CARSON, California – Saturday’s MLS Cup final between the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls seemed easy to predict, in some ways. The Galaxy would take on the role of the flashy team that counts Marco Reus among its talent and would be the favorite after finishing second in the Western Conference, while the Red Bulls would serve as the scrappy No. 7 seed that became the lowest-ranked in the Western Conference. MLS. Cup finalist. The Galaxy beat the visitors… for about 15 minutes before the game took a completely different turn.
The Galaxy scored two goals in the first 13 minutes, courtesy of Joseph Pantsil and Dejan Joveljic, which was enough to survive the Red Bulls’ push to get back into the game. Sean Nealis’ 28th-minute goal off a set piece ensured the Red Bulls were ahead for the rest of the game, dominating the ball after averaging just 31.3% possession in their other four playoff games. . The offensive-minded Galaxy became a defense-first Galaxy, limiting the Red Bulls to just 0.91 expected goals on nine shots and ultimately winning their sixth MLS Cup.
The most successful team in MLS crossed the finish line surviving the absence of Riqui Puig, its MVP contender who tore his ACL a week ago in the conference final while Reus was on the bench. Instead, Gaston Brugman was a surprise star after slotting into the lineup despite a season of inconsistent playing time, recording the assist on Pantsil’s opening goal. This barely scratches the surface of the Galaxy’s unexpected journey to their first MLS Cup in 10 years.
“Having a midfielder working there today was intentional,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said after the game, his jacket soaked and smelling of champagne. “The goal was to try to free up our wingers and Dejan a little more so we could try to transition into attack and for us to be a little more aggressive in the middle of the park during the day, to try to win it. I think the product of having a little bit less possession was the fact that we went up 2-0 and I thought we were incredible in the first 20 minutes.
“I thought every duel, every second ball, I think they just felt a wave coming towards them and, unfortunately, around the 20th or 25th over, I felt like we got a little bit passive and they started to find their way.” The game through set pieces we wanted to win the midfield. That was important for us and those three guys, if you want to win the midfield from a defensive point of view and a point of view of winning the ball and all that, these are three guys that can. do it and they are as good as anyone in our league at doing things like that. They cover ground and they did it. Obviously, they are good soccer players and can help us maintain possession, but we thought this would be a battle, so we had our warriors.”
Their ability to change the tactical approach was a credit to them, especially as the Red Bulls perhaps remained predictable to a fault. Although they did well with the ball at their feet despite not having any particular habit of playing that way under coach Sandro Schwarz, the fact that their high-pressure style of play is familiar to most made the Galaxy reluctant. It will be easy to solve problems.
“We knew they were coming to do [a] press high and put long balls behind,” said defender Mayaa Yoshida. “It’s very simple. It’s nothing special but that’s how they are always and everywhere. In Germany and Austria, the same… After that [start]the game [started] to become more open. “If it’s open, we are very good in the positions, so I had a lot of confidence in the second half.”
The Galaxy became the winningest team in MLS thanks to their stellar talents, counting on players like David Beckham, Robbie Kean and Landon Donovan to a handful of MLS Cup victories. However, attempts to repeat that success have failed: Zlatan Ibrahmovic and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández are just two names who passed through Dignity Health Sports Park without leaving much of a mark or taking home trophies.
However, when Vanney was hired by the Galaxy in 2021, it was the beginning of an ambitious project that shows the evolution of the league as a whole. Although the MLS story throughout the year was about the star-studded Inter Miami team led by Lionel Messi, the league has become more complicated over the years.
“There are a lot of things that can balance teams and the little things often make a difference,” Vanney said. “If you have a good plan and the players you bring in fit that plan and you get the most out of those guys, you can make a difference in this league and New York didn’t have a great regular season. They had a great postseason and I found the small formula in the end that made them a really good team and a team that was hard to beat and in the playoffs, you can make that kind of run. That’s happened a lot in this league and you see that happens a lot in MLS. teams that may not have. all the pieces one year, they have all the pieces they need the next year and things come together and work and that’s possible.”
That’s particularly relevant for the Galaxy, who finished 13th in the West but didn’t abandon their vision.
“For our club, you saw it this year, when the [designated player] When spots opened up, we didn’t necessarily go after guys with names and big careers that were already behind them,” Vanney said. “We take guys that are hungry, super talented and athletic and fit our style of play. , which is important. They fit with the guys we had and they knew they were going to make them better and make our team better and we tried to build on the vision that these guys came here, again, with the desire to win, but also with the desire to continue to improve and continue to build their careers as well.
That includes Joveljic, who joined the Galaxy in 2021 and waited until his time finally came.
“I knew this league is the future, so I came in when I was 22, I think, and I knew I was going to get my chance,” Joveljic said. “The first years were very hard. I doubted, I was on the bench. Chicharito was the first option but I know my time will come. I’m going to prove it.” [to] all that I am [the] LA Galaxy No. 9 and this season finally paid off.”
The Galaxy’s somewhat unglamorous path to its sixth MLS Cup may, fortunately, not be permanent. They were among the highest scoring teams in the league and with a rested Reus and a fit Puig at some point next year, the youth-focused team will certainly be an entertaining contender in 2025. Arguably it wasn’t the performances of previous years, or even the season that just concluded, but the Galaxy is officially back and mapping out a new version of its history.
“This doesn’t matter because a winner is a winner,” Yoshida said. “Nobody remembers how we played, but they definitely remember who won.”
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