COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted have announced that Saturday Dec. 9, 2023 will be recognized as “Columbus Crew Day” in Ohio. This recognition is because the Crew take on the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) for the Major League Soccer Cup title.

“Ohioans are behind the Columbus Crew as they play in the MLS Cup Final on Saturday at Lower.com Field,” said DeWine. “They’ve had a great season, and we wish them luck as they work to bring home a third championship! Glory to Columbus!”

After a miraculous comeback that need extra time in the semifinals against Cincinnati, the Crew are poised to take down LAFC and earn their third MLS Cup in team history. The Crew most recently won the MLS Cup in 2020.

In the 2023 regular season, the Crew commanded a record of 16-9-9, to earn 3rd in the Eastern Conference. They only trailed Cincinnati and Orlando City in their conference. They will host the MLS Cup final due to having a better regular season record than LAFC.

Cucho Hernández, their leading goalscorer in 2023, will be heavily relied on to pace the Crew in scoring, as they had to come back from a two goal deficit in the semifinals against Cincinnati. He would register an assist and 12 shots in the victory.

Spectrum News 1 will be live from Lower.com field before the 4 p.m. kick. Spectrum News 1 will also provide post-game reaction with players and fans. The game will be shown nationally on FOX.