MLS Cup 2024 final score: LA Galaxy top NY Red Bulls as Joseph Paintsil, Dejan Joveljic deliver in attack

Two early goals were enough to lift the Galaxy to the title for the sixth time

With their first MLS Cup title in 10 years, the Los Angeles Galaxy are back after defeating the New York Red Bulls 2-1 on Saturday. They didn't wait long to start the scoring with Joseph Paintsil opening things in the ninth minute of play before Dejan Joveljic doubled the lead in only the 13th minute of play. It seemed like the Galaxy would make quick work of this one but once the Red Bulls settled, they were able to get a goal back before the first half came to a close via Sean Nealis following a corner kick.

Set pieces have been the bread and butter for the Red Bulls during the postseason with them scoring four goals from those situations but to defeat the Galaxy, taking your chances from open play is also important. Without Riqui Puig, who missed the match with an ACL tear, Gaston Brugman and Mark Delgado both delivered assists from midfield as the Galaxy celebrated their goals by lifting Puig's number 10 shirt.

It's a moment to make sure that their talisman's hard work didn't go to waste as having extra motivation can go a long way in the biggest moments. Being able to sub on Marco Reus while already leading by a goal isn't too bad either. After not winning a league title with Borussia Dortmund, he now has his first title of his illustrious career. This has been a long time coming for the Galaxy who had fans protesting matches until then-president Chris Klein was fired in 2023, but the turnaround under Gregg Vanney's leadership has been immense.

After finishing second in the Western Conference, the Galaxy went on to score an MLS record 18 goals during the postseason and were able to reward their fans by lifting the MLS Cup in their home stadium to cap off an excellent year. The Red Bulls are a young team who will be back but this day is all about the return of one of MLS' powerhouse franchises back to the top.

Vanney, a former Galaxy player, knows what winning MLS Cup means and this victory now completes a turnaround following the Galaxy finishing 13th in the Western Conference just last season. Their strong work on signings has been rewarded and while eyes were on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, the Galaxy ensured that they can't be forgotten about as this is the first step in returning to their former dominance.

Defense was a concern for the Galaxy at points of the season but Carlos Garces winning a starting job at center back went a long way to improving the defense and he was vital in clearing Red Bulls' attacking chances to help his team stand up to the pressure. Holding the Red Bulls to only a 0.91 xG via three shots on target, this was a dominant defensive performance from the Galaxy as they did more without the ball than with it. 

Flexibility is important on the league's biggest stage and that's just what Vanney's Galaxy showed. Now they have to prove that they have staying power to keep it going at the top.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 6:12 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Six titles for the LA Galaxy

It may have taken a while for the Galaxy to get back to the top of Major League Soccer but they did it winning their first MLS Cup title since 2014. Goals from Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic were enough to see the Galaxy through with all the scoring coming in the first half of this match. After finishing second in the Western Conference during the regular season, the Galaxy set a record with 18 goals scored during this playoff run to become more than worthy league champions. 

[Dec 7, 2024 at 6:29 pm ET · Pardeep Cattry]

Positives for the Red Bulls?

MLS Cup may still be elusive for the Red Bulls, but a surprise run to the final as the No. 7 seed in the first eyar of a project under head coach Sandro Schwarz isn't a bad souvenir. Despite being a team that doesn't generally play with the ball, they figured out what to do with it in the second half and showed a new side of themselves. There's room for improvement but as far as resets go, this feels like a strong one.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 6:21 pm ET · Pardeep Cattry]

Reinvention for the Galaxy

The LA Galaxy became MLS' most successful side in history on the back of star power, but that was hardly the story of their win otday. Without Puig and with Reus on the bench, their MLS Cup victory was about relying on their less glittery players, a testament to the rebuild done by the front office. They even showed another side of themselves today by bunkering after scoring two early goals, putting the onus on the Red Bulls to come up with chances. In the end, the swap paid off and they extend their status as MLS' best after winning a sixth title.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 6:11 pm ET · Pardeep Cattry]

Stoppage in play

The Galaxy bench run onto the pitch and fireworks begin to go off but the game isn't called -- yet.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 6:11 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

The whistle for offside was seen as the final whistle

Everyone is celebrating but this game isn't over and the fired needs to be cleared which will give the Red Bulls a little more time to search for an equalizer.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 6:08 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

What a scramble!

That was the chance for the Red Bulls as chaos in the box was cleared by the Galaxy after a huge block by Yoshida. Jalen Neal is now entering to help the Galaxy defend for their lives to close this one out.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 6:05 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Garces is back on

There will be six minutes of stoppage time remaining for the Red Bulls to try and find an equalizer as the match comes to a close.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 6:02 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Garces is down

THe young Colombian defender has been excellent so far during the match but he's now being looked at for a potential head injury in the closing moments.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 5:59 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Wholesale changes

The Galaxy can smell victory and caregiving defending everything that they have during the close of this one but the Red Bulls have brought on fresh legs to push for an equalizer before the clock strikes 90.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 5:49 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Offside but big chances missed

Emil Forsberg and Gabriel Pec both missed massive chances in the match and Marco Reus will now enter for Gaston Brugman in a big moment. 

[Dec 7, 2024 at 5:47 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Marco Reus is getting ready to enter

After dealing with a groin injury Reus was a doubt for the match but now he'll get a chance to play in the MLS Cup less than a year removed from playing in a Champions League final.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 5:44 pm ET · Pardeep Cattry]

Nearly a sellout

The attendance figure is in, and 26,812 have officially filled Dignity Health Sports Park today, just shy of the 27,000 capacity. Loud home -- and away -- support indicates as much.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 5:34 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

What a defensive play!

Vanzier seemed to be in on goal for the Red Bulls but Garces was right there step for step to clean the play up. That would've been a leveler and a misstep would've led to a penalty.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 5:27 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

The second half is starting much like the first ended

The Galaxy have been on the front foot to kick things off and the Red Bulls are only getting minimal chances from open play. With players like Marco Reus on the bench, changes could be coming soon.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 5:19 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Back underway

The Red Bulls got a goal back but they'll need more if they are going to lift MLS Cup.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 5:08 pm ET · Pardeep Cattry]

Halftime thoughts

Interesting first half here in Carson, where the Galaxy obviously started out hot and definitely got the better of the Red Bulls' Elie, who was thrown into the lineup at the last minute after Reyes became unavailable. Things haven't exactly gone their way since building that 2-0 lead, though -- not only did the Red Bulls get one back, the Galaxy have just one shot since the 25th minute. Most surprising of all, it's the Red Bulls who have 53.8% possession at the break -- a big departure from a team that averaged 31.3% of the ball over the course of the playoffs.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 5:00 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Almost another for the Galaxy

Coronel is called into action after Yamane sets up Joveljic. That save is critical for keeping the Red Bulls in this with halftime looming.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 4:50 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

If you're going to get a yellow, might as well earn it 

The Galaxy were about to create a chance via Gabriel Pec and Noah Eile earned a yellow by chopping the Newcomer of the Year down to stop the attack. In open play, the Galaxy have still been the better team but they'll want more goals to avoid sweating every corner kick.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 4:45 pm ET · Pardeep Cattry]

Red Bulls love set pieces

The Red Bulls have clawed their way back into this one thanks to a set piece, which comes as little surprise -- only two of their seven goals in the postseason have come from open play, with defender John Tolkin talking about their importance in the buildup to the match.

• Tolkin: "Ever since I got to Red Bull, the thing that's just been injected into me is we love set pieces and for five years, set pieces have been massive for us, especially in this postseason, I think we've won three games from set pieces and that just shows the importance of them."

[Dec 7, 2024 at 4:42 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Against the run of play!

The Red Bulls have scored their first goal with their first shot of the match following a corner kick. Sean Nealis is one of the more unlikely players to find the back of the net but goodness this has been a start. It's the fourth goal of the playoffs to come via a set piece for the Red Bulls.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 4:28 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

And that was faster

13 minutes in Dejan Joveljic doubles the lead for the Galaxy. He does Robbie Keane's iconic celebration for the Galaxy and the stadium is absolutely rocking right now. The Red Bulls need a response. With their 18th postseason goal, the Galaxy have now set a new MLS record for the most goals scored in a single postseason. 

[Dec 7, 2024 at 4:23 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

That was fast!

Joseph Paintsil has the opening goal of the 2024 MLS Cup and the Galaxy are off and running. There was a celebration that this is for Riqui Puig and the momentum is completely with the Galaxy.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 4:22 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Harper clears but that was close

Joseph Paintsil is wreaking havoc on the left hand side of the pitch and the Galaxy are off to a strong start to the match so far holding more of possession and pushing the pace.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 4:15 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

A quick start for the Red Bulls

They had a chance right after kickoff but the Galaxy were able to snuff out the chance less than a minute into the match. Both teams will create chances so late interventions will be critical. 

[Dec 7, 2024 at 4:14 pm ET · Pardeep Cattry]

Red Bulls lineup change

Andres Reyes, a big part of the MLS' defense-first push to MLS Cup, has been taken out of the starting lineup and won't play today. Noah Elie starts alongside the Nealis brothers in defense instead.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 4:13 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

LA Galaxy 2, New York Red Bulls 1 (2H)

[Dec 7, 2024 at 4:02 pm ET · Pardeep Cattry]

Pre-game festivities

The MLS Cup signage is out and the fireworks have officially gone off (even if it's 1 p.m. and the California sun is shining brightly). LA Glaaxy legend Landon Donovan is out to present the trophy alongside New York Red Bulls icon Bradley Wright-Phillips (to a round of boos by the home fans). The trophy is out, and the players will be shortly.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 3:59 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Almost time for kickoff

The teams are set and MLS Cup is around the corner.

[Dec 7, 2024 at 3:56 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Prediction

There won't be much to separate these teams but the Galaxy will take care of business at home. Pick: LA Galaxy 2, New York Red Bulls 0

[Dec 7, 2024 at 3:47 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

No back three for the for the Red Bulls?

In another big shift, the Red Bulls seem to be going with a back four in a formation tweak for the match.

Starting XI: Carlos Coronel, Andres Reyes, Dylan Nealis, Sean Nealis, John Tolkin, Peter Stroud, Lewis Morgan, Emil Forsberg, Cameron Harper, Daniel Edelman, Dante Vanzeir

Subs: Dennis Gjengaar, Noah Eile, Cory Burke, Elias Manoel, Julian Zakrzewski, Ryan Meara, Wikelman Carmona, Serge Ngoma, Ronald Donkor