CARSON, Calif. -- In a documentary on the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, the cameras captured coach Herb Brooks urging his team late in the third period to complete the stunning upset of the Soviet Union.
He continually walked behind the bench from one end to the other repeating a simple but effective phrase, "Play your game. Play your game. Play your game."
The Americans did and pulled off the game of their lives. Two days later they beat Finland for the gold medal.
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MLS Cup Sights & Sounds
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SIGHTS & SOUNDS
The surface is different, the venue is much greener than the snow-capped mountains of Lake Placid, N.Y., but the Columbus Crew are using a similar refrain as they prepare to face New York on Sunday in the MLS Cup Final in The Home Depot Center.
"The key for us is to play our game," coach Sigi Schmid said.
"We have to play our game," defender Gino Padula said. "We play all season like this. We don't have to change anything."
"We need to just go out and play our game," midfielder Eddie Gaven said.
And this from defender Frankie Hejduk: "We have to play our game the way we've been playing all year. We can't change our strategy at all. We've always not had to worry about the other team. We were about how we play. We worry about our togetherness on the field and how we fight for each other and if we can do those things like we've been doing all year then the game should go how it's been."
So, now that the Crew are in their first MLS Cup, what is the Crew's "game" that led it to the Supporters' Shield with a 17-7-6 record, a conference semifinal series win against Kansas City and the Eastern Conference Championship via a 2-1 victory against Chicago?
"Our game is a mindset," defender Danny O'Rourke said. "Frankie has talked from day one about coming out with a mentality of being (jerks) out there. When we work hard, make runs off the ball, we tackle and we're into it mentality and physically that's when it's hard to play us."
There's more to it than just a strong mental approach. The Crew have been able to meld a strong offense (No. 2 in the league) and a solid defense (No. 3) while showing an unflappable nature. They have won or tied a league-best 11 times when allowing the first goal, as they did in their last match vs. the Fire.
"We have that confidence in our offense that we're going to score goals. We've never out of the game," MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall said. "We don't want to change anything we've been doing all season."
The Crew's game is also about running the attack through league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The key is not having Schelotto drifting away from forward Alejandro Moreno, who does tireless work around the top of the penalty area.
On the winner against the Fire, Schelotto headed the ball off to the right side to Moreno who then flicked the ball ahead to an onrushing Eddie Gaven in the box to set up a clinical finish.
"We need to keep the ball. We need to move the ball," assistant coach Robert Warzycha said. "We are a much faster team than New York. We're playing very well offensively. When we're in rhythm we can be very, very dangerous.
"You never whose going to step up; who's going to have the best game. We have so many players. That's our strength."
The Crew use the flanks effectively with the steady Gaven on the right and swift U.S. Olympian Robbie Rogers causing damage on the other side. When those two aren't in dangerous spots the ball might go to underrated midfielder Brad Evans. He had five goals in the regular season, including a 30-yard blast in the season finale against D.C. United that essentially enabled New York to climb over D.C. for the final playoff spot.
"It's business as usual for us," Moreno said. "We've had the same routine. We've had the same training sessions. We didn't want to vary anything. When we play with confidence and do the things that come naturally we're a very good team."
Moreno, Rogers and Schelotto finished second, third and fourth in the league in fouls suffered. That means Schelotto has plenty of restart opportunities. The Crew had six goals from free kicks (one scored directly from the kick by Schelotto) and five goals from corners in the regular season.
The tying goal against Chicago came off a Schelotto free kick service to Marshall, who scored for the fifth time on a header.
At the other end of the field, unsung holding midfielder Brian Carroll is the glue. His ability to quickly decipher the approaching play helps the backline get organized and sets the shape defensively for the other midfielders. He is rarely out of position and Carroll is also good at turning the ball upfield to start counterattacks.
O'Rourke and Marshall anchor the center defense and the veterans Hejduk at right back and Gino Padula on the left are yin and yang. Padula knows when to stay back when the infatigable Hejduk makes a run.
Their play makes that of goalkeeper William Hesmer easier. He had 10 shutouts in the regular season and one in the playoffs.
"We've been organized defensively," Moreno said. "Also in the final third we can be very dynamic when we get Robbie Rogers involved, when we get Eddie Gaven involved and let Guillermo do the things he does for us and we get in the box and we're dangerous. It is the same thing we've done throughout the year."
For Schmid, the emphasis in training this week was focusing on the team's strength. Another favorite saying he borrowed from Moreno is "Do what you do."
He also relies on advice he received as an assistant on the 1994 World Cup under head coach Bora Milutinovic.
"Bora used to have a saying, 'You must know everything about your opponent. You must know nothing.' It used to confuse me. What he really meant is you have to prepare yourself, you've got to know your opponent but at the end of the day it's you that's important. That's where you're at.
"The guys know who New York has, who the players are that we've got to pay special attention to. The last thing we said at the end of the practice is it's about our execution, it's about our work rate, it's about our effort."
Or, as Padula put it, "If we change then we'll have a bad game. The key is to keep our clean sheet. We know if we get a clean sheet we can score goals."
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