It’s a battle between two of Major League Soccer’s original teams when the LA Galaxy host the New York Red Bulls in this weekend’s MLS Cup.
Both finalists were among the 10 original clubs who competed the league’s inaugural season in 1996. Since then, LA has won the MLS Cup a record five times in nine appearances, while New York is looking to secure its first league title in its second trip to the final.
This year’s MLS Cup is the first to feature two of the league’s original franchises since 2014 when LA defeated the New England Revolution in what was the Galaxy’s last appearance in the final. It’s also the first time the MLS Cup will be contested between clubs from LA and New York.
Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s MLS Cup (4:00 p.m. ET) at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.
How both teams arrived at the MLS Cup
As the seventh-best team in the Eastern Conference, the New York Red Bulls have defied the odds by getting to the MLS Cup. New York upset No. 2 seed Columbus Crew, the defending league champions, 2-0 in a best-of-three series in Round One. From there, the Red Bulls bested city rivals New York City FC and Orlando City, both on the road, to clinch their second trip to the MLS Cup – New York lost to Columbus in 2008 in its only other appearance.
The Los Angeles Galaxy were one of the best teams in MLS during the regular season, finishing second in the Western Conference (edged out by LAFC) and fourth overall. The Galaxy swept the Colorado Rapids in Round One, pounded Minnesota United 6-2 in the next round at home and then won a nail biter against the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference final in LA. The Galaxy earned the right to host Saturday’s game by being the higher-seeded team.
Can the Red Bulls finally shed the bridesmaid tag?
New York has made the playoffs for 15 straight years, establishing a record of consistency that’s the envy of teams from around MLS. But the Red Bulls have yet to win the MLS Cup and it’s taken them 16 seasons to get back to the final. Few gave New York much of a chance when the playoffs started, which makes their run to the final all the more impressive.
Key to their success this year has been Emil Forsberg, the team’s influential midfielder. The Swede has started 19 games this year for the Red Bulls and have only lost three of those contests.
Impressively, New York has won three road games in the playoffs to reach this year’s MLS Cup. But playing the Galaxy in their home stadium in Saturday’s final will be the ultimate test of the Red Bulls’ resolve.
Can the Galaxy complete an amazing turnaround?
Things haven’t exactly gone swimmingly for the LA Galaxy in recent times. Prior to this season, LA only qualified for the playoffs twice in seven years and it’s been a decade since their last MLS Cup appearance.
In 2023, the Galaxy were one of the worst teams in the league, finishing second-last in the Western Conference with just eight wins on the campaign.
But Greg Vanney’s side has enjoyed an incredible renaissance this year by winning 19 games (tied for second-most in MLS) and improving by a whopping 28 points compared to last year. A victory on Saturday would cap off an amazing comeback story for LA.
Riqui Puig a big loss for LA
Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig was one of the best players in MLS during the regular season with 16 goals and 14 assists in 29 matches (28 starts). The Spaniard continued his amazing run of form in the playoffs, notching four goals and another four assists across four games.
But the former FC Barcelona player has been ruled out for Saturday’s game after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in the Western Conference final against Seattle. Incredibly, Puig sustained the injury in the second half but continued to play for over 30 minutes before providing the assist on Dejan Joveljić’s game-winning goal in the 85th minute.
Canadian connection
Former Canadian national team captain Julian de Guzman joined the New York Red Bulls as its sporting director in February. De Guzman’s job description means he oversees the franchise similar to a GM, working in unison with coach Sandro Schwarz and the club’s scouting department.
The LA Galaxy are coached by Greg Vanney, who was at the helm of Toronto FC for six years. During his tenure, Vanney led TFC to three MLS Cup appearances, winning it in 2017. That same year he was named the league’s coach of the year. He left Toronto to join LA after the 2020 MLS season.
Player to watch for New York: Emil Forsberg
The Swedish midfielder has been a monumental figure for New York this season, despite missing being sidelined for three months with an injury. Forsberg has a goal and an assist in the playoffs for the Red Bulls, while also supplying his side with a solid two-way presence in the midfield. New York’s captain is a stylish midfielder with an eye for making a killer pass who is also a dangerous threat on set pieces.
Player to watch for LA: Dejan Joveljić
The Serbian striker enters Saturday’s game in a rich vein of form, tied with the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Ryan Guald as the top scorer in the 2024 playoffs with five goals apiece. Joveljić bagged a brace in LA’s first leg win over Colorado, scored another pair of goals in the win over Minnesota and then netted the winner against Seattle in the Western Conference final. He’s scored five of LA’s 16 goals in the playoffs.
Fun fact
It’s been a while since the Galaxy and Red Bulls faced each other. Their last encounter came during the 2021 MLS regular season when LA earned a 3-2 home win in the second week of the campaign.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
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