CARSON, California (AP) — Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic scored in the first half, and the LA Galaxy won their sixth MLS Cup title, with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday in the single-match final.
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After scoring twice in the first 13 minutes of the final with goals from their star forwards, and holding off a late surge from the New York team, the Galaxy maintained their lead during a goalless second half to lift the league's biggest trophy for the first time since 2014.
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What are the merits of the Galaxy title?
The Galaxy changed everything this season with a new high-performance lineup that finished second in the Western Conference and then advanced through the playoffs with an impressive total of 18 goals in five games to win another crown.
The Galaxy won this title without perhaps their most important player. Riqui Puig, the playmaker midfielder from Barcelona who impressively led their offense throughout the season, tore a ligament in his knee last week in the Western Conference final.
Puig watched the game in a suit, but his teammates had not forgotten about him: after his replacement, Gastón Brugman, assisted in LA's first goal with an excellent pass, Paintsil lifted Puig's shirt to the fans during the celebration.
Brugman was named the Most Valuable Player of the MLS Cup after a dominant performance in the midfield. The Uruguayan had not started a match for the Galaxy since October 5, only playing as a substitute in the postseason before the final.
The Galaxy goalkeeper, John McCarthy, made four saves to win his second MLS title in three seasons.
After Galaxy owner Phil Anschutz received the MLS Cup named after him for his constant financial support to the league during its unstable years, Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida took the trophy to a stage full of his teammates for a celebration amidst fireworks and confetti.
The Galaxy extended their lead over DC United (4) for the most MLS Cup championships in the league's history. The Red Bulls remain one of the three original MLS franchises that have never won the title, along with FC Dallas and New England Revolution.
With the youngest roster in the league, the Red Bulls were on the verge of becoming the team with the lowest ranking to win the MLS playoff tournament in the first year under German coach Sandro Schwarz.
LA Galaxy will not play in the Club World Cup
The United States will host the first 32-team Club World Cup in 2025.
At some point it was thought that the spot of the host country would go to the champion of this year's MLS Cup, the most important tournament in US soccer, but FIFA under Gianni Infantino decided to invite Lionel Messi's Inter Miami after they finished the regular season with the most points.
Although FIFA has not explained the reasons for inviting Inter Miami, it is assumed that it is because of Messi's popularity.
The measure has been widely criticized in the United States and in world soccer.