Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic scored in the first half, and the LA Galaxy beat the New York Red Bulls 2-1 on Saturday to win their sixth MLS Cup title.
The Galaxy attacked twice in the first 13 minutes of the final with goals from their star forwards, then held on to their lead without a goal in the second half, lifting the league’s biggest trophy for the first time since 2014.
MLS’ most successful franchise struggled over the next decade, finishing 26th in the 29-team league last year. But the Galaxy changed everything this season with a high-scoring new lineup that took second place in the Western Conference and then bounced through the playoffs with a playoff-record 18 goals in five games to claim another crown.
“I’m so proud of this group after the struggles we went through and how they recovered and competed as a group,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “We expended a lot of energy at the beginning, but I’m so proud of these guys. They have established themselves as legends at this club.”
Sean Nealis scored for the seventh-seeded Red Bulls. The Red Bulls’ postseason responsibilities ended one win short of their first Cup championship. New York, which has the league’s youngest roster, fell just short of becoming the lowest-seeded team to win the MLS playoff tournament under first-year German coach Sandro Schwarz.
“I love these guys,” Schwarz said. “Some people are crying. In the big picture, that’s the beginning. Sometimes it’s hard when you lose a final, but you use that experience to create the next energy, the next intensity.”
The Galaxy won this title without perhaps their most important player. Barcelona’s playmaking midfielder Riqui Puig, who had been impressive in attack all season, tore a knee ligament in last week’s Western Conference finals.
Puig watched the game in a suit, but his teammates did not forget him. His replacement, Gaston Brugmann, set up LA’s opener in the ninth minute with a superb pass, and the paint room celebrated by hoisting Puig’s jersey to cheering fans. .
“I’ve been really waiting for this moment,” said Paynesil, who scored his impressive 14th goal of the season. “I’m a lot faster than them, 10 times faster and Gaston saw the space… It was a really good thing. We did it for Riqui, we did it for the whole family and supporters.”
Just four minutes later, Zobelzyk weaved past four New York defenders to score his 21st goal of an outstanding year for the Galaxy striker.
Brugman named MVP
Brugman was named MLS Cup MVP after a standout performance in midfield. The Uruguayan has not played against the Galaxy since October 5 and only appeared as a postseason substitute before the final.
Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy made four saves to earn his second MLS title in three seasons. He was the 2022 MLS Cup Finals MVP for the Galaxy’s crosstown rival Los Angeles FC.
Nilis beat McCarthy in the 28th minute of the first half with a volley from the LA penalty area.
The second half was lively but goalless. Red Bulls captain Emil Forsberg hit the outside of the post in the 72nd minute, before LA’s Gabriel Pec and Galaxy substitute Marco Reus almost converted the opportunity moments later.
The ball fell into the Galaxy penalty area in the 3rd minute of the second half of extra time, but the two Red Bulls were unable to finish the game.
After Galaxy owner Phil Anschutz received the MLS Cup named after him for his steady financial support during the league’s turbulent years, Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida celebrated amid fireworks and confetti. I carried the trophy up onto a stage full of my teammates.
The Galaxy extended their lead over DC United (4) for the most MLS Cup championships in league history. The Red Bulls remain one of the three original MLS franchises to never win a title, along with FC Dallas and the New England Revolution.
Vanney becomes the fourth coach to win MLS titles with two clubs. He lost three MLS Cup finals as a Galaxy player, but won the title in 2017 as Toronto coach.
The Galaxy finished this season 17-0-3 at the oft-renamed Suburban Stadium. The sell-out crowd of 26,812 for the final included a strong cheering section of Red Bulls supporters hoping to see a breakthrough for the New Jersey-based club.
Last season, Galaxy supporters boycotted the team at certain home games, fed up with years of mismanagement and lack of progress. But the club known for fielding global stars – from David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Robbie Keane and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández – has quickly reinvented itself as a contender this season by spending big to sign young, lesser-known talent. I did it.
The Galaxy have signed Pec from Brazil and Paintsil from Ghana, who plays in Belgium. The duo combined with incumbent Serbian striker Joveljic to form a potent attack capable of outperforming almost any MLS opponent.
But the Galaxy also relied heavily on Puig, the Catalan’s catalyst and one of MLS’ best players. Puig, who missed last week’s game after suffering a knee injury, even delivered the decisive pass to Zobeljic for the only goal of the game.
