Gegenpressing has officially arrived in the MLS!
Columbus Crew keeper Steve Clark conceded a real clanger during his sides 2-1 MLS Cup final loss to the Portland Timbers. Keepers always long for the much heralded early touch, but Clark couldn’t have asked for a worse start, after his attempt to hoof a ball up field rebounded off Portland’s Diego Valeri and into the net with just 27 seconds on the clock, the quickest goal in MLS Cup history.
For those new to soccer in the country, the MLS Cup serves as the finale to a four-round knockout competition, one that is hotly contested between the top six teams from the two conferences of the league. In many ways, the Cup serves as a bragging right for the winning club to call themselves the best team in elite-tier men’s soccer in the whole of United States and Canada. It is no secret that Cup Winners also attract a lot of new fans every year. The knock-on effect can be seen in the the increase in game day seats and even sale of paraphernalia ranging from team jersey to mls flags and everything in between.
Columbus Crew, one of the ten charter clubs of the league when it began in 1996 was itself founded a couple years earlier. Their stadium, the Columbus Crew stadium was the first of its kind in the United States – exclusively designed for soccer. Founded in 2009, Portland Timbers in contrast, are more recent addition to growing MLS club fraternity. In recent times, they have made inroads to top spots in both the Eastern Conference as well as MLS league standings.
Fans who chose Portland Timbers players in their FanDuel Fantasy Soccer team all cheered for joy when they heard the final whistle blow on the final game of the MLS Cup. They played very well and deserved the win, working hard the entire game to keep in front and secure themselves the victory.
Watch Clark’s clanger below.
