CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Chattanooga FC is one win from a league title. The Boys in Blue came back from two goals down on Sunday night at Finley Stadium to win the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference Final 3-2 over Columbus Crew 2, settling it with a header five minutes into stoppage time.
Columbus jumped out fast, scoring twice in about five minutes through Chase Adams in the 12th minute and Kevin Gbamblé in the 17th. Captain Alex McGrath pulled one back just before the break, and Chattanooga pressed from the start of the second half until Damien Barker John tied it in the 71st minute.
The game stayed level until the 95th minute, just before it would have gone to extra time. Tate Robertson sent a cross in from the wing, and Farid Sar-Sar, unmarked near the back post, headed it home. It was only his third goal of the season for Sar-Sar, 27, who has played for the club in all three of its MLS NEXT Pro seasons, and he was named man of the match.
The win gives Chattanooga its first Eastern Conference crown in the league and makes it the first independent club to reach the MLS NEXT Pro Cup final. Chattanooga is in just its third season in MLS NEXT Pro, and the comeback capped a playoff run that has kept building at home in front of the Finley Stadium crowd.
Chattanooga will host LAFC 2 in the final next Sunday at 6 p.m. at Finley Stadium, giving the club home field for the biggest match in its short league history. It is the first final for both clubs, and the sixth-seeded Los Angeles side is the lowest seed ever to get there. Chattanooga won 13 times at home this season.
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