Audi 2015 MLS Cup: 10 things you need to know

It’s amazing how important goal difference is once the end of the season rolls around. The Timbers and Crew SC finished the season with the exact same record – Portland even beat Columbus when they played during the regular season – but the men in yellow and black will host MLS Cup at their own Mapfre Stadium because they boast a superior goal difference.

If you haven’t already heard, the Timbers Army is loud, proud, and dedicated – they filled their 21,000-seat stadium to capacity for every regular season and playoff game. Oh, and they make some of the best tifos in the world.

The Portland striker has been arguably the most influential player in MLS over the last two months. Built like Didier Drogba but possessing better ball control and technique, it is going to be extremely difficult for Crew SC’s center back pairing of Michael Parkhurst and Gastón Sauro to keep him from scoring over the course of 90 (or 120) minutes.

The one-time refugee from Sierra Leone has certainly seized the chance to make a name for himself in his new country. As the league’s co-leading scorer, he boasts a combination of power and pace that is made even scarier by the amazing connection he has with his attacking teammates; no team scored more goals than Columbus (58) during the 34-game regular season.

MLS Cup 2015 features a matchup of two up-and-coming American head coaches: Gregg Berhalter of Crew SC and Caleb Porter of the Timbers. If you look around the league, you likely won’t find two more consistent leaders, and you absolutely won’t find two guys quite as obsessed with the sport as Berhalter and Porter. Both have a multitude of weapons at their disposal, but who can put their players in a better position to succeed?

Under Berhalter, Columbus has a reputation of getting tricky from time to time. Aside from Kamara, the versatile central midfielders and wingers all have no problem swapping positions and rotating all over the pitch. The Portland defense will have to communicate very well if they want to contain the very fluid Crew SC attack.

Columbus will have the majority of the possession – they held the second most in MLS this year (53.84%). Columbus will also have the majority of the chances – they created the second most chances from open play during the regular season, and being at home only helped them in that regard. To top it all off, only two teams scored fewer goals than Portland this season. If the Timbers want to win, they are going to have to bide their time and counter-attack with purpose. It’s in Crew SC’s best interest to prevent that from happening.

When MLS first began in 1996, Columbus were one of the original 10 clubs; since that time, they have a total of five trophies in their history, including winning the MLS Cup in 2008. Portland, on the other hand, did not play their first game until 2011.

If any team can win the trophy away from their home ground, it’s Portland. They won seven of their 17 road games in the regular season, including one in Columbus (who haven’t lost at home since then). Granted, the crowd this time around will be a completely different animal, but the Timbers will at least go into this matchup knowing that they’re capable of anything.

Many consider MLS a ‘retirement league’ of sorts. Players like Kaká, Lampard, Pirlo, etc. come to live/play in America in exchange for huge paychecks, whether or not they produce on the field of play. However, the negative perception could change on Sunday. Neither Columbus nor Portland boast any real household names on their rosters, nor are either committed to any Steven Gerrard-like enormous contracts. No matter who wins MLS Cup 2015, it will send a message across the league that good coaching and a solid core of moderately-paid players could be the key to success.