Columbus Crew vs. Seattle Sounders: 4 Keys to the 2020 MLS Cup Final

The 2020 MLS Cup Final is rich with historical storylines.

The Seattle Sounders are making their fourth MLS Cup appearance in the last five years. Saturday's trip to Mapfre Stadium to face the Columbus Crew will mark the first time in that span in which the Sounders do not face Toronto FC with the title on the line. 

Seattle is vying to become the first team since the LA Galaxy in 2011 and 2012 to win MLS Cup in consecutive years.

Standing in the Sounders' way is the Caleb Porter-coached Crew. Porter led Seattle's bitter rival, the Portland Timbers, to MLS Cup in 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. 

If the Crew win, Porter can earn the rare achievement of winning MLS Cup with two teams in the same location. 

For that to happen, the Crew have to deal with the losses of Darlington Nagbe, who won MLS Cup with Porter for Portland, and Pedro Santos. The two starters were declared out on Thursday night, per Jacob Myers of the Columbus Dispatch.

When MLS Cup ends, MLS will become the first North American sports league to restart inside a bubble environment and then finish in local markets during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Containing Nicolas Lodeiro, Jordan Morris and Raul Ruidiaz is a task no defense envies. 

In the Western Conference Final, the attacking triumvirate combined for 14 shots. Ruidiaz scored the lone goal from the trio to level the match with Minnesota United. 

Even when they were not involved in a majority of Seattle's goals on Monday, the three attackers created plenty of scoring opportunities on home soil. 

Lodeiro, Morris and Ruidiaz were the most effective this postseason in the opener against Los Angeles FC. Each player scored a goal in the 3-1 win, and Morris and Ruidiaz also provided an assist each. 

If the trio is clicking in the final third early on, the victory could come easy to the Sounders, especially with Nagbe out of the lineup. 

The Sounders still have to work through a Columbus back line that conceded 21 regular-season goals in 23 games, but they are expected to have the advantage with their three attacking stars in good form. 

Nagbe is one of the most valuable players in Major League Soccer. 

According to SB Nation's Pat Murphy, the Crew are 9-2-3 with Nagbe in the lineup and 3-4-2 without him this season. 

Nagbe makes the Crew midfield tick with his passing ability, movement throughout the middle of the pitch and ability to shut down an opponent's best attacking player. 

The 30-year-old American midfielder is also one of the few Crew players with MLS Cup-winning experience from his time with the Portland Timbers and Atlanta United. 

Fatai Alashe, Aidan Morris and Sebastian Berhalter form the group of players Porter has to select from as Nagbe's replacement. 

The 27-year-old Alashe has the most experience of the trio, as he played in 107 games for three different franchises since 2015. He made two starts in the final 10 regular-season games. 

Morris and Berhalter, the son of United States men's national team manager Gregg Berhalter, are both Homegrown Players with no postseason experience prior to 2020. 

If the Crew call on Alashe, they would at least have some experience to rely on. Alashe may be the best option because he played in the Western Conference against Seattle's attackers during his time with the San Jose Earthquakes. 

Regardless of which player starts, the Crew will have to make up for Nagbe's massive impact in midfield. If they can piece together a game plan that helps cover up the absence, they could keep the match a low-scoring affair and look to pounce for a goal or two through Gyasi Zardes. 

Zardes has done nothing but score goals since he arrived in Columbus before the 2018 season. 

The USMNT forward found the back of the net on 44 occasions over his three regular seasons with the Crew. Additionally, the 29-year-old has three-career postseason tallies, two of which have come in 2020. 

If the Crew find a way to feed Zardes early and often, he could be the neutralizing force the Eastern Conference champion needs to counter whatever Lodeiro, Morris and Ruidiaz throw at their defense. 

Zardes does not do anything spectacular in front of the net, but he finds himself in the right spots in and around the penalty area to place attempts on target. 

If Columbus gets the ball to Newcomer of the Year Lucas Zelarayan and Zardes throughout the first half, it may generate a significant scoring chance or two that leads to a goal. 

If the Crew somehow take the first lead of the game, they could set up in a bunker behind the ball and make life frustrating on the Sounders. 

That may even be the game plan to start without Nagbe in the fold before they go all out for a goal in the second half. 

No matter which strategy the Crew employ, they have to find a way to get Zardes involved, so he can take advantage of a chance or two that could make the ultimate difference. 

Seattle's ultimate X-factor could be goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

Frei is the owner of one of the most memorable moments in Sounders history, when he denied Jozy Altidore o on a fingertip save in the 2016 MLS Cup. 

Frei has 17 victories in 26 postseason starts and has won seven consecutive playoff games dating back to the start of the 2019 postseason. 

The 34-year-old has been a difference-maker in MLS Cup once in his career, and he could fill that role again if Columbus can only muster a few chances over 90 minutes. 

Just like Zardes' ability to strike out of nowhere, Frei is more than capable of making a save in a game in which he is not asked to do much. 

If Columbus finds a way to limit Seattle's attack for stretches of the contest, Frei may be asked to come up with a big save or two to keep the win within reach before the forwards take over. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com.