One more to go.
The conference champions crowned themselves on Saturday night, setting the stage for the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Cup.
In the East, Philadelphia Union II cruised to a 4-0 win for their first-ever conference title in club history.
It took 106 minutes to find a Western Conference winner, and North Texas SC broke a nervy deadlock to complete their unbeaten season at Choctaw Stadium in thrilling fashion.
The two will meet at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Take a closer look at how it all unfolded below.
Philadelphia Union II (4), Columbus Crew 2 (0)
An era is over.
Columbus Crew 2’s two-year run as Eastern Conference champs ended with a lopsided defeat to Philadelphia Union II.
Striker Markus Anderson’s brace led the way with goals in the 16th and 74th minutes.
But 15-year-old phenom Cavan Sullivan is going to grab the headlines with his long-distance strike just before halftime.
Did it take a deflection? If so, the audacity and vision of the blossoming superstar were on full display.
Sullivan and Anderson were rounded out with another goal by a 56th-minute goal from defender Francis Westfield to help seal the deal.
“Going to enjoy tonight," Union II head coach Marlon LeBlanc said postgame. "...There's very few times you walk off the field as a coach satisfied, and I walked off today satisfied. We've won a lot of games this year and played really well, but this is probably the most satisfying performance that we've had this year."
LeBlanc's side held Crew 2 to only one shot on the evening while putting up a whopping 21 themselves, leaving much to like for Union II fans watching their side march to the Final.
"I feel like it's just a team collective of just putting in the work getting to the ball," added Westfield. "Our game plans, getting to the ball, doing the defensive work, doing the dirty work, and then our that's where our goals come from as well."
North Texas SC (3), St Louis CITY2 (0)
The fans at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas anxiously watched a nil-nil nail-biter before being treated to a dominant conclusion as St Louis CITY2 gave North Texas SC all they could handle early on.
Anthony Ramirez broke the deadlock in the 106th minute to kickstart the late outburst.
NTSC capitalized on the momentum shortly after. Herbert Endeley drew a game-sealing penalty and Pedrinho made no mistake with it.
Malik Henry-Scott piled one more on for insurance right before the final whistle.
"Tough game," NTSC head coach Michel Garbini said post-match. "St. Louis had a very good plan for us. They came, they applied, in a sense probably in the first half, they were the best team."
"...End of the day, we fight all the way through 120 minutes. Very, very proud of the boys for the fight they put it in. And the consequence of the fight was 3-0."
The win was built on another signature performance from 2024 Goalkeeper of the Year Michael Collodi. The 23-year-old racked up a total of five saves, some of which will go straight to the front of his sizzle reel for this season.
"We got a trophy first and foremost," he said in Saturday's celebrations. "Everybody has a job to do. At the end of the day, I'm the guy back there to do exactly that, and that's what they expect me to do. So, a lot of hard work goes into it, definitely proud some of it is paying off, but it's a team effort. Everybody's doing their job all over the place."
