Columbus Crew win MLS Cup with resounding victory over Seattle

The Columbus Crew defied the odds to collect their second MLS Cup in club history courtesy of Saturday's 3-0 win over the Seattle Sounders.

Lucas Zelarayan and Derrick Etienne Jr. struck during a strong opening half from the final's hosts. Zelarayan then launched a missile in the 82nd minute to kill any remaining hopes of the Sounders winning their third MLS Cup in five years.

Columbus wasn't among the favorites entering the postseason - and then COVID-19 rocked the squad throughout its MLS Cup run. In the final, Darlington Nagbe and Pedro Santos were missing from a Columbus XI for the first time in 2020 after they both contracted the disease.

And, of course, this club overcame much greater adversity when it almost ceased to exist. News broke in October 2017 that former owner Anthony Precourt was seeking to relocate the franchise to Austin, Texas, but a group of supporters - operating under the name of "Save the Crew" - launched a community-focused campaign to prove Columbus deserved to keep its team. A local consortium eventually took official ownership of the franchise in January 2019, saving the Crew.

"What they've done off the field for this organization is incredible," Crew captain Jonathan Mensah told Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated ahead of the MLS Cup final. "This is the payback we can also give them in return for the massive and incredible job they've done for us to be able to stay in this city."

The new MLS Cup champions are set to move into their stadium in downtown Columbus during the 2021 season. The Crew didn't just survive - they're flourishing.