AWhile Major League Soccer entered a new era when Inter Miami signed Lionel Messi last year, the LA Galaxy were seemingly left as a relic of another era. The club of David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Robbie Keane failed to reach the play-offs for the fifth time in seven seasons. Supporters protested against the Galaxy’s leadership and boycotted matches. The original glamor club of MLS had lost its luster.
Now, however, the Galaxy are just one match away from a record sixth MLS Cup title, with Greg Vanney’s team hosting the New York Red Bulls in the championship decider on Saturday. Ten years after they last lifted the trophy, the Galaxy have the chance to reaffirm their status as the competition’s top club, with Messi and Co watching from home.
What was intended to be a play-off series defined by Inter Miami and their all-time great Argentine will instead be remembered for the shocks it caused. Atlanta United beat record-breaking Supporters’ Shield winners. RBNY’s upset over the defending champions, Columbus Crew, and fourth seeds Orlando City. New York City’s victory over third seed FC Cincinnati.
It will also be remembered for the scintillating football played by an LA Galaxy team that scored 16 goals in just four play-off games. In the absence of football’s greatest entertainer, the Galaxy have provided a spectacle almost every time they have taken the field, with a particular highlight being their 6-2 victory over Minnesota United in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Anyone who watched the Galaxy during the regular season won’t be surprised by their attacking prowess, with only Inter Miami and Columbus scoring more goals. However, the question about the Galaxy’s playoff chances focused on their defense. Of all the teams that made the playoffs this season, only CF Montreal, the Colorado Rapids and the Portland Timbers conceded more.
As the Galaxy sidelined the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference finals last weekend, the feeling remains that their defensive line is just a moment away from disaster. However, Vanney has embraced this chaos. The Galaxy has learned to use their inevitable volatility to fuel their fire of attack. No matter how many goals you score against the Galaxy, they will score more.
Their front line of Dejan Joveljic, Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec is as dynamic as the one in the MLS. The trio have combined for 50 goals and 26 assists in 2024 and give the Galaxy a variety of attacking looks: they can overwhelm defenders in the air and dribble past them on the ground. Joveljic can even beat you at chess: he is ranked 17,517th in the world.
Playmaker Riqui Puig could be the one to checkmate the Galaxy in Saturday’s MLS Cup final, such is the Spaniard’s ability to see moves before they happen. But he is sidelined after tearing an ACL in last weekend’s win over Seattle. The former Barcelona midfielder still managed to provide the winning assist while playing on one leg. He will be missed.
Saturday’s match will be reminiscent of a different era in MLS, one that many thought the league had moved on from. The LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls are establishing MLS members (albeit under a different name in the latter’s case) that seemed to have been left behind as new franchises joined the league, with more modern stadiums and bigger names. and greater ambitions. It wasn’t just Inter Miami, it was also clubs like Atlanta United, Los Angeles FC and New York City FC.
However, by hiring Will Kuntz as general manager last winter after a successful stint at rivals LAFC, the Galaxy made a statement of intent. After years of missing signings such as Kevin Cabral and Cristian Pavon, the transfer strategy changed. “The league has evolved since 10 years ago,” Kuntz said With heels“and what that means is that the way teams put together consistent championship contenders is a little bit different.”
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The Galaxy still have recognizable European stars – Puig and Marco Reus – but only one of them (Puig) occupies a Designated Player spot. The other two are filled in their peak years by players with high potential: Paintsil and Pec. “The biggest change we’ve made is the how,” says Kuntz. “Not what we want to do, but how we are going to do it.”
RBNY has certainly changed the ‘how’ and the ‘what we want to do’ as they were once a major franchise in the days of Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill. Just two months ago, Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff criticized the MLS “for developing far too slowly.” Many countered that the Red Bulls’ New York franchise is as much to blame for that as anyone. The club stagnated for years. Few believed they would ever reach an MLS Cup final anytime soon.
Just like against Columbus, NYC FC and Orlando, RBNY will be the underdogs on Saturday, but the match against the Galaxy could go their way. A chaotic, end-to-end encounter could make the most of Sandro Schwarz’s energetic outfit. If the Galaxy don’t want to defend, the Red Bulls don’t want to pass. Their direct approach might work.
The first-ever LA v New York MLS Cup final has the potential to be unforgettable. A first championship is at stake for RBNY. Their victory would highlight the unpredictability of the MLS playoffs and the inherent equality that must be protected as the league continues to grow and evolve. For the LA Galaxy, Saturday could mark a return to their glory days.