Columbus Crew 2 traveled to Foxborough to take on the New England Revolution II in the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday. The Black & Gold advance to the championship game after a 1-0 win thanks to a late goal from forward Gibran Rayo and will take on the Western Conference winner Austin FC II in Columbus.

Crew 2 was the more dangerous team in the first half, but New England was able to hold on through compact and well-organized defending. The Black & Gold outshot the Revolution 13-2 but neither team was able to put a shot on target and neither goalkeeper needed to make a save.

The first big chance came in the 27th minute when New England forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith was fouled by Crew 2 defender Jacob Erlandson by the corner flag. The ensuing free kick was not cleared past forward Patrick Leal who put a long range shot in but the shot was blocked. The danger was not quite over as Adebayo-Smith and Black & Gold defender Christopher Rogers went aerial to win the ball. Adebayo-Smith went down but the referee deemed the Revolution II player undercut Rogers and a foul was blown going to the Crew.

In the 29th minute, Columbus flipped a switch and was dangerous for the rest of the half. Rayo drove toward the corner flag, dragging defenders with him as wing back Noah Fuson ran into the penalty box unmarked. Rayo was able to find Fuson on a cut-back pass but Fuson could not put the shot on target.

Crew 2 continued to create chances but nothing substantial, unable to get around any defenders or putting the ball over the net. In the 42nd minute, the Black & Gold created a huge chance after midfielder Marco Micaletto got on the end of a turnover in the 18-yard box and found Fuson. The attacking wing back put a cross in that was just beyond Rayo. Forward Mateo Bunbury was able to latch on to the end of the cross, with the goalkeeper off his line trying to claim the cross. Bubury’s shot hit the side netting and ended the best chance of the half.

Columbus came out of halftime and kept the same intensity, creating a golden chance in the 49th minute. Wing back Clay Holstad put a cross on the ground and through the defense found Micaletto. The captain took the shot but put the attempt over the bar. 

The first shot on goal came in the 60th minute by Adebayo-Smith who made a clever run in behind the Columbus defense and was one on one with goalkeeper, Stas Lapkes. Lapkes came up with a big save to deny the Revolution II foreward. The goalkeeper did not have to make another save but was positioned well for midfielder Noble Okello’s long-range shot in the 76th minute that went over the crossbar.

Okello almost found the back of his own net after he blocked a Holstad cross in the 86th minute, but the ball went out of play. To that point, Crew 2 still did not have a shot on goal to this point.

Micaletto got a chance in the 90th minute. The captain picked up possession in the midfield and drove to goal down the right flank. No defender stepped up to challenge Micaletto, who then put the first shot on target for the Black & Gold. The shot was saved as the game seemed destined for extra time with only one minute of stoppage time.

Columbus kept up the relentless pressure as Fuson maintained possession at the top of the penalty box. Fuson put a ball in to Micaletto who then found Rayo, who played a quick pass back to Micaletto. The midfielder was not fully ready for the ball but kept possession in the 18-yard box. Micaletto found Rayo behind most of the defense as they stepped up to block Micaletto’s shot. Rayo took his shot and scored to secure the victory on his 22nd birthday. 

What’s next

Head coach Laurent Courtois has guided his team to back to back MLS NEXT Pro Cup for the second time in two years of the league’s existence. Courtois only had three players from the last MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference Final play in this year’s: Fuson, Micaletto and defender Abdi Mohamed. Defender Jacob Erlandson was on the bench for the 2022 Eastern Conference Final. 

Crew 2 will not play Austin in the championship game on Sunday, Oct. 22. That game will kick off at 5 p.m. ET at Lower.com Field and can be watched on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.