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Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<ul><li>LA back on top of MLS</li><li>Red Bulls had chances but couldn't convert</li><li>First Galaxy title since 2014</li></ul><div class="affiliate-button-container theme-1" data-name="Apple TV"><div class="affiliate-button"><img class="logo" height="40" width="72" src="https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/bltcc7a7ffd2fbf71f5/blt2de198b67da95a2e/65709d2436cf7d0407034ef9/Apple_TV.png" style="width: 72px; height: 40px;">Get the MLS Season Pass today!</div><a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=goal_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l39UY" class="affiliate-button-link" target="_blank">Stream games now</a></div>

Sixth Sense: Glory days back after 10 years of waiting, as Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic lead LA Galaxy past New York Red Bulls

CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy said they would give their all to win one for injured star Riqui Puiq. They didn't disappoint, delivering a 2-1 victory over coastal rivals New York Red Bulls Saturday. After 10 long years of waiting, the MLS Cup is back as the Galaxy claimed their record sixth league championship.LA dominated from the opening whistle and Joseph Paintsil would be the biggest benefactor in the opening 10, thanks to some poor midfield awareness from New York and a deft pass from Gaston Brugman. The Galaxy were countering off a broken Red Bulls play when Brugman threaded a perfect through-ball to the pacey Paintsil in the box. The Ghanaian easily slotted past Carlos Coronel, who made contact with the ball but ultimately saw it go past him. The early onslaught would continue just three minutes later.Dejan Joveljić received a ball with some space 20 yards outside of goal in a 3v3 situation and the striker decided to take on three defenders on his own in the box before clinically finishing past Coronel to double's LA's advantage. The Red Bulls struggle to implement anything on attack in the opening 24 minutes, despite having a boisterous 2,000-plus visiting fans in attendance. New York did not take a single shot during that period and was limited to just 44.1 percent on possession.However, the game would briefly turn due to a moment of brilliance in the 28th minute. Red Bulls' star Emil Forsberg delivered an absolutely perfect corner, placing the ball on a literal plate directly in front of goal. After a scrap to get the attempt in front of goal, Sean Nealis would squeeze the ball past John McCarthy to cut the score to 2-1.New York had chances to equalize in the second half, but couldn't take advantage of clear-cut chances. Forsberg had arguably the biggest opportunity of the afternoon, with the attacking midfielder getting a ball with no defender near him by at least a few yards. He launched a shot from just outside the box that went wide right and hit the post in the 72nd minute. From there, LA would rely on its defense to hold on.In a moment of poor logistics, LA had thought they won the title about a minute early, with the club rushing to celebrate on the pitch before realizing an offside call meant there was still a match to be played. Play would resume and the Galaxy would go through celebrations once again about 70 seconds later.

TELL ME MORE

Joseph Paintsil - The 26-year-old's arrival just four days ahead of the Galaxy's opener signaled a new era for the club, with a reported $9 million transfer fee as a part of his move from Belgian giants Genk to MLS.While the signings of Gabriel Pec and Marco Reus stole the headlines, Paintsil quietly delivered an impressive 10-goal, 10-assist season for the Galaxy. The Ghana international is arguably one of MLS' quickest players and the Red Bulls weren't equipped to handle his ability to quickly accelerate and change speeds when needed.The Galaxy needed one of their other stars to step up after the injury to Puig. Paintsil proved quality in the biggest game of the MLS season.

THE MVP

Dante Vanzeir - The Belgian, who is one of New York's designated players, got 64 minutes of cardio. That is how ineffective he was during this time on the pitch. Some of his struggles came down to the Galaxy's defense, but the majority was down to a lack of directness from a player who started at forward but is a better fit at wing in MLS.His lack of physicality was a key weakness for the Red Bulls Saturday and he finished the match with one shot and completed only 66 percent of his passes.New York is rumored to have signed Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for next season. He certainly could've been useful Saturday.

THE BIG LOSER

This is the Galaxy's sixth title, with LA topping its own unprecedented number of five. The last title came 10 years ago, courtesy of Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan-led team.

DID YOU KNOW?

The LA Galaxy will celebrate their return to prominence, but their time away from the pitch will be brief. MLS returns on Feb. 22, 2025.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

MATCH RATING (OUT OF FIVE): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sixth Sense: Glory days back after 10 years of waiting, as Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic lead LA Galaxy past New York Red Bulls | Goal.com Uganda

L.A.&apos;s white and gold half are back on top thanks to early goals from Paintsil and Joveljic, as Galaxy claim sixth MLS Cup