Credit: Shaun Clark - ISIPhotos.com
The LA Galaxy scored early to take control of the 2024 MLS Cup at Dignity Health Sports Park, beating the New York Red Bulls 2-1. The Galaxy began the last 90 minutes of the 2024 season with Joseph Paintsil opening the scoring in the 9th. Dejan Jovelic doubled the lead in the 13th. The Red Bulls pulled a goal back in the 28th from a Sam Nealis goal.
3 Things from the 2024 MLS Season
Another Supporters’ Shield run ends early
Inter Miami showed what its lineup could do across multiple stretches of the season, producing some of the best soccer in MLS in 2024. None of it was exactly a surprise. The marquee team set a standard and, for the most part, stuck to it. They played a fast, attractive style that only improved with the return of Lionel Messi. That Messi ended up the league’s MVP only underlined what this version of Inter Miami was capable of showing. That’s using the past tense because we already know coach Tata Martino isn’t returning. New coach Javier Mascherano’s version of Inter Miami is already the story of the off-season, alongside the club’s player recruitment efforts.
9 and 7 in the East give the entire league hope
Standout play headlined by goalkeeper Brad Guzan saw United surprise the league by knocking out Inter Miami. Atlanta has had its issues reviving their quickly earned reputation as one of the league’s elites. Atlanta exiting in the semifinals becomes the story, a 1-0 loss that ended one of the stronger playoff runs. The Red Bulls got themselves into the playoffs without the benefit of obvious regular season form. It only took knocking out the top seed and then the team that occasionally shares their stadium to get to the conference final. They beat Orlando 1-0, seeing off the team that ended Atlanta’s run. Both United and the Red Bulls showed that it might not be straightforward and it certainly won’t be easy, but there are still ways for teams in the lower half of the playoffs spots to operate in high pressure situations.
The other conference’s champion
After finishing 1-1 in regulation, LAFC couldn’t beat Seattle at home in extra time to advance from the conference semifinals. There’s a temptation to make more of that than might be necessary. LAFC was arguably one of the more balanced teams during 2024, and certainly one of the more entertaining. Denis Bouanga had the same number of goals as Messi, but Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez also scored twenty. Mateusz Bogusz added another 15 for LAFC, but there’s the feeling that eventually teams like Inter Miami will take over based on that level of skill. While MLS squads, by necessity, need to blend talent levels, 2024 showed that two things worked for the eventual champions. The Galaxy relied on quality goalkeeping, established goal scorers, and updating their roster during the season. If this is a blueprint, it’s not a bad one, as 2025 looms for 29 other MLS clubs. At the same time, close playoff games and a close final also reasonably suggest to other teams that lost those postseason games that 2025 could be their turn.
We would like to thank all of you who followed our week-by-week coverage of the 2024 MLS season and look forward to the start of next season in late February.
Photo by Shaun Clark – ISIPhotos.com
