'We are the best team' - Winners and losers of MLS Cup 2024, as LA Galaxy capitalize on poor RBNY defense, claim championship

The Ghanaian winger took his game to another level against the Red Bulls on Saturday, opening the scoring while putting his blistering pace on display all match. He was an absolute thorn in the side of defender Dylan Nealis, beating him on multiple occasions, including the first strike of the match.

Sent a sensational through-ball by Brugman, he fired home to hand the Galaxy an early 1-0 lead.

"The goal happened because Gaston knew, he already watched when I was in an empty space and when he made the touch, he just put it there," the 26-year-old winger told GOAL. "We train about this, and he had the space. And for me, to kill them it's always about my pace, and I know what I need to do - and it resulted in a goal."

In his debut season after arriving from Belgian side Genk ahead of 2024, the 26-year-old scored 10 goals and recorded another 10 assists, while adding another five goal-contributions during the postseason run.

"It means a lot to me, it means a lot to my family, it means a lot to Ghanaians, and the LA supporters, too," he said. "I can't even describe how I feel now. All I have to say is thanks to the work [of the team], to the LA fans, and to the people that support me."

Ahead of the match, it was learned that star defender Andres Reyes would miss the match due to what was an apparent sudden illness. Young Swedish defender Noah Eile stepped in for him, but without a proper warmup or expectation to be playing from the opening whistle, the 22-year-old was caught out off-guard from the start.

Miscommunication with his defensive partners created an opening on Paintsil's goal, while on the second from Jovelic, the RBNY defense was once again victim of disorganization.

"It's not how we intended things to go," RBNY defender John Tolkin told GOAL. "We've dealt with adversity all year, and I thought Noah had a good game, so kudos to him for being ready. I know that's not an easy thing to do, in final especially - to be alerted right before we go in that he's starting. So, those things happen, and we've had that next man mentality all year. I'm happy for Noah."

Manager Sandro Schwarz rolled out with two inverted fullbacks and three central defenders, which was a tactic that had previously worked during their postseason run, but the Galaxy exploited it with through balls and lobbed aerial crosses.

In total, the Galaxy registered 12 shots on goal, with six of them ending up on target. However, their Xg (expected goals) was just a mere 1.3 -- with poor defending, led by even worse communication, overshadowing any positives that RBNY put on display.

The White and Gold faithful created one of the most impressive environments from a home fan perspective. For 90-straight minutes, they were loud, proud and consistently singing the name of their club. Speaking in the locker room after the match, Paintsil shared that the fans were the 12th member of the team.

"They've been faithful throughout the season since I came - they've been faithful to now, and I would say a very big thank you to them, because they've made us who we are now, with their voices and with their belief. They gave us that kind of adrenaline to also keep going, to keep fighting," Paintsil told GOAL. "They did everything we just needed. They did for us with their support, with their voice and it resulted in this fantastic moment, with the trophy."

Defender Jalen Neal doubled-down on Paintsil's reaction, with the U.S. youth international telling GOAL that "it means everything to have our fans supporting us through this, every single step of the way, through the ups and downs. It's ultimately what leads to a championship. So we can't thank them enough for what they've done.

"They had unconditional support throughout the season, whether the momentum was towards us or not. We were undefeated at home for a reason this year, and it showed through their support. So, you know, all credit to them for that part. They were really a different force to be reckoned with than us on the field today."

Ahead of Saturday's match, RBNY star Emil Forsberg told GOAL, “I came to win. Nothing else. That’s the ultimate goal, to win."

The Sweden international and former Bundesliga star, however, fell short on Saturday - failing to live up to his own personal ambitions, despite registering the corner kick that led to their lone goal.

"It's tough, I feel very angry, disappointed about everything, to be honest," he told GOAL. "The first 20 minutes, we were a bit sloppy, we gave them two goals and we had to work ourselves out from that."

Forsberg had their best chance of the game to draw level in the second half, too, turning and firing only to hit the post with less than 20 minutes left in the match.

"It wasn't my day. It was just heartbreaking to be honest," he said. "Sad, angry. I should make that one, but it wasn't that kind of day. I'm still proud of what we achieved together, I can't wait for next year. It was a tough season, but still happy about what we achieved together."

The Galaxy's decision makers deserve so much credit, including coach Greg Vanney and General Manager Will Kuntz. Last year, the club missed the postseason, finishing 13th in the Western Conference. However, they turned things around in 2024 with some marquee signings in Pec, Paintsil, goalkeeper John McCarthy, defender Miki Yamane, defender Carlos Garces and midfielder Marco Reus.

Five of those six started for the Galaxy on Saturday, while Reus came off the bench.

"This group of people is so special," Reus told GOAL. "Not only the players, the staff, the coaches. Amazing. So very, very proud."

Paintsil added that he believes the Galaxy have assembled not only the best attack in the league, but one of the best in club history.

"In me, Riqui, Pec and Dejan, it might be the best thing the LA Galaxy have ever had, especially in the front," he said. "They took us from our various clubs because they believed in us. They know what we are capable of, so we can never disappoint. We did what we need to do, and as you can see, we all reached double figures during the regular season (G/A). So yeah, it's fantastic. We are the best team now, and we will continue to be the best."

The RBNY striker had an affair to forget, with just 20 touches on the ball all match, while completing just seven of his 11 total passes. He was hooked in the 65th minute, six minutes after he was handed a golden opportunity to draw RBNY level, but failed to get even a shot off.

He was sent through on a rather sensational pass in the 59th minute, but failed to react quick enough, seeing the ball stolen off his feet in the box.

The Belgian had a tough 2024 year, with just four regular season goals in 32 appearances for RBNY. His production as a Designated Player on the roster has been lacking since he joined the league, but on the night they needed him most, he didn't show.

Now, heading in to 2025, it appears he may not be viewed as the starting forward at the club. Reports surfaced ahead of the final that RBNY have agreed to sign ex-Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, with the 35-year-old forward set to join the club at the start of 2025.