Columbus beats Chicago 2-1, wins Eastern Conference, advances to MLS Cup for first time ever

Only one word can describe tonight's Eastern Conference Championship between host Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire:

Intense.

Tonight's game had everything the American soccer fan would want in the semifinal of its country's premier competition.  Clutch saves by Will Hessmer and Jon Busch.  All-star performances from MLS studs Guillermo Barros Scheletto, Brian McBride, Eddie Gavin and Cuahtemoc Blanco.  

Even though most fans nationwide watched comfortably from their basement, everyone could feel the tension in the air.  There was no "we'll get'em next time" or "wait until next week."  It was down to single elimination.  One and done.  All the emotions that captivate the nation during the NCAA basketball tournament was present at Crew Stadium tonight.  Anything could happen. The unexpected could prevail.

Soccer purist all over have criticized the way MLS determines its champion since day one of the league, but tonight was the perfect illustration of why the current setup is so amazing. Some tweaks need to be made but the league fixtures with a post-season tournament is truly American and should stay that way. 

The citizens of Columbus, OH deserve a great amount of credit tonight.  The Black and Gold faithful came out in full force to support their side and gave them true home-field advantage.  Official attendance was 14,688- not bad for a medium sized market.  Most people didn't think the Crew even had any fans at all.

Both sides desperately wanted to win and all that's needed for evidence was the number of shots and fouls.  Columbus had 13 shots and 11 fouls while Chicago had 11 shots and 13 fouls.  Chicago's Bakary Sourmare and Gonzalo Segares were both  cautioned for reckless tackles while Brandon Prideax received a booking for reckless foul.  Crew player Danny O'Rourke went into the referee's black book for reckless foul while goalkeeper Hessmer was cautioned for unsporting behavior due to delaying the game. 

Probably the main underlying storyline was the return of McBride to Crew Stadium, but only this time as a Chicago Fire squad member.  McBride drew firstblood in the 29th minute off a Justin Mapp assist, but the equalizer by Chad Marshall to open the 2nd half followed by Gavin's game-winner in the 55th minute sealed the deal.  

Columbus Crew is going to the MLS Cup Final for the first time ever.  

Awesome. 

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