COLUMBUS — Goals by Canadians Jacen Russell-Rowe and Ryan Telfer helped Columbus Crew 2 win the inaugural MLS Next Pro Cup with a 4-1 win over St. Louis City 2 on Saturday.
The game at Lower.com Field served as a wrap for the first season of MLS Next Pro, which features 21 teams — 20 MLS reserve sides and the independent Rochester New York FC. Seven more MLS clubs plan to field teams in MLS Next Pro next year.
It was a matchup of conference leaders with Columbus (16-3-5, points) topping the East while St. Louis (15-6-3, 49 points) was first in the West.
Crew 2 defeated visiting Toronto FC II 4-3 after extra time in the Eastern Conference final last Sunday.
Former TFC GM Ali Curtis, MLS Next Pro's senior vice-president of competition and operations, presented the championship game MVP trophy to Columbus captain Marco Micaletto.
St. Louis outshot Columbus 7-5 in the first half but only put one shot on target compared to three for Crew 2 and went into the break down 2-0.
Columbus pulled ahead with two late goals in the first half, with Isaiah Parente scoring from the penalty spot in the 45th minute after Max Schneider was called for handball in the box. Micaletto doubled the lead three minutes into stoppage time when St. Louis goalkeeper Michael Creek fumbled his low cross at the near post.
Creek's day went from bad to worse in the second half, taking down Telfer at the edge of the penalty box after he was put behind the St. Louis defence. Cautioned on the play, Creek was unable to stop Russell-Rowe as the 21-year-old from Brampton, Ont., slotted the ball in the corner of the goal in the 58th minute.
St. Louis pulled one back in the 80th minute when Brazil's Celio Pompeu dispossessed an overly casual goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and slotted the ball home.
Telfer, who was born in Mississauga, Ont., and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, replied three minutes later for Columbus. The 28-year-old winger sliced into the St. Louis box past Canadian defender Kyle Hiebert before hammering a right-footed shot by Creek.
Hiebert started for St. Louis, whose first team is slated to start play in MLS next year.
Russell-Rowe was named the league's MVP on Friday after winning the Golden Boot Award with 21 goals in 19 games. Columbus also started Canadian Mo Farsi with Jordan Knight, another Canadian, coming in off the bench in the 82nd minute.
Telfer and Russell-Rowe both spent time in the Toronto FC system while Farsi was named the Canadian Premier League's Best Under-21 player in 2020 while with Calgary's Cavalry FC.
Russell-Rowe and Farsi signed first-team deals with Columbus during the season.
Columbus has other TFC ties.
Columbus president and GM Tim Bezbatchenko helped turn TFC around before leaving for his hometown club in Ohio in January 2019 while Jaime McMillan, the Crew vice-president of soccer administration and operations, was also a valued member of the Toronto office. Corey Wray, who rose up the TFC front office ranks to assistant general manager, is Columbus’ assistant GM and is in charge of Crew 2.
Columbus did not have a reserve side when Wray arrived in 2020.
Whitecaps FC 2 (7-9-8) finished out of the playoffs, in seventh spot in the Western Conference. Montreal does not have an entry in the league.
Columbus dominated the MLS Next Pro awards with Laurent Courtois named coach of the year and Schulte goalkeeper of the year.
Crew 2 finished first in the league in points (55), wins (16), goals for (62) and goal differential (plus-40). Columbus had the fewest losses (three) and was tied for fewest goals allowed (22).
Russell-Rowe and Farsi joined Parente and Schulte on the league’s Next XI, which also featured Hiebert.
---
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2022
The Canadian Press
