LA Galaxy 2 New York Red Bulls 1: No Puig, no problem as Vanney’s team wins their sixth MLS Cup

The LA Galaxy may have been without their most influential player of the season in Sunday’s MLS Cup final, but that didn’t stop them from winning the Cup for the sixth time, defeating the New York Red Bulls on home soil in Carson, California. to beat.

In the end it was a wild scene. Galaxy players, including injured superstar Riqui Puig – who was wearing his jersey backwards – streamed onto the pitch, mistakenly believing the final whistle had sounded, before being led back to the sidelines. But the celebrations would begin soon enough.

Puig was ruled out after his injury heroics against the Seattle Sounders in the last round, but Greg Vanney’s team got out of the blocks quickly and took a 2-0 lead with goals from Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic within the first 13 minutes. The Red Bulls were completely shocked and their star player Emil Forsberg had not touched the ball before they fell two goals behind.

However, they found some control as the first half progressed and equalized when Sean Nealis converted a corner in the 28th minute.

The second half was much more even, with Gabriel Pec missing a great chance for the Galaxy and Forsberg doing the same for the Red Bulls, but Vanney’s side held on and prevented their opponents from lifting the MLS Cup for the first time.

We analyze the key talking points from Galaxy’s win on home soil at Dignity Health Sports Park…

Vanney was Galaxy’s biggest addition

This final was a duel between two old opponents with completely different levels of success in American soccer.

The Red Bulls were renamed. Their original appearance as the New York/New Jersey Metrostars was repackaged in the colors of the popular energy drink. To mainstream Americans, Red Bull is a drink consumed at parties and nightclubs. It’s a team that keeps winning the Formula 1 championship. Red Bull gives wings, not championship titles.

The galaxy has been here before. They’re used to the expectation of LA’s first MLS club appearing in a final. But difficult times, caused by failed visions and mediocrity, set the club back by years, a decade to be exact.

History has repeated itself for the galaxy, if only slightly. Bruce Arena, the league’s winningest head coach to date, rescued the club in 2008 after star recruit Ruud Gullit missed the mark. Arena had won two MLS Cup titles before taking the Galaxy job 16 years ago. He won three more in LA. Arena was a proven coach, like Vanney, brought in to stabilize a volatile club after the Galaxy moved on from former Boca Juniors star Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

Barros Schelotto was a former MLS MVP with the Columbus Crew but failed to establish a winning culture. Vanney had played in MLS Cup finals as a player (never won), but won a final with Toronto in 2017. As a player, he had worn the white jersey of the Galaxy and understood the demands of America’s most popular team.

The Galaxy signed Puig from Barcelona, ​​lured Pec from Brazil and sold an MLS dream to Paintsil. Marco Reus played in a UEFA Champions League final last spring and then boarded a flight to LA to pursue his American dream.

But it is Vanney, a well-known star in the MLS, who has been LA’s biggest signing. He is now a two-time MLS Cup winner as a coach and the matchday architect who brought the club back to prominence. Order in the galaxy has been restored.

How did Galaxy cope without Puig?

Puig became the heart and soul of the Galaxy in 2024. The No. 10 was more than a creative playmaker: He became an emotional leader on game day. Galaxy players said publicly all week that they would play for Puig – and they kept their promise. He was sitting up in the fancy seats and wearing a tailored suit, but somehow it still felt like Puig was right in the middle of the action.

Mark Delgado, who moved into the starting line-up in Puig’s absence, had described the former Barcelona player as “irreplaceable”. Delgado was right, but LA gave it a good try.

Vanney echoed that sentiment in the run-up to the final, knowing he would have to adapt tactically – and he did.

Without Puig, the Galaxy conceded possession to the Red Bulls. New York had 54 percent possession as the Galaxy hoped to force the visitors into mistakes. Vanney chose Delgado, a two-way No. 8, and Uruguayan defensive midfielder Gaston Brugman. Delgado is a trustworthy player for Vanney. Saturday’s final was his fourth MLS Cup under the American coach.

Brugman was a mainstay in Vanney’s midfield last season, but the 32-year-old was overtaken by 24-year-old American Edwin Cerrillo, a tough tackler and a player who came of age in 2023 when he faced Lionel Messi during a regular season game in LA. Still, it was Brugman who provided the game’s opening assist. A perfectly threaded pass to the Ghanaian international Paintsil.

JP2⃣8⃣ pic.twitter.com/dE5kfV2mo7

– LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) December 7, 2024

The goal came after a clever one-two between Cerrillo and Brugman. Painstil searched for a Puig jersey as the partisan crowd went into raptures, eventually dedicating his goal to his injured teammate.

The Galaxy ripped the Red Bull’s back and took a 2-0 lead after 13 minutes. This time it was Delgado whose one-shot pass released Joveljic. The Serb dribbled untouched into the Red Bull penalty area and finished with his weak foot past New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. His inauguration ceremony was a nod to Galaxy legend Robbie Keane. An awkward double somersault from Joveljic that was reminiscent of the glory days in Los Angeles.

Dejan is CLINICAL. pic.twitter.com/7XnAcXxPCy

– LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) December 7, 2024

In the first half, Vanney’s plan came to fruition without Puig – and that was enough to put Galaxy in an unassailable position.

Forsberg fails in the final

Red Bull is a well-known global football company. They are known as sports conquerors who travel the world selling their football methods. Brazil, Germany and Austria have up-and-coming Red Bull clubs. In the US, the former Metrostars are a Red Bull brand still looking for an identity.

The addition of Emil Forsberg signaled that the club was willing to sign well-known attacking players rather than relying on homegrown talent and the occasional MLS journeyman. The Sweden international was crucial in the playoffs but played no role on Saturday.

Ahead of the game, he laid out his intentions. “I came here to… bring the Red Bulls back to something special,” he said. “The goal was to come here to win.”

As number 10, Forsberg lacked an attacking partner and was anything but calm in the final moments of the game. Forsberg represents what the Red Bull project could be in MLS: European ancestry and experience. But the Red Bulls are not just about fight and courage.

Where will the goals come from in the future? What style of play does Red Bull head coach Sandro Schwarz want to implement and will he be given the tools to further develop the club’s style of play?

New York have reached another MLS Cup final, but many questions remain about the longevity of their success.

(Top photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)