Red Bulls Face Off vs Galaxy in 2024 MLS Cup Final

Published: Saturday, December 7, 2024

by Lauren Reese

CARSON, CALIF. - For the first time in 16 years, the New York Red Bulls are one win away from their first-ever MLS Cup title, with only one opponent left standing in their way: the LA Galaxy. The no. 7 seeded underdogs have never won a cup within any competition, having only one final appearance in 2008. Meanwhile Galaxy have won the Cup five times, most recently in 2014.

Before playoffs commenced, thinking New York would be an immediate first round exit wouldn’t be unreasonable. It was a lackluster span of events from July to September, in which head coach Sandro Schwarz’s team had six ties and only one wins. Surely this team would be no match in a best-of-three duel in the first round of playoffs against the Columbus Crew, the reigning 2023 Cup champions.

But suddenly, on October 29, a new team emerged from its rubble of uncertainty, taking down the Crew in two games, the second game ending in a thrilling 5-4 penalty shootout. 

From there on out, the team has exemplified perfectly that despite the press’s inconsideration, they know who they are as a unit. The underdogs tacked on two more road wins, a 2-0 victory against Hudson River-rival NYCFC and a 1-0 defensive lockdown against Orlando SC. With an all-around team effort on display, the Red Bulls have exemplified the words of captain Emil Forsberg as clear as ever; “Why can’t we?”

“That's been the big thing. When we have our mentality right, we can show what we can do. Whether it's Carlos (Coronel) making a big save, the guys in the middle making huge tackles. It's mentality over everything.” - John Tolkin on echoing the team mentality

The likes of Forsberg, Dante Vanzeir, Felipe Carballo, and Andres Reyes have all added goals in this postseason, with Daniel Edelman, Lewis Morgan, John Tolkin, and Cameron Harper building the attacks in midfield. Defensively, goalkeeper Carlos Coronel has racked up 19 saves in this postseason, including three consecutively in the second matchup vs Columbus. Coronel and his backline of Reyes and Dylan and Sean Nealis continue to hold down the fortress, not allowing any goals within their three postseason games.

The work done in this postseason has propelled this team to a higher morale more visible now than at any other point in the season… 

“When we started our work, we talked about this atmosphere. And it's not only a tactical point or the video session or the training session, or the practices on the field, it’s also then to create the kind of atmosphere that we are able to win in this competition. And to see these emotions are great.” - Head Coach Sandro Schwarz on what it means to the fans. 

The Red Bulls now join the 1998 Chicago Fire FC team as the only squads in MLS history to win three road games in a single postseason. Embracing the underdog mentality, this team has quality postseason dominance that has not been seen in a significant amount of time. Not even the 2015-2018 Jesse Marsch era, which included club legends like Bradley Wright-Phillips, Dax McCarty, and Sacha Kljestan, got this close to holding the championship trophy. 

But their opponent, the LA Galaxy, have shown no signs of slowing down within their offensive unit in the first two rounds of playoffs. The team’s leading scorers, Dejan Joveljic and Gabriel Pec, have scored half of the team’s 16 total goals in four playoff games.

With commanding performances over Colorado and Minnesota in the first two rounds, outscoring the two sides by a combined score of 15-3, they provide immense strength in both the goalscoring and defensive department. Goalkeeper John McCarthy has accumulated a career-high 127 saves this entire season, helping his team to a 19-8-7 record that gave them the No. 2 seed in the tournament. 

However, the team looked the weakest in their most recent performance in the Western Conference Final against the Seattle Sounders. The team put up only one goal, courtesy of Joveljic in the 85th minute, and were kept in check on the statsheet by the Sounders; possession favored the Galaxy by only 55%-45%, as well as shots on target by 5-4. For a team that has typically pounced upon its opponents within victories, a complete lack of control of the game flow was atypical for head coach Greg Vanney’s squad.

Nonetheless, the Galaxy should not be overlooked. Despite the absence of star-midfielder Riqui Puig, who suffered a torn ACL in the matchup vs Seattle, the team’s speed and depth will prove to be the main factors of their play. Toss in the extra boost of emotion within winning the trophy for Puig, and they are poised to be a daunting threat to the Red.

Yet the Red Bulls has shown time and time again why they have made it to where they are right now. They play slowly but deadly, building up each attack in a variety of positions on the field with meticulous care and craft.

The chances aren’t always as pretty as the rocket of a goal Carballo had vs NYCFC to put NY on the scoresheet, but they crash the goal every opportunity they get; this team didn’t play pretty in any of their previous games to get to to this point. They’re persistent, consistently getting on the nerves of their opponents. Unwavering in their confidence and grit, and blending their youth and veteran experience, they have cultivated the perfect team dynamic ahead of this final. 

Channeling that energy one last time, with all its might, will be how the Red Bulls take home the 2024 MLS Cup trophy.

Kickoff between the two sides is at 4 p.m. today, and can be watched on Apple TV or FOX. 

Lauren Reese is an Assistant Sports Director and Web Editor WSOU and can be reached at lauren.reese@student.shu.edu. 

 

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