For the first time in a decade, the LA Galaxy are back atop Major League Soccer.
The Galaxy beat the New York Red Bulls 2-1 in Saturday’s MLS Cup final to claim their league-record sixth championship in MLS’s 29 seasons and their first since 2014.
With injured Galaxy star and Barcelona product Riqui Puig looking on from the sidelines in street clothes after tearing his ACL in last weekend’s Western Conference final, the home side got goals from Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljić inside the first quarter-hour at Dignity Health Sports Park. They never really looked back, even after Sean Nealis scored for the Red Bulls before the first half was over.
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Saturday’s triumph completes a remarkable turnaround for the Galaxy, which finished 26th out of 29 MLS franchises during the regular season in 2023. It also reignites the original MLS club’s crosstown rivalry with LAFC, which had relegated the Galaxy to second-tier status in Los Angeles in recent years. LAFC has won two Supporters Shields and one MLS Cup since debuting as an expansion team six years ago. They were the losing MLS Cup finalists last year.
But now the Galaxy are the toast of Tinseltown once again. Here are a few quick thoughts on Saturday’s MLS Cup.
Play of the game
The opener couldn’t have been much prettier. After exchanging short passes with Edwin Cerrillo, Gastón Brugman’s defense-splitting through ball found a streaking Paintsil in behind. One deft touch from the Ghanaian winger was enough to beat Red Bulls keeper Carlos Coronel and give the hosts a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Paintsil celebrated the goal by holding up Puig’s No. 6 jersey.
Turning point
While Paintsil’s early team goal set the tone, Joveljić’s brilliant individual effort was the back-breaker. The Serbian striker picked up the ball from teammate Mark Delgado about 50 yards from goal and did the rest himself, finishing past Coronel following a surging run into space and past a pair of retreating defenders:
The insurance tally came in handy, as the visitors pulled one back via Nealis. But despite a furious final hour-plus, that was as close as the Red Bulls got.
Key stat
Falling behind early proved to be a fatal blow for the Red Bulls. Suddenly, a team built to relentlessly press every opponent was confronted with a foe more than happy to let them have possession and try to counterattack in transition.
“To go out there and have 60 percent of the ball against LA Galaxy away from home? None of us expect that,” New York midfielder Lewis Morgan admitted in the days leading up to the match.
But with no choice but to chase the game for 80-plus minutes, the Red Bulls came close to that threshold, finishing with 59 percent. They couldn’t do much with it, as home keeper John McCarthy had to make just two saves all afternoon.
What’s next for the Red Bulls?
Just making the championship match was a huge accomplishment for the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed. That doesn’t change the fact that the New Jersey-based club will enter its 30th season in 2025 without hoisting the most important piece of silverware in the American and Canadian game.
Long-suffering Red Bulls fans have to hope that this fall’s Cinderella run to the final will inspire the team’s Austrian owners to invest more money in the club’s roster and make it a legitimate, annual contender. Just making the playoffs, which the Red Bulls have for 15 straight years, isn’t enough. At some point, success has to be the expectation instead of a surprise.
What’s next for the Galaxy?
As a former Galaxy defender, coach Greg Vanney wanted to restore the Galaxy’s status as an elite MLS club more than anyone. Four years into his return to Carson, he’s got a championship-winning team. Now the challenge is to build on this season.
“We need to have all the infrastructure around it to support that team if we want to get back to competing year in and year out and be a contender for championships year in and year out,” Vanney said earlier in the week.
“It can’t just be about one year.”
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports. A staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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