has Cinderellas right? I'll tell you what - MLS Cup has one, too," van den Bergh said of the Red Bulls' recent run. "The last team to qualify, but we're right there."

New York's backline will need to stand tall if Cinderella's story will have a happy ending.

With Jeff Parke suspended prior to the Red Bulls' stretch run, defenders Kevin Goldthwaite (two goals, two assists), Chris Leitch (two assists), Seth Stammler (one goal, four assists) and rookie Luke Sassano have paced New York both into and nearly through the postseason.

The last line of defense is YouTube sensation Danny Cepero, who became the first goalkeeper in MLS' 13-year history to score a goal - and he did it in his professional debut.

Cepero accomplished the feat by scoring from 81 yards out in the 83rd minute to net New York a 3-1 triumph over the Crew on October 18.

"I can't remember, did he score against us in that game?" Columbus coach Sigi Schmid joked on Monday.

PREDICTION: The magical run of the Red Bulls comes to an end, courtesy of the best team in the MLS. The Columbus Crew records a 2-1 triumph over the New York Red Bulls and hoists the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.