LA Galaxy outlasts Seattle Sounders to secure first MLS Cup berth since 2014

LA Galaxy outlasts Seattle Sounders to secure first MLS Cup berth since 2014

The LA Galaxy offense was flying ahead of Saturday night’s Western Conference finals.

Looking for their first MLS Cup berth in a decade, things weren’t so easy against the Seattle Sounders.

It took more than 85 minutes for the Galaxy to unleash Seattle’s organized approach, but Dejan Joveljic came after a pass from Riqui Puig and beat Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei to give the Galaxy a 1-0 win.

Next Saturday, LA will now host the MLS Cup against the New York Red Bulls, two of the league’s original franchises who will meet in the championship. It is the Galaxy’s first appearance in the championship final since winning the MLS Cup in 2014.

“I’m just sticking with it,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney told Apple TV when asked about the resilience his team needed to show to advance to the title game. “There were phases where we just had to defend and protect our goal. (Seattle is) the best defense in the league for a reason. We knew it would be a challenge.

“It’s been a long time since we won a trophy, but we still have one more (win) to go – to do what we really set out to do.”

The combination of Puig and Joveljic in the game-winning finish was fitting. These two players were early building blocks on a roster that helped turn around a Galaxy franchise that had been incredibly disappointing in recent years. After the final whistle, Puig held his head under a towel as he hugged Vanney and appeared to cry into his coach’s shoulder.

Last year, LA ranked 26th out of 29 teams. These struggles led to an overhaul of the front office. Long-time president Chris Klein and technical director Jovan Kirovski were out. Will Kuntz, a former New York Yankees and MLS manager who also helped build the Galaxy’s crosstown rival LAFC, became the new general manager.

Under Kuntz, the Galaxy spent around $20 million in transfer fees on two stars, Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil. The two wingers represented a departure from the Galaxy’s long-standing star-and-big-name approach.

Paintsil and Pec may have had less name recognition, but they did not lack value on the field. LA would finish second in the Western Conference on goal difference in the tiebreaker.

The two DP signings have turned the team inside out. Pec scored 16 goals and 14 assists in the regular season; Paintsil added 10 goals and 10 assists. No two players benefited more from the arrival of the two wingers than Puig and Joveljic, two outstanding players who were still not reaching their full potential.

Joveljic scored 15 goals and six assists in the regular season. Puig had 13 goals and 15 assists. In the biggest moment of the season, it was these two who worked together to help the Galaxy win.

The Sounders were heartbroken over a loss in a game they had approached with a near-perfect game plan on the road. The Galaxy had outscored every team they faced in the postseason, but the Sounders not only limited LA for much of the game, they were the better team for much of Saturday night.

However, despite controlling the game, Seattle failed to score and LA capitalized on a mistake in the final minutes. Puig took a loss of possession and pushed a perfectly timed pass into the path of Joveljic, who turned his right foot around the ball and passed Frei at the near post.

(Jeff Rueter / The athletic one)

It was Joveljic’s 20th goal of the season in the regular season and playoffs.

The Galaxy are now just one win away from a massive year-long turnaround.

Heading to LA for a sixth MLS Cup – the Galaxy’s five Cups are the most in MLS history – face the seventh-seeded New York Red Bulls, who entered the postseason having lost just two of their last 20 games had won.

go deeper

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The Red Bulls reach the MLS Cup final with a 1-0 win against Orlando City

The Galaxy will be a huge favorite adding to its storied history.

(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)

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