CARSON, Calif. — Head coach Greg Vanney stated the LA Galaxy are “on prime once more” after defeating the New York Red Bulls 2-1 on Saturday and claiming their first MLS Cup title in 10 years.
“This is sort of the stamp that we’re again,” Vanney stated postgame. “At the Galaxy, it is about successful championships and I feel that was, going into this week, that was the factor. We’ve confirmed, I feel, that we’re again as a company and now it is to show that we’re again as champions and we’re on prime once more.
“These guys did it and so they cemented their legacy.”
Heading into the ultimate, the league-leading five-time winners aimed to snap a title drought that went again to 2014. Despite their profitable bounce-back season in 2024 that earned the crew the No. 2 seed within the Western Conference, there have been preliminary worries concerning Saturday’s championship that would not function injured star and MLS Best XI winner Riqui Puig.
“As a gaggle, he deserved [the title] simply as a lot as we did,” goalkeeper John McCarthy stated. “It was a complete group effort, and at the moment, it confirmed though he wasn’t on the sphere. We did it for him identical to we did it for the group.”
That effort meant that non-marquee choices comparable to Gastón Brugman and Marky Delgado wanted to compensate for Puig’s absence within the midfield. While Delgado offered an help for Dejan Joveljic‘s eventual game-winner within the first half, Brugman, who was chosen as the sport’s MVP, offered the cross for Joseph Paintsil‘s opening aim within the ninth.
“I dreamed it yesterday and I dreamed of one thing else that I might give to the crew,” Brugman stated postgame about his affect and first begin of the playoffs. “I used to be capable of do it, it was nice to see them, see the crew with starvation, and it was thrilling and we had been the deserved winners.”
On the opposite finish of the pitch, the Red Bulls lamented their poor begin that allowed two objectives within the early levels.
“We weren’t that aggressive as we must be, perhaps not that intelligent with the ball [during] the primary quarter-hour,” stated Red Bulls playmaker Emil Forsberg. “But as properly, we performed in opposition to an excellent crew, they’re gonna create probabilities, they scored two good objectives.”
The end result proved to be a troublesome one for the Cinderella facet that made historical past because the lowest seed (No. 7 within the Eastern Conference) to qualify for an MLS Cup last.
“What I can say is at all times the identical, I really like these guys, how the response was,” Red Bulls coach Sandro Schwarz stated. “Now they’re within the locker room. For certain, some guys they’re crying.
“Sometimes it is robust if you lose the ultimate, but in addition [we need] to make use of this expertise to create the subsequent power, the subsequent depth.”
The Galaxy, who’re the league’s all-time leaders in titles with six, now have two extra Cup wins than the subsequent closest crew in D.C. United. The Red Bulls, in the meantime, stay one in all three authentic MLS golf equipment — alongside the New England Revolution and FC Dallas — to have by no means lifted the Cup.
