Columbus Crew vs. Portland Timbers: Winners and Losers from MLS Cup Final
The Portland Timbers captured their first MLS Cup with a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew at Mapfre Stadium on Sunday.
Portland got off to a fast start as Diego Valeri and Rodney Wallace each found the back of the net within the first seven minutes of the contest.
Columbus pulled one back in the 18th minute after Kei Kamara took advantage of a goalkeeping blunder, but that would be the only time the Crew would celebrate a goal in front of the home fans.
The victory marked the end of a successful postseason run for the Timbers that saw the team earn positive results on the road on three occasions.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from Portland's MLS Cup triumph.
Winner: Diego Valeri
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Diego Valeri set the tone for the Timbers in the first minute as he pressured Steve Clark into a brutal goalkeeping error.
The Argentine raced in on the Columbus goalkeeper as he received the ball and he slid in to knock home the fastest goal in MLS Cup history.
Valeri's strike 27 seconds into the final shell-shocked the Crew and the home crowd at Mapfre Stadium. With silence settling in among the Columbus faithful, Portland went on to pounce for a second tally six minutes later.
The goal was just the third of the entire season for Valeri, who started his year late due to an ACL injury he suffered at the end of 2014.
Thanks to his fast effort in the early stages of the match, Valeri and his teammates caught Columbus off guard and the hosts never fully recovered.
Losers: Steve Clark and Adam Kwarasey
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Sunday was far from a banner day for the goalkeepers on either side of the pitch as both Steve Clark and Adam Kwarasey committed errors that led to goals.
Clark started the day of blunders in the first minute, as he lazily collected a backpass from Michael Parkhurst and let Valeri rush in to pressure him in the buildup to Portland's first goal.
Seventeen minutes later, Kwarasey let the Crew back into the game as he fumbled a catch that ended up at the feet of Kei Kamara. Columbus' leading scorer proceeded to pull the hosts back with a strike from close range.
Both goalkeepers got better as the match progressed, especially Clark, who made a few big saves in the second half, but we'll end up remembering the errors more than the big saves.
In Clark's case, his miscue led to Portland's fast start, which created a ton of momentum for Caleb Porter's side.
Winner: Jorge Villafana
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Valeri may have won the Most Valuable Player award, but Jorge Villafana made a strong case to win the prize as well.
The Portland left back turned in a masterful performance against Ethan Finlay, who was one of three players to record over 10 goals and assists in the regular season.
When Finlay exited the pitch in the 63rd minute, the winger had 22 touches and seven completed passes to his name, per ESPN's Paul Carr. Both totals were game-lows.
Villafana also shut down Finlay's replacement Cedrick Mabwati, who was a spark off the bench early in the postseason for the Crew.
By silencing Finlay and Mabwati over 90 minutes, Villafana limited Columbus' production on the right wing, which led to a lack of crosses in the direction of Kei Kamara.
Winner/Loser: Kei Kamara
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Kei Kamara experienced a wide array of emotions on Sunday as his team fell in the championship match on its home pitch.
The Sierra Leone international netted a goal in the 18th minute after Kwarasey's botched catch, and at the time it seemed like he would bring the Crew back into the match.
However, Kamara's 18th-minute strike was the only shot on goal the Crew recorded over the 90 minutes. Due to the lack of service through the wings and poor touches from Kamara and others in the final third, Columbus never found an equalizer.
Kamara's rough second half doesn't take anything away from his successful season in which he scored 22 regular-season goals. But in the match that mattered most, he wasn't good enough.
Winners: Nat Borchers and Liam Ridgewell
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One of the reasons why Kamara failed to make a mark on the game was the play of Nat Borchers and Liam Ridgewell.
The Portland center back pairing kept Kamara quiet in the air as the Columbus forward won only one aerial over 90 minutes. Borchers and Ridgewell combined for four, per WhoScored.
Borchers and Ridgewell also combined for three blocked shots, eight interceptions and seven clearances in the 2-1 road victory.
With the American and Englishman set to pair together at the back again in 2016, Portland will have a chance to repeat as champions.
Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
