CARSON, California – Saturday’s MLS Cup final between the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls felt easy to predict in some ways. The Galaxy would assume the role of the flashy team that counts Marco Reus among his talents and serve as favorites after finishing second in the Western Conference, while the Red Bulls would act like the dirty No. 7 seed that has the lowest placed MLS. Cup finalist. The Galaxy did gain the upper hand over the visitors… for about 15 minutes before the match took on a completely different complexion.
The Galaxy scored two goals in the opening thirteen minutes thanks to Joseph Pantsil and Dejan Joveljic, which was just enough to survive the Red Bulls’ push to get back into the match. Sean Nealis’ 28th minute goal from a set piece ensured the Red Bulls would be on the front foot for the remainder of the match, dominating the ball after averaging just 31.3% possession in their four other playoff games . The attack-oriented Galaxy became a defense-first Galaxy, limiting the Red Bulls to just 0.91 expected goals from nine shots and ultimately winning their sixth MLS Cup.
MLS’s most successful team crossed the finish line by surviving the absence of Riqui Puig, their MVP contender who tore his ACL in the conference finals a week ago and with Reus on the bench. Gaston Brugman was instead a surprise star after being inserted into the lineup despite a season of inconsistent playing time, scoring the assist on Pantsil’s opening goal. This is just a sketch of the Galaxy’s unexpected journey to their first MLS Cup in 10 years.
“We were supposed to have a working midfield today,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said after the match, his suit jacket soaked and carrying the stench of champagne. “The purpose of it was to try to give our wingers and Dejan a little bit more space so that we could transition into attack and be a little bit more aggressive in the middle of the park. I think the result of a little less possession was that we were 2-0 up and I thought we were incredible in the first twenty minutes.
“I thought every game, every second ball they just felt a wave coming at them and unfortunately around the 20th or 25th we became a bit passive, that’s what I felt like, and they started to find their way in. 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 from a ball-winning point of view, these are three guys who can do it and they are as good as anyone in our league that stuff like that They cover ground and they have done that. They are obviously good footballers and they can help us keep possession, but we thought this was going to be a battle so we had our fighters.”
Their ability to change the tactical approach was a credit to them, especially as the Red Bulls perhaps remained predictable to some extent. Although they did well with the ball at their feet, despite not having a specific habit of playing that way under head coach Sandro Schwarz, the fact that their high-press playing style is known to most made it for the Galaxy easy to solve problems.
‘We knew they were coming to make it [a] putting high pressure and long balls behind it,” said defender Mayaa Yoshida. ‘It’s very simple. It’s nothing special, but they are like that all the time, everywhere. Same in Germany and Austria… Then [start]the game [started] to become more open. When it’s open we’re in really good positions, so I was really confident in the second half.”
The Galaxy became MLS’s winningest team thanks to star talent, with the likes of David Beckham, Robbie Kean and Landon Donovan in a handful of their MLS Cup wins. However, attempts to repeat that success have backfired: Zlatan Ibrahmovic and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez are just two names who have passed through Dignity Health Sports Park without leaving much of an impression or taking home any silverware.
However, when Vanney was hired by the Galaxy in 2021, it was the start of an ambitious project that showcases the evolution of the league as a whole. While the story of MLS during the year has been 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 little things often make the 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 season. They had a good plan.” great postseason and found the little formula at the end that made them a really good team and a team that was hard to beat. You can achieve such a performance in the play-offs. That’s happened before in this league, do you see that around MLS Teams that maybe one year they don’t have all the pieces, the next year they have all the pieces they need, and things come together and they run and so it’s possible.”
That’s especially relevant for the Galaxy, who finished 13th in the West but didn’t stop with their vision.
“For our club you saw this year, when the [designated player] Spots opened up, we didn’t necessarily go looking for guys with a name and a big career that’s kind of behind them,” Vanney noted. “We went for guys who are hungry, super-talented, athletic and who fit our playing style. , which is important. They fit the guys we had and they knew they were going to make those guys better and make our team better. We tried to build on a 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 before his time finally came.
“I knew this league is the future, so I came at the age of 22, I think, and I knew I would get my chance,” Joveljic said. “The first few years it was very difficult. I had doubts, I was on the bench. Chicharito was the first choice, but I know my moment will come. I’m going to prove [to] everyone who I am [the] LA Galaxy No. 9 and this season it finally paid off.”
The Galaxy’s somewhat unglamorous route to their sixth MLS Cup thankfully may not be permanent. They were among the highest scoring teams in the league and with a rested Reus and a fit Puig sometime next year, the youth-oriented side will undoubtedly be an entertaining contender in 2025. It may not have been the statement-making performances of recent years , or even the season that just ended, but the Galaxy are officially back and charting a new version of their storied history.
“This doesn’t matter because a winner is a winner,” Yoshida said. “No one remembers how we play, but they certainly remember who won.”