Columbus Crew 3-1 Philadelphia Union: Player ratings as Rossi's double lifts Crew to Leagues Cup final

A brace from Diego Rossi lifted Columbus Crew to the Leagues Cup final in a 3-1 triumph over Philadelphia Union.

It was a dream start for the reigning MLS Cup champions who found a deserved opener after putting a considerable amount of pressure on the Union defense early on. Columbus' talisman Juan 'Cucho' Hernandez cut inside on his favored right foot and sent in a cross that Andre Blake initially got a hand to before Diego Rossi finished off the move with a header from close range.

Although Blake did well to get a hand to Hernandez's cross, the Jamaica international could do nothing about Rossi's header as he was at the right place at the right time to put the hosts 1-0 up early on.

However, the Union would fight back in the first half and level things up through Daniel Gazdag. A poor touch and pass from Columbus' Yevhen Cheberko across his own penalty area saw Gazdag pounce on the defender's mistake and fire a strike past Patrick Schulte. Schulte's initial pass to Cheberko wasn't the best, and Cheberko's grave error gave the Union a chance to square things up.

Just before halftime, the Crew would manage to regain the lead through a volleyed effort from Rossi. The Uruguayan found Christian Ramirez at the top of Philadelphia's penalty area before making a darting run behind the Union backline. Ramirez picked Columbus' No. 10 out with a lofted pass that Rossi got on the end of with a well-placed volley to put Columbus back in the driver's seat.

The Crew added to their lead early on in the second half after a well-worked move from the Eastern Conference team. Defender Steven Moreira found himself with the ball out wide in the final third and teed up Hernandez -- who's initial headed effort was saved by Blake. However, Hernandez followed up quickly to fire home a shot into the roof of the net to make it 3-1 in favor of the Crew.

As the full-time whistle blew at Lower.com Field, the Crew had secured yet another final appearance as they'll take on either LAFC or Colorado Rapids in the Leagues Cup final Sunday night. Although the Union won't have a shot at a trophy, they'll still have the chance to take home third place depending on who comes up short in the LAFC-Colorado Rapids semi-final.

Columbus Crew player ratings vs Philadelphia Union ( 3-4-2-1 )

GK: Patrick Schulte - 6/10 - Partly at fault for Gazdag's goal due to his unconvincing pass to Cheberko right in front of his own goal. Stepped up to make a couple of key stops down the stretch.

CB: Steven Moreira - 7/10 - Rock-solid in defense and got in on the action up front with a perfect cross that nearly counted as an assist.

CB: Rudy Camacho - 6/10 - Camacho put in a sound performance at the back to keep the Union from mounting a comeback.

CB: Yevhen Cheberko - 5/10 - No problems on the defensive side of things but his poor touch and attempted pass resulted in the visitors pulling one back.

RWB: Mohamed Farsi - 7/10 - One of the Crew's best players on the night. He put in several good crosses during the opening stages of the match and was constantly up-and-down the right-hand side of the pitch.

CM: Sean Zawadzki - 6/10 - A quiet yet decent performance from Zawadzki.

CM: Darlington Nagbe - 7/10 - The midfield general put in another shift to play his part in the Crew's win. His anticipation and awareness was on point as he helped progress play through the middle of the pitch time and time again.

LWB: Max Arfsten - 6/10 - Started strong with a few brilliant runs down the left-hand side but faded as the game wore on.

AM: Christian Ramirez - 7/10 - The 32-year-old shined again playing in the attacking midfielder role just behind Hernandez. He was selfless once again in and around the Union's penalty area as he grabbed an assist for Rossi's second goal.

AM: Diego Rossi - 9/10 - What a performance from Rossi. The former LAFC figure put the team on his back to add his fifth and sixth goals of the tournament in just his fourth match -- which leads all players -- to propel the Crew to another final.

ST: Cucho Hernandez - 8/10 - Columbus' No. 9 starred once again bagging a goal while also picking up an assist. His performance may go under the radar given Rossi's brace but it was still another impressive outing from the Colombia international.

Substitutes

SUB: Alexandru Matan (88' for Rossi) - N/A

SUB: Dylan Chambost (88' for Ramirez) - N/A

SUB: Malte Amundsem (88' for Arfsten) - N/A

Manager

Wilfried Nancy - 9/10 - It was just about flawless performance from Nancy's side other than the error made by Cheberko near his own goal. The Crew once again were dominant for most of the match and will fancy their chances no matter who they come up against in the final this weekend.

Player of the match - Diego Rossi