With their first MLS Cup title in 10 years, the Los Angeles Galaxy are back after defeating the New York Red Bulls 2-1 on Saturday. They didn’t wait long to start the scoring with Joseph Paintsil opening things in the ninth minute of play before Dejan Joveljic doubled the lead in only the 13th minute of play. It seemed like the Galaxy would make quick work of this one but once the Red Bulls settled, they were able to get a goal back before the first half came to a close via Sean Nealis following a corner kick.
Set pieces have been the bread and butter for the Red Bulls during the postseason with them scoring four goals from those situations but to defeat the Galaxy, taking your chances from open play is also important. Without Riqui Puig, who missed the match with an ACL tear, Gaston Brugman and Marc Delgado both delivered assists from midfield as the Galaxy celebrated their goals by lifting Puig’s number 10 shirt.
It’s a moment to make sure that their talisman’s hard work didn’t go to waste as having extra motivation can go a long way in the biggest moments. Being able to sub on Marco Reus while already leading by a goal isn’t too bad either. This has been a long time coming for the Galaxy who had fans protesting matches until then-president Chris Klein was fired in 2023, but the turnaround under Gregg Vanney’s leadership has been immense.
After finishing second in the Western Conference, the Galaxy went on to score an MLS record 18 goals during the postseason and were able to reward their fans by lifting the MLS Cup in their home stadium to cap off an excellent year. The Red Bulls are a young team who will be back but this day is all about the return of one of MLS’ powerhouse franchises back to the top.