90min
·26 August 2024
90min
·26 August 2024
The Leagues Cup final and third place match saw four Major League Soccer sides combine to score impressive goals as the summer tournament reached its conclusion.
Columbus Crew and LAFC met once again at Lower.com Field in a rematch of MLS Cup 2023 as Wilfried Nancy's side topped the Black and Gold with Juan 'Cucho' Hernandez bagging a brace. Youngster Jacen Russell-Rowe put the game to bed in stoppage time to finish off a brilliant team move by the Crew after Hernandez's go-ahead goal moments earlier.
Outside of the final, Colorado Rapids and Philadelphia Union went head-to-head at Subaru Park to determine who would qualify for next year's Concacaf Champions Cup alongside Columbus and LAFC. The Rapids would go on to prevail in penalty kicks but they still managed to score a couple of impressive goals in regulation before a shootout victory.
Here are the top five best goals from the Leagues Cup final and third place match.
What a swift move by the Rapids. The slick dummy from Djordje Mihailovic set Rafael Navarro up perfectly to play Calvin Harris through on goal as Harris made no mistake from close range with a calm first-time finish.
Even with a 2-1 lead in the dying moments of the final, the Crew were still looking to dominate and add another goal to secure the Leagues Cup title. They did just that after a relentless counter-attacking move that saw talisman Hernandez give up a chance of a hat trick and instead play Russell-Rowe through on goal for the match-sealing strike.
While Olivier Giroud would've probably preferred to lift silverware Sunday night, he still managed to score his first goal for LAFC and tie things up early on in the second half.The 37-year-old striker rose highest above the Columbus defenders to equalize and bring his side back in the match, and he'll hope that it'll be the first of many for him in an LAFC shirt.
What a hit, Oliver Larraz. The defensive midfielder might not be well-known across Major League Soccer, but that could very well change after his stunning strike vs the Union. Not even the great Andre Blake could keep out the volleyed effort as it helped propel the Rapids to the shootout win.
The Crew's No. 9 in Cucho Hernandez -- who isn't exactly a tall striker standing at five-feet nine inches tall -- managed to lose his marker to hammer home a trademark header to put the Crew up in the first half. It was a perfectly-placed header that was made possible by a lofted cross from Mohamed Faris, leaving Hugo Lloris rooted to the spot.