The Columbus Crew are in its third final in nine months thanks to a 3-1 dismantling of the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday evening. The Crew earned a spot in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup with the victory. More importantly, the Crew earned the right to play in and host the 2024 Leagues Cup Final. In the final, they’ll meet familiar foes in Los Angeles Football Club, who have torn through the Western side of the bracket with ease scoring 18 goals and only conceding six en route to the final. Crew fans will feel confident given their side’s 5-1 thrashing in LA just over a month ago. However, this is a different LAFC side with new player additions and a formation change. LAFC will be intent and capable of dishing out some revenge on Sunday. 

Los Angeles Football Club at a Glance:

Record: 14-5-5, 47 points

Form: W-W-W-W-D

Leading Scorer: Denis Bouanga (16 goals)

Assist Leader: Denis Bouanga (8 assists)

Player to Watch: Denis Bouanga

Bouanga is unquestionably the man to watch on this LAFC side. The 29-year-old Gabon international has exploded since joining LAFC in the summer of 2022. Bouanga has scored 63 goals and added 25 assists in 91 matches for LAFC. Bouanga arrived after an extensive career in France’s first and second divisions, which no doubt gave him the experience necessary to excel in MLS. Bouanga is a demon in attacking transition, with enough speed and 1v1 ability to torment even the best 1v1 defenders. Bouanga is also an excellent finisher who is capable of finishing in a variety of ways. He is also deceptively tough to track with his movement in the box. Bouanga is the main threat for LAFC and will be again on Sunday.  The Crew will need to do a good job of defending him in and out of transition to add another trophy to the trophy case. 

How LAFC play: 

Steve Cherundolo is in his third year at the helm in Hollywood and has played a big part in the club’s continued success. Cherundolo has led LAFC’s revolution in tactical style from a ball-dominant one to a more transition-dominant one. Cherundolo has led LAFC to back-to-back MLS Cup appearances and has them in yet another final here in Leagues Cup. Most interestingly of all, Cherundolo has switched from using a 4-3-3 formation to a 3-4-3 similar to the Crew. This hasn’t necessarily changed their tactical style but has impacted the way they go about their business and how they set up their best players for success. 

Since I expect the Crew to be the dominant team in possession, I’ll spend a lot of time talking about LAFC’s tendencies out of possession.

Whenever possible, LAFC looks to apply pressure high up the field to create turnovers and keep their opponents from being comfortable on the ball. We have seen this strategy wreak havoc on the Black & Gold at times this campaign. When LAFC can do this effectively, it often leads to high percentage chances for their attackers against disorganized opponents. Once this pressure is beaten, LAFC looks to recover with numbers behind the ball and have recently drifted into a 4-5-1 shape with their wingers dropping deeper to defend in wide areas. The wingers will look to shepherd the ball inside so their attacking midfielders can pounce on errant passes and miscues from their opponents.

When this happens, LAFC’s attack springs to life with attackers flooding forward in an attempt to catch opponents out of possession. Most importantly, LAFC’s switch to a back five will allow for their center backs to step into the midfield to defend Crew attackers. This freedom to step into the midfield isn’t always available when defending in a back four. This style has also consistently been the hardest for the Crew to beat this year as it creates a lot of 1v1 matchups in possession. 

When LAFC have sustained possession, they typically operate in sort of a 3-4- formation with their front three moving quite a bit. Their three center backs will stay pretty deep and central to help circulate the ball. Their central midfielders and wingbacks will stay connected to the back three as well to help keep possession. This shape and deep possession is intended to draw their opponents out of their defensive shape and then play a direct ball for Bouanga and company to run onto. This works well as they have plenty of players capable of both handling the ball in possession and springing long balls to attack. 

How the Crew can win:

Another trophy is on the line for Columbus on Sunday. While it’s not the same as lifting the Concacaf Champions Cup (at least in my opinion) it’s still a continental trophy and one that will have a lot of benefits added in addition to winning on its own. The Crew are the favorites but will have their work cut out for them against a dangerous and talented LAFC team. There are three things the Crew must excel at in order to win. 

1. Create Chances in Possession: LAFC is dangerous in transition, but this game will be won and lost with the Crew’s ability to create chances out of their possession play. Much like MLS Cup and their meeting in July, the Crew will have the ball the vast majority of the match. This being the case, they need to create chances like they did in both of those matches. Look for the Crew to move the ball quickly from side to side attacking LAFC pressure and then playing through it early and often. In MLS Cup, the Crew had a field day playing through central areas of the field. If they can do so again, it could be a long day for LAFC. 
   
2. Rest Defense and Defending in Transition: I say this every week, I know, but this is a huge point of emphasis for the Black & Gold in every match. Thus, it won’t be anything new for them. LAFC are lethal in transition and the Crew’s playing style is susceptible to good transition play. Look for the Crew to quickly apply pressure once they lose it. Also look for the Crew to lose the ball in “good areas” where it’s incredibly difficult for their opponents to launch counterattacks. 
   
3. Score First: LAFC is built to play with a lead, allowing teams to push numbers into attack before decimating them in transition. If the Crew can get the lead, they’ll have control of this match and LAFC will struggle to get back into it. This is especially true given the Crew’s ability on the ball and ability to play through pressure. If the Crew can score early and take the lead, they can win this game by multiple goals.