Hey friends,

It’s a bittersweet week. The MLS Cup final is on Saturday but then no MLS for a few months. Anyways, here’s what we’ve got for ya today 👇️ 

• Conference Finals Recap

• MLS Cup Ticket Scandal

• Wilfried Nancy Special

• Thiago Almada to Europe?

Conference Finals Recap

Columbus Crew (3) vs (2) FC Cincinnati - Extra Time.

WOW, what a game. Fast, action-packed, extra time. It had everything. Including an incredible comeback from the Columbus Crew. The Crew went down 2-0 in the first half after a couple slow defensive reactions only to come back roaring in the second half. Unsurprisingly, Cucho Hernandez was the star of the show. He finished with 12 shots and the game winning assist. Hat tip to Crew manager Wilfried Nancy for the second half tactical changes, bringing in Julian Gressel and Christian Ramirez. In extra time Cincinnati looked tired and we’re repeatedly taking on attacks from the

As for FC Cincinnati, it’s a brutal end to an incredible year. But there’s so much to look forward to for this team. More on them below.

LAFC (2) vs (0) Houston Dynamo

LAFC are headed to their second straight MLS Cup and will try to be the first team since the LA Galaxy (2011/12) to win two straight. While Houston’s dominant midfield controlled 70.3% of the possession, LAFC were more clinical around goal with 2.3 expected goals compared to .42 from the Dynamo. Defender Ryan Hollingshead scored his third goal of the playoffs from a corner kick that bounced off Dynamo keeper Steve Clark.

Carlos Vela, whose contract expires at the end of the season, was subbed off in the 77th minute to a standing ovation for what might be his last appearance at BMO Stadium. As for Houston, Ben Olson’s first season should be considered a success. They’e arguably the most improved team in the league this year and at least took home hardware with their U.S. Open Cup win over Miami. They need to add a true attacking threat to compliment one of the best midfields in the league.

MLS Cup Ticket Scandal

Crew fans we’re heated this week. And for good reason. The MLS Cup is being held on Saturday in Columbus so tickets are in high demand, especially from Crew fans. But a ticket scandal debacle went down this week that almost left Crew fans out of their own stadium. Here’s the story:

The league controls the ticketing for the MLS Cup final, not the teams that are playing. Each year the league reserves some tickets for their biggest sponsors so that they can treat the executives of these companies to an awesome experience. However, a presale code meant for these MLS Sponsors was leaked on reddit and scalpers took full advantage. Scalpers quickly jacked up the price of these tickets to $300-$400 and Crew season ticket holders we’re left without seats.

Thankfully, The Crew and League quickly realized this and cancelled the scalped tickets. Whew… could you imagine no Crew fans at the game on Saturday!

“NancyBall” Takes Over the MLS

Wilfried Nancy has led the Columbus Crew to the MLS Cup Finals in his very first season with them. Nancy has done this with a masterclass of adaptability, exactly how he teaches his team to play. NancyBall focuses on a few key concepts. Attacking wise Nancy utilizes attacking wingbacks to switch the point of attack and maximize the width of the pitch. They invite opponent pressure to open up space. The Crew pour numbers into the attack and this shows. They led league in goals, chances created, and possession this season. Defensively, the crew rush to win the ball back as quickly as possible, much like other possession based teams.

But let’s go back to Montreal where Nancy started his coaching career. Nancy’s surprise take over came after Thierry Henry resigned. His first season at Montreal was shaky. However in his second season he led Montreal to their best season ever, finishing second, just 2 points off the top. Montreal’s owner then sparked a feud leading Nancy to look elsewhere. The feud and Montreal’s owner are a story for another time.

Wilfried Nancy is a beacon of managerial light for the MLS. Managers that can come in and transform sides with very little time are few and far. Coaches like Nancy drive a league forward. Players itch to play for them.

One of Nancy’s quotes around the MLS Cup Playoff has stood with me:

“For me, [MLS Cup] playoffs, this is Champions League in Europe. I see it like this, sometimes this is not the best team who wins so it depends. We'll see.”

In a league that many European fans talk trash on, Nancy eloquently relates the truth. Not only is he an amazing manager, Nancy is a driving voice for the growth of the league. With tons of European interest, we can all hope he remains stateside.

Thiago Almada Wants Europe Now

MLS Young Player of the Year Thiago Almada doesn’t sound like he will be in the league much longer. You might remember just a few weeks back we predicted he would be leaving, but it’s sooner than expected.

Now, nothing is finalized yet. Here’s what Fabrizio is telling us:

It’s safe to assume Almada makes a move to Europe. He doesn’t sound picky on where he lands and theres plenty of European clubs itching for a young playmaker like him.

The 22 year old is the most expensive inbound MLS signing ever, and will likely be the highest outbound sale ever. Napoli, Ajax, and Atalanta have all been rumored to show interest. It should be an interesting January for Almada.

Goal of the Week

That first touch… I mean C’mon 😍 

Tweet of the Week

We’ve got a lil holiday gift guide for the soccer fan in your life 🎅 

Quick Hits

• USMNT great, Tim Howard, elected into the National Soccer Hall of Fame (Link)

• MLS suspends Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini for 6 games due to his red card and post game comments (Link)

• 2024 Copa America has it’s host cities set (Link)

• Luis Suarez says goodbye to Gremio after joining Inter Miami (Link)

• Frank Lampard is a finalist for the Charlotte FC Manager (Link)

• Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson described Chris Richards as 'best American centre-back' (Link)

• Messi names Time’s Athlete of the Year (Link)

• San Jose Earthquakes announce a new state-of-the-art training facility (Link)