Former Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini is on the brink of winning another MLS Cup trophy upon his arrival at LAFC in the summer of 2022. The 39-year-old played a crucial role as Steve Cherundolo’s side outplayed Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference final on Saturday night.
Chiellini provided an assist to Ryan Hollingshead, who opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime, as the Los Angeles outfit sealed a 2-0 win to reach the grand final for the second season on the spin. The veteran defender got his header on the end of a corner-kick delivery, flicking the ball towards the back post for Hollingshead to stab home and put LAFC in front.
Franco Escobar’s own goal in the 80th minute put the game beyond doubt, with the reigning MLS Cup holders booking their tickets for the showpiece event. After a trophy-laden 17-year spell at Juventus, where he won nine Serie A titles, Chiellini made a high-profile switch across the ocean to link up with LAFC a year ago. He tallied another title in his first season in the United States’ top tier in his first season outside Europe.
Columbus Crew will be standing between the Juventus icon and his second consecutive MLS Cup trophy when the two sides lock horns in the final fixture in the MLS calendar. The Eastern Conference heavyweights pulled off a breathtaking comeback against Cincinnati, fighting back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to claim a 3-2 extra-time victory in the other conference final.
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