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COLUMBUS — The 2020 and 2023 MLS Cups both ended with the Columbus Crew concluding their campaign as league champions, but Saturday’s most recent edition allowed one of the league’s well-known midfield pairs to savor the triumph together.
Darlington Nagbe and Aidan Morris were key in the Crew’s 2-1 triumph over defending champions LAFC at Lower.com Field. Morris logged 90 minutes in the heart of Wilfried Nancy’s midfield while Nagbe played 84 minutes before being replaced by Sean Zawadzki for the final period of Saturday’s third-ever MLS Cup triumph for the Eastern Conference club.
The pair might be 11 years apart in terms of age, but they have grown into one of MLS’ reliable pair of midfielders, which was crucial for the Crew in 2023.
“Since his first full season, he’s been tremendous and has a lot of confidence,” said Nagbe about Morris postmatch to reporters. “He’s the heartbeat of our team, in my opinion. He pushes me and I push him..it’s an honor to play with him.”
“For me, every word that comes out of this guy’s mouth, it’s just special to me,” Morris said about Nagbe, who gave the Crew team a pre-match speech ahead of Saturday’s match. “I’ve been listening to this guy for three-to-four years now, and am just trying to execute what he says. This isn’t his only good speech this year, every single day he shows up and is nothing but positive and leads us in the right direction.”
This wasn’t the first MLS Cup titles for either Nagbe or Morris in their careers to date.
Nagbe, a long-time MLS veteran, was unable to be part of the Crew’s title win in 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of the club’s eventual 3-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders. The Ohio native has remained one of the best at his position in MLS, lifting the league title on Saturday for the fourth time in 13 seasons.
Morris, who was in his rookie season in 2020, delivered a Man of the Match showing…
Source link : https://sbisoccer.com/2023/12/darlington-nagbe-aidan-morris-savor-lifting-mls-cup-together-in-2023
Author : Larry Henry Jr
Publish date : 2023-12-10 12:10:37
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