MLS Cup preview: LA Galaxy target record-breaking sixth championship

After a long spell as the shining beacon of MLS, the bright lights of LA Galaxy have dimmed in recent years. The last of the Galaxy’s league-high five MLS Cups came in 2014 and the following decade brought little success for the team.

The 2014 MLS Cup-winning team featured the likes of Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane, and the club still basked in the reflected glow of David Beckham’s shock move to the United States. And although stars have continued to flock to LA - Steven Gerrard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, for example - the on-field performances have dipped.

From 2017 to 2023 the Galaxy qualified for the playoffs just twice and newly-founded neighbours LAFC soared past them, winning the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup in that time. This year, however, things have changed.

Head coach Greg Vanney finally has the attacking talent to compliment his ball-playing style of play and team has clicked. The dead-eyed passing range of Riqui Puig now has worthy targets in Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil, while Dejan Joveljic has developed into a clinical finisher.

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After finishing the regular season as No. 2 seed in the West the Galaxy blitzed their way through the early rounds of the playoffs, scoring 15 goals in three games to set up a Conference Final clash with the vastly-experienced Seattle Sounders. The Galaxy were made to work for it but a clinical late strike from Joveljic earnt a hard-fought 1-0 win and set up a first MLS Cup appearance in a decade.

The star - Gabriel Pec

Had this preview been written a week ago, playmaker and captain Riqui Puig would almost certainly have been cited here. However, a heart-breaking ACL tear in the Conference Final means that Puig will be sidelined this weekend. Fortunately, the Galaxy are not short of potential game-winners.

Brazilian winger Gabriel Pec arrived from Vasco de Gama in January and has been a transformative presence in LA, recording 19 goals and 16 assists across 37 MLS games. It’s been an incredible debut season for Pec, who was named MLS Newcomer of the Year last month.

Pec’s direct running and close control make him a constant menace on the right flank, as comfortable beating a defender on the outside as he is cutting inside and driving at goal. Above all else he retains a sense of creativity and instinctiveness; he’s a fun player to watch.

“I’m a very simple guy. I’m always happy and love to bring joy wherever I am,” Pec told MLSsoccer.com. “My wife always tells me I haven’t lost that little boy inside me. Playing soccer on the streets like we do in Brazil, playing hide and seek, flying kites, those are things that tell you a lot about me. I love the fact that I’m still that same boy.”

The stat - Galaxy dominate

Since joining the team ahead of the 2021 season, Greg Vanney has tried to implement the ball-playing, possession-based style that saw him lead Toronto FC to the 2017 MLS Cup. In previous seasons the Galaxy had frequently enjoyed the majority of possession but hadn’t managed to convert that dominance into offensive chances.

As this graph from our friends at SofaScore shows, this year they have done just that...

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The 2024 LA Galaxy lead the league in terms of passes completed and attempts on goal, suggesting that they are now utilising the ball much more effectively. The electrifying postseason form of Pec, Paintsil and Joseph does suggest that they are currently running a little hot but their underlying numbers show a clear shift from previous Galaxy teams.

The moment - Grit and determination from Puig

Even if the LA Galaxy lift MLS Cup on Saturday, the defining image of the 2024 season may still be a tearful Riqui Puig being consoled by Greg Vanney after the Seattle win. Puig had provided the crucial late assist for Joveljic in the 1-0 win, doing so with a torn ACL.

Puig was not moving freely for the final 30 minutes last weekend but remained on the field as his side toiled away, searching for a chink in the resolute Seattle defence. That a severely injured Puig - the captain, the talisman - was the one to lead the Galaxy into the MLS Cup after a ten-year absence will enshrine his place in team folklore.

The team - Time to shine for Marco Reus

When table-topping LA Galaxy announced the signing of Marco Reus in the summer, it looked like one of the most lavishly unnecessary moves of recent years. And so it has proved.

Reus, a 48-cap German international, has largely been surplus to requirements since landing in LA and has not been a guaranteed starter. However this weekend, with Riqui Puig ruled out, his creative and leadership burden will fall on the 35-year-old Reus. After a decade at the top table of European soccer, he is a man made for the big occasion.

Predicted LA Galaxy team: John McCarthy - Miki Yamane, Maya Yoshida, Carlos Garcés, John Nelson - Marco Delgado, Edwin Cerrillo - Jospeh Paintsil, Marco Reus, Gabriel Pec - Dejan Joveljic.

The quote - Vanney targets MLS Cup redemption

Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney has enjoyed a wildly successful career in MLS, both as a player and a coach. He twice won the Supporters' Shield as a player, with the Galaxy and DC United, and was named in the MLS Best XI on two occasions. As a manager he led Toronto to a historic treble and was named CONCACAF Coach of the Year in 2017.

However, there is one omission on his CV that still bugs him. Despite reaching MLS Cup three times as a player with the Galaxy, he lost each one. Two decades on, Saturday’s game offers a shot at redemption.

“This is the club where I got my start and retired. For me as a player this has been home and as coach I’m back because this is home,” Vanney said on Thursday. “I’ve lost three before, so now the goal is to change the narrative and bring this club back to the top.”

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