A little more than a year on from a 13th-place finish, the Los Angeles Galaxy are just two wins away from another championship. The Galaxy will play Seattle at home on Saturday, November 30, in a revival of a Western Conference rivalry that has seen LA beat the Sounders twice en route to lifting MLS Cup (2012, 2014).
A win would mean Los Angeles would host the title match on December 7th at Dignity Health Sports Park, where they haven’t lost all year, for a shot at adding another piece of silverware.
But the opportunity to lift La Sexta didn’t come without struggle. Ten years of mediocrity, which include missing the playoffs four times in six years and a last-place finish in 2017, are evidence enough.
That’s why the return to glory is so sweet for the team with five stars.
Although the “job’s not finished,” as Kobe Bryant famously quipped, Galaxy fans have every reason to celebrate a remarkable turnaround season.
And with the Thanksgiving Holiday upon us, they should also remember to be thankful that…
The Los Angeles Galaxy is a Contender Again
By virtue of their form, which includes scoring an MLS playoff record 15 goals in three matches, the Galaxy are favorites to lift MLS Cup. They haven’t just beaten opponents; they’ve dismantled and humbled them.
Against Colorado, they hung nine goals on a team managed by an MLS Coach of the Year candidate. They did Minnesota United, touted as one of the best defenses in the league, even dirtier by scoring six goals in one game on the Loons.
Around this time last year, Galaxy players were already enjoying their summer off. This year, as a reward for their victories over MNUFC and the Rapids, they’ll be training on Thanksgiving Day. Greg Vanney has his charges locked in, getting ready for a defensively-sound and determined Seattle side.
And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“First and foremost, I’m thankful that we’re training this week, and training on Thanksgiving Day,” Vanney told Extra Time Talk. “As long as I’ve been around the sport, whether it’s at college at UCLA or in the league, if you’re training on Thanksgiving Day, then you’re doing something right. That means you’re either in the final four at UCLA or in the final four in MLS. So I’m glad we’re still together as a group and working towards something big.”
Something big is right. In a season that has included several individual and collective scoring records by Riqui Puig, Gabriel Pec, Joseph Painstil, and Dejan Joveljic, the ultimate prize is still MLS Cup.
The best part is, for the Galaxy to win it, they don’t have to change a thing. The Killer P’s, as the Galaxy Designated Players are known, just have to keep playing the way they have been. And that’s why Galaxy fans should be thankful that…
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The Killer P’s are Producing When it Counts
That $20 million the Galaxy spent in the off season to acquire Pec and Paintsil? These deals are looking like bargains now.
These players have come in and hit the ground running. Having either on the wing running alongside Puig is a nightmare for opposition defenses. The trio’s understanding on the field made the Galaxy the third-best attack in the league during the regular season, with 69 goals.
The other numbers don’t lie. The Killer P’s have produced all season. In September, the Galaxy became just the second team in MLS history to have three players record more than 10 goals and more than 10 assists in the same season (Joseph Paintsil: 10 goals, 10 assists; Gabriel Pec: 16 goals, 14 assists; Riqui Puig: 13 goals, 15 assists). They’ve been even better at home, recording 65 goal contributions between them in all competitions.
This form has carried over into the playoffs. A Galaxy DP has assisted or scored on all but two of LA’s 15 playoff goals this postseason.
To beat Seattle, they’ll need more of the same.
The Killer P’s will now be up against a Sounders team that hasn’t lost in 10 matches, has only two losses in the last 20, and has only conceded five goals in the last 10 games in all competitions.
Seattle will need to play a perfect game to limit the Galaxy’s stars, and it might not be enough. Shut Puig down, and you have Pec on the wing. If you limit Pec, you have to worry about Puig getting service to Painstil. If both are having trouble getting on the ball, Puig might take it for a goal himself.
Minnesota found out the hard way that the Galaxy can hurt you in multiple ways. But the jewel of the six goals was Pec’s captivating 60-yard solo golazo that took any residual fight out of MNUFC.
“I’m extremely happy with that goal, the second goal,” Pec told media after the Galaxy’s victory. “I believe that was one of the most beautiful goals in my career and I cannot wait to get home, and watch the goal and see the goal.”
In a season of special moments, Pec’s goal is a highlight. Incredible to think that the 23-year-old Brazilian winger, the Galaxy’s record transfer, would have been unsignable just five years ago in MLS.
His, and Paintsil’s signing, have turned the Galaxy’s fortunes around. Galaxy fans should be thankful to the man who signed them, but also be thankful for and recognize that…
Will Kuntz was the Galaxy’s Most Important Signing
Kuntz’s resume this season speaks for itself in his first full year as Galaxy General Manager.
He took a team in 13th place, which was an embarrassing caricature of the grand team it had been, and immediately righted the ship. The Galaxy won a club-best 19 games this year and tied its best points total in the MLS modern era.
In just one year, Los Angeles has earned Concacaf Champions League qualification and is on the brink of a sixth title. Even better, they’ve done it in style.
Kuntz’s signings have notched 80 goals or assists between them. His centerpiece signing, Pec, won MLS Newcomer of the Year, while Paintsil is a constant threat. Miki Yamane has been a revelation in defense, while bringing in recent Champions League finalist Marco Reus on a non-DP deal is just a feather in his cap.
He took an MLS player out of contract and had faith that he would become a vital part of a contending team. Galaxy left back John Nelson began last year as a starter with St. Louis City before falling down the pecking order, and then losing his spot on the roster altogether.
“Last year, was a tough year with St. Louis, and the contracts and everything didn’t work out, so honestly, I didn’t know if I would be playing again, and now I’m playing with the LA Galaxy, the biggest team in MLS, and we’re one win away from playing in MLS Cup,” Nelson confessed to Extra Time Talk. “I’m pretty thankful for that.”
His efforts should have landed him the MLS Executive of the Year award, but Kuntz is more than likely focused on the ultimate prize, MLS Cup. At the beginning of the playoffs, he told La Cuna Galaxiana Podcast, “We were the first to five, now we want to be the first to five more.”
Kuntz “gets” the Galaxy.
He gets it because he and the front office have taken great care to listen to the fan base. That fan base is directly responsible for bringing about the change that has Will Kuntz in position to bring LA back to its rightful place.
And that’s why LA Galaxy fans should be thankful that…
The LA Galaxy Supporter Group Boycott Worked
If every action has a reaction and each cause an effect, then the LA Galaxy Fan Boycott is to thank for the Galaxy being two wins away from being crowned 2024 MLS Cup Champions.
Follow the timeline.
After 10 years of bad contracts, a league fine for improper transfer dealings, and a team content to live on a storied past, Galaxy fans had seen enough. Their boycott, plus lackluster field results, finally led to former Galaxy President Chris Klein’s dismissal.
Klein’s departure opened the door for Will Kuntz to come in and immediately get to work, bringing about a different way of doing business in LA. The transfer strategy is different, the team culture is different, and even the way it engages and communicates with fans is different.
The overdue changes led to the signings necessary to put a winning team together, and so on.
The fans’ brave action in holding their team accountable was the catalyst for the Galaxy’s resurgence this year. It has them on the brink of a historic season and a sixth title in LA.
A sixth MLS Cup Championship for the LA Galaxy would certainly be something wonderful to be thankful for.
They have to get through a stubborn Seattle side to earn the right to do so, but the Galaxy should be thankful to have their 12th man in the stands at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday to spur them on.
With the previous decade of disappointment forgiven but not forgotten, LA’s current position as the favorite to win MLS Cup is all the sweeter.
Galaxy fans should be thankful for the journey.
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