TONIGHT'S LINEUP
PORTER ONE OF ONLY FIVE MLS COACHES TO WIN BOTH WESTERN, EASTERN CONFERENCE TITLES
With Crew SC's win against the New England Revolution on Sunday, Crew SC Head Coach Caleb Porter became one of five MLS head coaches to win both the Western Conference and Eastern Conference Finals Championships. Porter joins Bruce Arena, Sigi Schmid, Dominic Kinnear and Jason Kreis in accomplishing this cross-conference feat. Porter previously won the Western Conference Championship in 2015 with the Portland Timbers.
PORTER AMONG MLS COACHES WITH HIGHEST WINNING PLAYOFF WINNING PERCENTAGES
There are only five coaches in Major League Soccer’s 25-year history that have achieved a postseason winning percentage of 60 percent or greater while also possessing eight or more playoff victories. Two of the coaches on that list will be on the sidelines this Saturday as Crew SC Head Coach Caleb Porter and Seattle Head Coach Brain Schmetzer lead their teams into the championship contest. Crew SC’s 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution on Sunday marked Head Coach Caleb Porter’s eighth MLS Cup Playoffs victory, bringing his playoff winning average to 0.667. Porter’s playoff winning percentage is the third highest in League history among coaches who have notched eight or more wins in postseason action.
CREW SC CONTINUES STRONG RUN OF FORM AT MAPFRE STADIUM
In 2020, Crew SC has posted a record of 12-1-0 across all competitions when playing at MAPFRE Stadium - more wins when playing at its home stadium than any other team across the MLS regular season and the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs. Since the beginning of the 2020 regular season, the Black & Gold have outscored their opponents 26-8. Crew SC hosts the Seattle Sounders at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday for the 2020 MLS Cup. Should the Crew defeat Seattle, it would mark the second time the Club has won MLS Cup, joining the ranks of the 2008 squad that captured the title over the New York Red Bulls 3-1.
CREW SC ROSTER BOASTS FIVE PLAYERS WITH PREVIOUS MLS CUP EXPERIENCE
Crew SC's current roster boasts five players who have previous MLS Cup experience, either with the Black & Gold or with other teams: Fanendo Adi, Harrison Afful, Waylon Francis, Darlington Nagbe and Gyasi Zardes. Afful and Francis both started for the Crew the 2015 MLS Cup. Adi and Nagbe faced off against the Crew in 2015 while they were members of the Portland Timbers, with Nagbe providing a game-winning assist. Nagbe also played in the 2018 MLS Cup with Atlanta United. Zardes featured for the LA Galaxy in the 2014 MLS Cup, scoring the opening goal in the 52nd minute.
