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News, Blog and GuidesHere is how the two squads shape up ahead of the MLS Cup Final on Saturday 9 December.
Joe Brennanj4brennanUpdate: Dec 8th, 2023 04:39 EST
John David MercerUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
The MLS Cup Final 2023 (Saturday 9 December, KO 4pM ET / 1PM PT) draws closer and closer as the nerves for both sets of fans, players and technical staff grow more and more. Columbus Crew have the advantage of hosting the game at their home stadium, something that potentially tips the scales in terms of who is the favourite, but reigning champions LAFC will no doubt make it difficult for their attacking football to get through.
Picking a winner is hard enough, and when one runs an eye over the two squads, the task becomes even tougher. We can predict the lineups, preview the game and take a look back through history to help us, but nothing prior will count as soon as the referee blows the whistle for the start of the match.
Regarding the squads, a long season has certainly taken its toll on many teams across the United States, with plenty of players – even those we thought to be immortal – succumbing to injury at some stage of the campaign. Now it’s time to take a look at the final two squads and see who could be in the running to step out onto the pitch for the biggest game of the season.
Enjoying our preparation 💪😄 pic.twitter.com/w4ACuDci6o
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) December 6, 2023
LAFC injury report
Steve Cherundolo’s side survived their game against Seattle with no injury concerns meaning that his predicted line-up is about as strong as it gets.
The main concern for Cherundolo is perhaps whether or not star forward Carlos Vela will continue with LAFC once the season officially comes to a close. The Mexican forward is the icon at the club, having played for the Black & Gold since the team’s inception and introduction to MLS.
Rumours of a new contract have swung wildly in both directions, but the player recently dropped the biggest hint of them all, saying that “as far as my future goes, that’s the way life and soccer is. My contract expires on Sunday, I’ll be a free agent. We’ll have talks and we’ll see if I can carry on playing here. I’d be delighted to stay, but if not, I’ll look for something else and will keep enjoying the little time I have left playing soccer… the end is near and I have to enjoy it.
“Everybody knows how happy I am in LA, how happy I am in this team, but it’s a business. We know sometimes it’s not everything the way you want. We will see. I’m just thinking about the final.”
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Carlos Vela played for Real Sociedad in LaLiga before moving to MLS.AMAIA ZABALODIARIO AS
