Tomorrow we’ll recap the entire weekend. Today we have more important things to talk about. There’s an MLS Cup second half with a big trophy at stake.

It sounds odd to say that after a year in which LAFC played in two major finals, but it feels like they’ve come a long way since then. LAFC still had plenty of power in 2023, but they underperformed in the Concacaf Champions League final and MLS Cup, and for good reason. They finished third in a weak Western Conference with 1.53 points per game, and for good reason. There were clear deficiencies in the midfield, no alternative plans beyond counterattacking and hope that Denis Bouanga could make a difference. The roster as a whole felt incomplete.

This year, Eduard Atuesta has helped transform the midfield. Mateusz Bogusz has taken a huge leap forward and become one of the most productive strikers in the league. And they can play styles that go beyond “screw it, Denis is down there somewhere.” Bouanga is still putting up absurd numbers anyway, but he’s getting a lot more help. That now includes Olivier Giroud.

They’re the real product…but they haven’t proven they can beat Columbus. The last time these two met, LAFC got chased off their own field. The Crew annihilated them 5-1. That was only 42 days ago. And the Crew have gotten better since then. They’ve brought in new midfielders Dylan Chambost and Aziel Jackson, as well as fullbacks DeJuan Jones and Andrés Herrera. They have plenty of depth, and their starting lineup is still at the same elite level it has been since the final months of the 2023 season, even after the departure of Aidan Morris.

Conclusion: LAFC has a lot to prove today. The Crew just has to maintain the status quo.

If Columbus can do that, they’ll be in the pantheon of the best MLS teams of all time. They played every game possible last year. They fell in the Concacaf Champions Cup final against Pachuca, but two major trophies and three major finals in nine months are rare.

It’s arguably the best stretch in MLS history. To be fair to teams like Toronto in 2017 and others who won multiple trophies, they had no shot at the Leagues Cup. But the Crew deserves a few extra points from the judges for difficulty, operating in a small market without the budget of other elite teams.

Despite the rumors surrounding it, we’re in for a hell of a game tonight. Both teams play dynamic attacking football and have more talented rosters than any other in MLS. The biggest question heading into this game is how LAFC will utilize that talent. Will they put Giroud on the field for his first start? Will Kei Kamara get the nod at number 9? Or maybe they’ll opt for Bogusz in the middle to try and take a more counter-attacking approach to the Crew’s extremely possession-based style of play.

Of course, Bogusz’s move to center would leave a vacant spot on the wing. That spot would normally be reserved for Cristian Olivera. But between LAFC’s 4-0 win over Colorado and today, reports surfaced that Olivera would be moving to Toluca for a hefty fee. He will reportedly be available today in what could be his final appearance for the team, but it’s not clear if they’re willing to do more than use him as a backup.

Personnel decisions aside, this is potentially a key tactical test for LAFC’s new 3-4-3 approach. This is a formation they switched to after the loss to Crew and a subsequent tie with RSL. Since making that switch, they’ve steamrolled teams in all but one of seven games, but it’s fair to wonder if they’re willing to copy the Crew’s lineup in a finals or if they’ll revert to their 4-3-3 formation. Many teams have tried to take on Columbus and failed. But if you’re LAFC, are you going to try to fix something that isn’t broken? A major tactical switch in a finals didn’t go so well for them last year.

Maybe this time it will be different. Whatever the case, I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that this is the conclusion of the second film in a trilogy. I’m saving this newsletter and making it a template to reuse later. We’ll talk about the same matchup in December, just before the MLS Cup.