When it comes to trophies, Los Angeles FC is far superior to the Columbus Crew.

Columbus defeated LAFC 3-1 in the 2024 Leagues Cup final at Lower.com Field on Sunday, repeating its victory over the same opponent in the MLS Cup final in December. The outcome of the game was uncertain until stoppage time, when Crew star Cucho Hernández went into takeover mode.

He scored the opening goal from outside the box in the 92nd minute and set up Jacen Russell-Rowe’s goal in the 94th minute to remove any doubts. It was also Hernández who scored the first goals for the winners in the first half.

It was a similar story for Columbus against LAFC, as it also easily defeated the Western Conference team 5-1 in a regular season game in July. Not even the signing of Olivier Giroud, who scored the lone goal for LAFC, could change the outcome when these two teams meet.

It’s only fitting that these clubs know each other so well, given their paths through the Leagues Cup, which can be found on the tournament’s official website. While the Leagues Cup features MLS and Liga MX teams, neither Los Angeles nor Columbus faced a team from Mexico in the knockout rounds.

LAFC defeated familiar opponents in Austin, San Jose, Seattle and Colorado, while the Crew prevailed against Sporting Kansas City, Inter Miami, New York City FC and Philadelphia.

The stage was set for Sunday’s showdown, and Columbus made waves even before kickoff when head coach Wilfried Nancy decided to field goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen instead of his usual favorite, Patrick Schulte.

Hugo Lloris was Hagen’s counterpart for the visitors, and it was the veteran who let in the first goal when Mohamed Farsi deftly navigated the LAFC defense and sent a cross for Hernández. The Crew star took advantage of the opportunity with a header just before halftime, putting the Western Conference team in comeback mode.

LAFC were not in comeback mode for long in the second half, however, as Giroud deflected a corner kick to score his first goal for his new club. The momentum had already shifted before the equalizer, as Mateusz Bogusz appeared to have tied the game but was offside.

The visitors maintained this momentum for most of the second half, also because Lloris missed a completely open chance for Christian Ramírez right in front of the goal.

But Hernández – who had also prepared this appearance for Ramírez – was inevitable and secured his team another trophy.