Columbus Crew did the unthinkable by defeating FC Cincinnati 3-2 in the Eastern Conference final thanks to an extra time winner from substitute Christian Ramirez.
It was deja-vu all over again for Columbus’ #17, as just one week ago he came off the bench to score the opening goal in extra time in the Crew’s 2-0 triumph over Orlando City.
Now, in the conference final, Ramirez delivered on the big stage again as he tapped home a headed cross from the versatile Cucho Hernandez, giving Columbus the lead in the 115th minute.
Hernandez, who joined Columbus ahead of the current season, saw less starts as the regular season rolled on during August. But instead of making a big deal about it, he kept his head down and continued to prepare for when head coach Wilfried Nancy called on him – and he’s delivered and then some.
“Special to see the rewards for my hard work, showing everyone,” Ramirez said after the game.
“There’s a moment where you put your ego aside and you trust the coach and trust that at this point in the season, it’s not about starts. It’s about the impact in the game. And yeah, a younger me would have maybe been questioning and frustrated. I just kept believing and kept working. And yeah, I’m just thankful and excited for next week.”
Even being down 2-0, Ramirez and his team refused to give up and knew that only one goal was needed to bring them back into the game.
“I just thought if we can get one, we’re gonna get the second one. We felt they were tired. We felt good physically compared to them,” he said.
“And that moment when that second one goes in, I think it just deflated them. And we just, we sensed that. It’s almost like they said, you sense some blood in the water. And that’s what we sensed. And we just said, ‘we gotta keep going’.”
The 32-year-old then praised Nancy, who’s impressed all of MLS in his first year in the dugout for the Crew despite being benched in recent games.
“He’s special, obviously, everyone can see that,” said Ramirez. “The way he sees football, the way he trusts his players, the way he demands excellence from everyone. And I think he’s gained that respect from the top to the bottom and kept everybody engaged. And so, you can only fight for someone like that.”
Columbus took home 2020 MLS Cup, and they’ll be looking to add their third such title on December 3 when they play host to the reigning champs LAFC at Lower.com Field.
“We talked about writing our story in the Columbus Crew history and the chapter, this chapter wasn’t done. We’ve got one more week. One more game at Lower.com Field. I know our fans are gonna be ready. It’s gonna be electric. Hopefully the weather is like tonight. But yeah, we weren’t ready to finish our chapter in this history of the Columbus Crew.”
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