There's no secret recipe to an MLS Cup, no tried-and-true method to put yourself in this position. Every champion is somewhat unique and every road to that big ole trophy is just a little bit different.
So what happens when you move mountains to hire an unflinching coach so determined and so resolute in his principles, so unwavering in his ideals? What happens when you give that coach the league's best No. 9 and silkiest midfielder to build the system of his dreams around? And what happens when you try and take a team from a community only for them to seize it back through sheer force of will?
Well, you get the Columbus Crew. Add all those ingredients together and you get something special, something magic, something unique. When all is said and done, when you put all of that together, it turns out you get an MLS Cup, too.
For the second time in four seasons, the Crew are MLS Cup champions. On Saturday, in front of a packed hometown crowd, the Crew took down the defending champions, LAFC, in a 2-1 win. It was a heavyweight title fight of a final and, by the end, there was no denying that a new titan has emerged atop the league.
When all was said and done, the Crew got their recipe right: a little bit of luck, a lot of attacking and an endless amount of faith brought them right here, back to the top of MLS.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Lower.com Field...