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Columbus Crew SC (2008, 2020, 2023 MLS Champions)

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It was mentioned above, but what a display from Waylon Francis. He completely shut down his side of the field. Lloyd Sam will be having nightmares about him for months to come. That's not a knock on Afful either because he was superb as well, but Francis was utterly dominant.
 
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How Columbus Crew SC and the Portland Timbers reached MLS Cup

Columbus Crew SC (15-8-11, 53 points, 2nd in East)

For most of 2015, Crew SC was a team that could score goals but didn't necessarily know how to avoid giving them up, as reflected by its goal-scoring record: 58 goals for, tied for second in the league, and 53 conceded, second-worst among playoff teams. A deficient defense looked like the Achilles' heel undermining any chance the Black and Gold had of putting together a deep playoff run. The East had more-balanced teams, and although the old axiom about defense winning championships is often probably false, a team must play at least a little defense to give itself a chance.

Then Crew SC morphed into a solid defensive team, just in time for the playoffs. After giving up two goals to the Red Bulls in a 2-1 loss on Oct. 3, Columbus found a defensive rhythm that allowed it to keep teams close and maximize its attacking advantage.

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Michael Parkhurst has led Columbus Crew SC's defensive revival in the playoffs.

More accurately, head coach Gregg Berhalter devised a beautiful game plan, first shutting down Didier Drogba over two games against Montreal, then neutralizing the Red Bulls' league-leading attack in the conference finals. Using a combination of solid center-back play between Michael Parkhurst, Tyson Wahl and Gaston Sauro, the contributions of Tony Tchani and Wil Trapp in midfield and the stellar goalkeeping of Steve Clark, Columbus outwitted and outplayed both of its playoff opponents.

That doesn't mean Crew SC has completely changed its stripes. This is a still a team that wants to get forward aggressively. Columbus boasts an irresistible force in center-forward Kei Kamara, and the speed and dynamism of Ethan Finlay and Justin Meram on the wings must be accounted for by opposing teams.

Entire article: http://www.espnfc.us/major-league-s...-crew-sc-and-portland-timbers-reached-mls-cup
 
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The biggest change in that defense, was replacing Tyson Wahl with Gaston Sauro (who has quickly become arguably the best CB in the entire league), and adding Harrison Afful at RB which was a huge question mark after the strange departure of Hernan Grana. Both guys completely changed the dynamic of the entire team. Afful's ability to press forward and deliver accurate crosses while still managing to fly back and defend has changed the way teams attack against the Crew. Sauro has just been a brick wall in the center. He's also added some much needed size on the back line to defend against corners which really hurt Columbus early in the season.

Berhalter has done a remarkable job putting this squad together, and I see them only improving next year.
 
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