The days when MLS teams had largely the same sort of approach - physical and relatively direct - are long gone with the increase in players from South America and coaches from around the world.
Columbus's French coach Wilfried Nancy, who only took over the team a year ago, has swiftly turned the Crew into a team which plays a modern, attractive version of possession football.
LAFC, under American Steve Cherundolo, who spent his playing career in Germany's Bundesliga, are at their most dangerous playing on the counter-attack when they can take full advantage of the pace and goal-threat of Gabon international Denis Bouanga, the league's Golden Boot winner with 20 goals in the regular season.
Those differences should make for a fascinating encounter and while the Crew enjoy home field advantage, with Lower.com Field sold out with heavily local support, their veteran captain Darlington Nagbe, an MLS winner with Portland and Atlanta, knows they can't get carried away by the occasion.
"We have been good at home, consistent at home, put in good performance but it's a final, no-one is going to come here and lay down and LAFC definitely won't do that," he told a news conference on Thursday. "We have to be disciplined and we have shown that recently against teams that are attacking, powerful and with fast wingers.
"We have grown, we have to obviously to play our game but also stay disciplined and respect our opponent. We have to try to stay patient and trust," he said. The Crew, winners in 2008 and again in 2020, reached the final thanks to a thrilling comeback win against the top team in the regular season, FC Cincinnati.
The local derby saw the Crew fall 2-0 down before they rallied late in the game to force extra-time and then win
Read on besoccer.com