The LA Galaxy expanded its legend this Saturday with the conquest of its sixth MLS Cup by defeating the New York Red Bulls 2-1 and with one of the pillars of the team, Riqui Puig, more present than ever despite his absence due to injury.
The galactic team only needed nine minutes to open the scoring and put themselves ahead of the rival team after a right-footed shot from the center of the area by Ghanaian Joseph Paintsil.
The goal was dedicated to Puig, who was in the stands watching the match after breaking his cruciate ligament last week in the MLS Western Conference final against the Seattle Sounders.
Even with the absence of the Spanish player, Greg Vanney’s team maintained the attacking rhythm. There was no shortage of chances for the Brazilian Gabriel Pec who, despite not scoring, stood out during the first half of the match and fought for the ball from the right end.
Four minutes after the Galaxy’s first goal, a shot by Serbian Dejan Joveljic from the heart of the area made it 2-0 and made the Bulls’ defense uphill, damaged by the last-minute absence of Colombian Andrés Reyes.
American Sean Nealis still managed to close the gap with a right-footed shot from the center of the area in the 28th minute, making it 2-1.
The Galaxy took advantage of every last breath of the first half to create chances. Two minutes before the break, Paraguayan Carlos Coronel stopped a point-blank shot from Joveljic. The home team opted for an attacking game in the first half, creating more scoring chances against the Red Bulls who, despite leading possession of the ball, had defensive gaps.
However, the tone of the match changed in the second half, especially for the Red Bulls, who focused on the attack, finding chances and trying to reach the goal while the Galacticos closed in on defense.
In the 72nd minute came the clearest scoring opportunity for the New Yorkers with a shot by Emil Forsberg that hit the crossbar. And despite pushing tirelessly, the galactic defense was unbeatable.
Four minutes before the final whistle, the Red Bulls had a scoring opportunity that shook the Galaxy pitch. And there they remained, in the rival’s area until a whistle sounded that seemed like the end but turned out to be a false alarm. The Galaxy adds a new trophy after a decade. Today’s victory keeps them in the MLS Olympus, being the team that has won this trophy the most times in history.
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