Sigi Schmid makes it back to the MLS Cup final

The former UCLA coach who led the Galaxy to a trio of trophies before being ignominiously shunted aside by AEG, on Thursday night coached the Columbus Crew into the 2008 MLS Cup final at the Home Depot Center.

Whether the Crew's opponent that Nov. 23 afternoon in Carson will be the New York Red Bulls or Real Salt Lake, is irrelevant. It will be Schmid's homecoming as far as Galaxy fans are concerned.

Columbus did it the hard way in front of a loud and passionate crowd of 14,688 on a chilly midweek night at Crew Stadium. It allowed the Chicago Fire to take the lead on a Brian McBride goal, still trailed at the half, and then mounted an inspired second-half comeback to win, 2-1.

A goal by Chad Marshall tied it up before Eddie Gaven scored the game-winner that gave the Crew its first Eastern Conference championship.

"This is the gods of soccer speaking," said Alexi Lalas, "and they have a sense of what is fair and what is just, because Columbus was the best team in MLS all year."

Lalas, who was one of Schmid's starters when the Galaxy won the 2002 MLS title, was speaking on ESPN, where he appears to have found a comfortable new home and commentating platform.

Schmid's immediate post-game assessment was a little less colorful.

"It's tremendous," the league's 2008 Coach of the Year said.

Columbus finished the regular season with the best record in MLS at 17-7-6 and then tied the Kansas City Wizards on the road and defeated them at home in the first round of the playoffs.

Chicago was expected to present a stiffer challenge, the teams twice having tied, 2-2, during the season.

In fact, the Fire, inspired by Cuauhtemoc Blanco, carried the game to Columbus in the first 45 minutes, and it was Blanco who started the move that led to the opening goal in the 29th minute.

The former Mexican international took a quick throw-in on the left sideline, with the ball going to winger Justin Mapp, who rounded a defender before sending a cross into the penalty area.

McBride, a former Crew icon from 1996 to 2003 when he left to play in England, darted between Columbus defenders Danny O'Rourke and Gino Padula and headed the ball powerfully into the roof of the net.

It was his 10th playoff goal, the other nine having been scored for Columbus. Crew fans booed the former U.S. national team standout, many believing he should have rejoined Columbus when he returned to MLS this year.