OBETZ, Ohio – When Wil Trapp steps onto the MAPFRE Stadium field for MLS Cup on Sunday (4 pm ET; ESPN, WatchESPN, UniMas in the US; TSN and RDS2 in Canada), he’ll be playing for an MLS title less than 10 miles from where he grew up.
A product of Gahanna Lincoln High School just outside of Columbus, Trapp has become the biggest “local” celebrity on a Crew SC team that will have players born in three different continents – and a couple from Michigan – in the starting XI.
But in the lead-up to the biggest match of his professional career, Trapp says he’s not letting his central Ohio roots cloud his thoughts.
“Honestly, I’ve kind of moved past that ‘being a local kid’ thing,” he said. “It’s kind of surreal that there’s a final here in Columbus and we’re hosting it and we can win it. That’s where a lot of us, as well as myself, are at, at this point.”
Playing in front of his home fans in a stadium where he grew up watching his beloved Crew play might sound like the most cliché version of the "hometown boy come good" story.
But that’s not how Trapp sees it.
“You could say that; I wouldn’t say that,” he said with a smile. “I would say it’s just another step in the development of this team. We’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point, and if we can culminate it with a win on Sunday, that would be pretty amazing.”
Trapp says he’ll have “not a crazy-high number,” but a large portion of his family and friends in town for the game. He said he’s taken care of as many as he can with tickets, but the demand has been too high.
But the Gahanna native isn’t the only one with strong Columbus ties at this point. Goalkeeper Steve Clark talked about feeling one with the Columbus population, and Trapp says that adoption of the city runs throughout the team.
“The locker room has done a fantastic job of accepting this community, accepting this city as their own, and the fans have reciprocated that,” he said. “So I don’t feel isolated at all, being the only one that feels like I have pride in the city, because we all do. We want to win for the club, obviously, we want to win for our teammates, but I think we all want to win for the city.”
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Trapp admitted he’s “excited to have the opportunity to lift the cup in front of our hometown fans.” He’s not sure what will happen with a win, though a party will certainly be involved as there’s no flight home to worry about.
With a loss? He says he’ll simply be even more in need of an upcoming trip to Key West.
But before he can think about the trophy, he’ll have to walk onto the field and compete for an MLS Cup in front of a largely hometown crowd. And he can’t help but notice that, even if only for a moment.
“I’ll think about it,” he said with a smile. “But it will be quick thought and then I’ll be focused on the game. You don’t get to that point without taking care of business and executing against Portland.”
