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The MLS Eastern and Western Conference Finals have concluded, leaving the remaining two teams to battle in the MLS Cup Final. Watch as LA Galaxy look to win their 6th championship trophy against the New York Red Bulls. There’s a lot at stake, so we’ll give you the full rundown of the upcoming MLS Cup Final on Saturday, December 7th at 4 PM ET.
With the #7 seeded Red Bulls overcoming the odds to challenge the legendary #2 seeded 5-time champions of LA Galaxy, we’re in for an extraordinary matchup.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the #7 New York Red Bulls managed to scrape out a single goal in the 47th minute and hold on for the rest of the game with a clean sheet against the #4 Orlando City. Orlando City was a serious opponent, dominating most of the match in possession (61%), with 9 shots (3 on target) to the Red Bulls 7 shots (1 on target). To the Red Bulls’ credit, goalkeeper Carlos Coronel made multiple impressive saves to shut out the Orlando favorites. Unfortunately for Orlando City, they’d give up a free kick several yards out from the corner of the 18-yard box in the 46’.
Red Bulls John Tolkin served a nice cross to defender Andres Reyes, who flicked the ball with his head into the net past Orlando’s Pedro Gallese for the 1-0 lead. Plenty of chances would ensue for Orlando City, however, nothing would get past the energized Red Bulls defense, and the game would conclude at 1-0, crowing the Red Bulls as Eastern Conference Champions.
For the Western Conference Finals, a similar result would follow. The #2 LA Galaxy would take on the #4 Seattle Sounders, a team with the best defense in the MLS. The Galaxy, on the other hand, had the best offense in the league, scoring 15 goals in their last 3 games of the playoffs. While the two polarizing teams would duke it out in the Western Conference Finals, Seattle would put up 45% possession with 8 shots, 4 on target, while the Galaxy would total 55% possession with 13 shots, 5 on target.
Seattle committed 13 fouls with 4 yellow cards with the hope of flatlining LA’s talented offense. Of course, experience and offensive firepower would trump Seattle’s brick-wall defense by the end of the game, with a creatively crafted pass from Riqui Puig, which led to a goal in the 85’ by LA’s Dejan Jovelic. They’d shout out the Sounders for the remaining minutes plus added time, sealing their 10th Western Conference Finals title overall.
Looking forward to this intense MLS Cup Finals match between two franchise juggernauts, it’s tough to make a final decision, although several game-changers might affect how this one plays out. The biggest news is that the LA Galaxy’s star player and arguably the best player in the MLS (besides Leo Messi), Riqui Puig, is out for the Cup Final with a torn ACL. It’s unclear when Puig suffered this injury against the Sounders, although it was confirmed that he netted an assist for the Galaxy’s only goal against the Sounders while playing with a torn ACL. This is a huge hit for the Galaxy as Puig confidently controls the midfield, accumulating more passes and touches on the ball than any other player in the league.
The Red Bulls may see this as an opportunity to take the win given the circumstances, even though they also have some injuries to deal with, including defender Sean Nealis being out with a concussion. It’ll be difficult for LA to adjust without Riqui Puig, and the Red Bulls may be looking to dethrone the 5-time champions and take their very first MLS Cup win in history, especially with a player like Lewis Morgan hungry to add to his tally of 13 goals.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.