COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Crew won the third MLS Cup presented by Audi in club history after defeating the Los Angeles Football Club, 2-1, at Lower.com Field.
Columbus became the third club in league history to win MLS Cup at least three different times and it marked their second championship trophy in the past four seasons (2020).
Cucho Hernández was named the 2023 MLS Cup MVP presented by Audi after scoring the opening goal of the match in the 33rd minute, his fifth of the postseason, which tied for the most in MLS during the playoffs.
With the victory, Crew midfielder and captain Darlington Nagbe won his fourth MLS Cup (2015, 2018, 2020, 2023), becoming just the 10th player in league history to win four-or-more MLS Cups.
Columbus emerged victorious with a 2-1 victory in front of a Lower.com Field-record 20,802 fans, which included two goals in the opening 37 minutes.
The Crew opened the scoring after LAFC committed a handball inside the 18-yard-box in the 31st minute. Hernández stepped up to the spot and converted, marking his second goal from the penalty spot in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs (Watch Here ). In the 37th minute, defender Malte Amundsen played a spectacular pass to midfielder Yaw Yeboah, who poked his effort past the diving LAFC goalkeeper for a 2-0 advantage (Watch Here).
Despite a late goal from LAFC’s Dénis Bouanga in the 74th minute (Watch Here ), the Crew managed to hold on to earn their third MLS Cup presented by Audi in club history. Thanks to his opening goal, Hernández was named 2023 MLS Cup MVP presented by Audi, becoming the first Colombian-born player to earn the honor.
With the victory, the Crew reached 82 goals in both the regular season and postseason, which was the most by a club in MLS history that went on to win MLS Cup.