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A decade on, LA Galaxy target record sixth MLS Cup

The league’s most successful team had fallen on hard times in recent years but look set for a return to the biggest stage.

Is this the year for LA Galaxy?
Kelvin KuoUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

LA Galaxy take on the Seattle Sounders in Saturday’s Western Conference final. The winner will advance to the 2024 MLS Cup on December 7, a date that has real resonance for fans of the Galaxy.

December 7, 2014 was the day on which the Galaxy - MLS' most successful team - clinched their record-breaking fifth championship. That 2014 triumph featured an extra-time winner from Robbie Keane in what was Landon Donovan’s final professional game. The star-studded Galaxy, catalysed by the arrival of David Beckham, had cemented their place in the history books.

A decade on those successes are distant memories for a club that prides itself on being the gold standard of US soccer. Recent years have been tough, qualifying for the playoffs in just two of the past seven seasons. There have been no cups lifted in that time, no continental exploits, and a growing sense that MLS’ newer teams were leaving the Galaxy for dead.

City neighbours LAFC are the obvious example, a team who found success almost immediately and have been a consistent presence in postseason fixtures and showpiece finals. LAFC, Atlanta United and New York City FC have all joined the league and won a championship since the Galaxy last tasted success.

But this year things look different. Head coach Greg Vanney has built a spectacular, show-stopping team, melding bountiful attacking talent and a fluid style of play to forge something truly precious. As the Galaxy prepare for a first conference final in a decade, expectations are high in Los Angeles.

Stars align for the Galaxy

“Our guys love to put on a show” - Those were Vanney’s words after his side booked their place in the Western Conference final with a comprehensive 6-2 victory over Minnesota United. There were two goals apiece for their multitalented strikeforce of Gabriel Pec, Dejan Jovelic and Joseph Paintsil, taking the Galaxy’s postseason tally to 15 goals in three games.

In the post-game press conference, Vanney was asked about their incredible postseason form: “Each of them are playing at a high level right now. Each of them are sharp, playing with a lot of intention and purpose.”

“Dejan [Jovelic] is on fire, he’s running with and without the ball, he’s a handful. Obviously Riqui [Puig] with his movement. I just think they’re really well connected, focused, and playing with real intention.”

In Jovelic, Pec, Paintsil and Puig, the Galaxy have four genuine match-winners. Each has now scored at least 13 goals in 2024. Gabriel Pec has 19 goals and 16 assists in his first season in MLS while Puig is a genuine MVP candidate. The big-name summer arrival - Marco Reus - have barely been needed, such is the level of this Galaxy team.

It has been a triumph of team-building, a symphony of round pegs in round holes. Riqui Puig, one of the league’s best passers, has been gifted a phalanx of of pacey, direct runners and a clinical finisher. The results are predictably joyous.

Is this the year for LA Galaxy?

Despite an impressive regular season campaign LA Galaxy missed out on No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on the final day, losing top spot LAFC after defeat to Houston Dynamo. Nevertheless, everything has fallen into place for the Galaxy in the postseason. Not only is the team in imperious form but their biggest rivals have all fallen out of contention.

The top three seeds in the Eastern Conference - Inter Miami, FC Cincinnati, Columbus Crew - all suffered shock Round One exits. In the West, No. 1 seed LAFC were dumped from the playoffs by Seattle Sounders last weekend, meaning that the Galaxy will have home advantage for all remaining games.

But despite the favourable winds, Gregg Vanney is taking nothing for granted in this playoff journey: “We’re in good form and that’s because everybody’s locked in. It’s hard to say because every game is so different, we’re going to have a very different opponent that going to ask different questions of us."

“It’s nice to be at home because our crowd has been amazing,” he added. “The energy in the stadium has been amazing and our guys love to put on a show, as you can see when they play. I think that really plays well for us.”

The landscape of soccer has changed dramatically since the LA Galaxy were last crowned champions. In 2007 the arrival of David Beckham not only helped to fire the Galaxy to championships but it also heralded in a new, more self-confident league that could attract global stars. The Galaxy rode that wave to three championships but were then left in its wake, as later arrivals like Steven Gerrard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic failed to sustain that initial success. Teams with better scouting and more collectivised systems overtook them.

But now, a decade on from that 2014 success, the Galaxy appear to have learnt their lesson. This team is built on young talents brought in from South America and Europe; a workmanlike defence; and, of course, a smattering of experienced stars.

A return to MLS Cup would not only be a fitting reward for one of the most exciting teams of recent years, but also proof that LA Galaxy have completed the circle. For years the league’s most successful team had slipped from prominence and lost their sheen. Now, a decade on, LA Galaxy look ready to shine again.

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