Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic scored within the first half, and the LA Galaxy received their document sixth MLS Cup championship with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
After putting twice within the first 13 minutes of the ultimate with objectives from their star forwards, the Galaxy nursed their lead via a scoreless second half to boost their league’s greatest trophy for the primary time since 2014.
MLS’ most profitable franchise struggled via a lot of the ensuing decade, even ending twenty sixth within the 29-team league final yr. But the Galaxy turned every little thing round this season with a high-scoring new lineup that completed second within the Western Conference after which streaked via the playoffs with a whopping 18 objectives in 5 video games to win one other crown.
(Frederic J. Brown/AFP through Getty Images)
Sean Nealis scored for the seventh-seeded Red Bulls, whose unbelievable cost via the playoffs ended one win shy of its first Cup championship. With the league’s youngest roster, New York fell simply wanting turning into the lowest-seeded crew to win MLS’ playoff event underneath first-year German coach Sandro Schwarz.
Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy made 4 saves to win his second MLS title in three seasons. He was the MVP of the 2022 MLS Cup Final for the Galaxy’s crosstown rival, Los Angeles FC.
The Galaxy received this title with out maybe their most essential participant. Riqui Puig, the playmaking midfielder from Barcelona who ran their offense impressively all season lengthy, tore a ligament in his knee final week within the Western Conference last.
Puig watched the sport in a swimsuit, however his teammates hadn’t forgotten him: After his alternative, Gastón Brugman, arrange LA’s opening purpose with an excellent cross, Paintsil held up Puig’s jersey to their followers in the course of the celebration.
Etienne Laurent / AP
Paintsil put the Galaxy forward within the ninth minute when he ran onto that chic cross from Brugman and pounded dwelling his 14th MLS purpose — together with 4 within the playoffs — within the Ghanaian ahead’s excellent first season.
Just 4 minutes later, Joveljic sprinted previous 4 New York defenders and chipped dwelling the twenty first purpose of his excellent yr because the Galaxy’s striker.
Nealis bought New York on the scoreboard within the twenty eighth minute when he volleyed dwelling a ball that bought unfastened in LA’s penalty space after a nook. The Galaxy’s often shaky protection gave up one other handful of fine probabilities earlier than reaching halftime with a tenuous lead.
The second half was energetic, however scoreless. Red Bulls captain Emil Forsberg hit the skin of the publish within the 72nd minute, whereas Gabriel Pec and Galaxy substitute Marco Reus almost transformed probabilities just a few moments later.
The ball bought unfastened once more within the Galaxy’s penalty space within the third minute of additional time, however two Red Bulls could not end. The Galaxy bench rushed onto the sphere and prematurely celebrated a victory within the seventh minute of harm time, solely to be herded again off for one more 30 seconds of play.
The Galaxy completed 17-0-3 this season at their ceaselessly renamed suburban stadium, the place the sellout crowd of 26,812 for the ultimate included a number of strong cheering sections of touring Red Bulls supporters hoping to see their New Jersey-based membership’s breakthrough on MLS’ greatest stage.
The Galaxy’s Greg Vanney grew to become the fourth coach to win an MLS title with two golf equipment. The former Galaxy participant additionally received all of it with Toronto in 2017.
The membership well-known for using international stars from David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Robbie Keane and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández rebuilt itself this season with lesser-known younger skills from around the globe.
The Galaxy signed Pec from Brazil and the Ghanaian Paintsil out of Belgium, and the duo mixed with incumbent Serbian striker Joveljic to kind a potent assault that might outscore virtually any MLS opponent.
But the Galaxy additionally relied closely on Puig, their Catalan catalyst and one in all MLS’ finest gamers. Puig stayed in final week’s recreation after injuring his knee, and he even delivered the decisive cross to Joveljic for the sport’s solely purpose.
