The Boy Who Got Everything He Ever Wanted

As the clock ticked down on MLS Cup, I thought of a scene from a movie from when I was a kid. I thought about the end of Willy Wonka (original one-not that depp bullshit) after Willy Wonka tells Charlie he has inherited the factory and his family can live there for the rest of their lives. Charlie is very excited by the news obviously, then Wonka warns Charlie and says, "Charlie be careful-Do you know what happened to the boy who got everything he ever wanted?" Charlie, slightly puzzled says no and looks back at Wonka. Then Wonka says "He lived happily ever after." That is how all Crew fans should feel today. The Crew got everything they ever wanted today and shall live happily ever after. No matter what happens in the future, we will always have 2008, the year where we rose out of the ashes and had a truly special season. This is the turning point in the franchise, the point 20 or 30 years from now we can look back and say this was when it all changed for the better. No more getting punked in our own building by Chicago or DC fans, no more taunts of having never won anything, no more remorse about playoff failures. That has all been erased. We have the Golden Ticket, the MLS Cup. Columbus now has just as much pedigree as anyone in MLS. We pulled the double this season while playing comprehensive flowing soccer.

The strangest part of the whole playoffs for me was the absolute confidence I had in the team. Columbus had been tested all season, and on every occaision, they proved they were up to the task. As a Cleveland sports fan, usually I would be very leery of championship games and the possible failure of my team. A friend texted me after Marshall's goal and said "Hopefully they dont go Ohio and blow it at the end." Usually a text like this would give me bad omen vibes. But I confidently texted him back "No way-This is all over." That is the theme I take from the 2008 season. The Crew were never out of any game and never gave away games at the end. The Crew were a sure thing. The Crew have come a long way.

Enjoy this, Crew fans. The Crew, my team, your team, our team played their hearts out all season and beat all challengers. The Club of Warzycha, Mais, Clark, Hunt, Schmid, Fitzgerald, Cunningham, Hejduk, GBS, Marshall, McBride and even Andrulis and Khumalo got over the hump and won Ohio's first professional title since the Cincinnati Reds in 1990. Massive is no longer a self deprecating inside joke. Massive is fact. The top of the summit has been reached, and the view from the top is beautiful.