John Wayne In Yellow Shorts

• Columbus Dispatch, Monday, November 24, 2008 2:16 PM

Michael Arace hails the Columbus Crew's first MLS title as "the biggest professional trophy ever brought to Columbus." And Guillermo Barros Schelotto, MVP of both the season and the final, "should now be mentioned with other great athletes who've plied their trade in Columbus, including Heisman Trophy winners, Rose Bowl heroes, national players of the year and Rocket Richard Award recipients." Schelotto, he adds, "is John Wayne in yellow shorts."

Schelotto "put on a show of breathtaking skill in the most pressure-packed event soccer has to offer in our country." His set-up for Frankie Hejduk's goal "was a helium-inspired pass, to a player no one saw coming," taking even Hejduk by surprise.

"He's a magic man," said Hejduk. "I have no idea how he saw me running through there. I was just making another stupid run. Only this time, I scored." Hejduk talked about how he and the other players didn't really want the season to end. "Normally, you're tired and sick of each other by this point. But we're just one, big, happy family, fighting for each other the way you fight for family. It was like a dream season, an absolute dream season. I couldn't have written it any better."

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