Onside: Major League Soccer (2025) s01e08 Episode Script
Legacy
The MLS playoffs, it's that tension
that's been built up for the whole season
just waiting to be released.
The games can be chaotic…
It can be stressful.
We have to have confidence.
There's no other way.
But you can't be scared.
Because it can be over like that.
Atlanta United
has pulled the greatest upset!
That was frustrating.
The playoffs, it's a lottery.
They have blacked out Messi!
That's what's so great about the MLS Cup
playoffs. You can knock anybody out.
Shock goal!
The New York Red Bulls eliminate
the defending champions.
…to be called an underdog by everybody.
Nobody gave them any hope.
We don't give a crap what you think.
John Tolkin, we know what he can be like.
Tonight, the Red Bulls, they're going
to a Eastern Conference final.
He likes to be the bad boy, and he enjoys
- backing it up.
- Come on. Bring it, yeah!
For ten years, the LA Galaxy have been
trying to get back the MLS Cup.
I am driven by people who used to play
for the Galaxy rooting against you.
Great club. The best.
Well, not the best, but…
Come on!
Let's go.
They built around Riqui Puig.
Many doubted the impact he could have.
Riqui Puig has been red hot.
The ball in behind.
Pec trying to come inside.
Pec with the early touch!
What a score for the Galaxy!
They just cannot stop scoring.
When you have this type of confidence,
you can feel it inside the field.
Welcome back, LA Galaxy.
This Galaxy team
marching toward the Conference semifinals
and perhaps a little bit further.
Winning this MLS Cup, we are saying,
"Hey, Galaxy is always here,
and now we are here again."
But everything can happen
with a knockout game.
And it's scoreless at halftime
of the Western Conference Final
between the Seattle Sounders
and the LA Galaxy.
The game is what you expect.
Stay confident, stay bold.
Keep working through it.
- We've got this.
- Come on!
Riqui! Here!
It all goes through Riqui Puig.
Most touches and passes by far
of any player in MLS this season.
Good, good, good. Yes, yes!
Riqui Puig, the most fouled
player in MLS this regular season.
Puig getting treatment 68 minutes
into this Western Conference Final.
It's Riqui Puig waiting
to be allowed onto the pitch.
It looks like he will continue.
Go on, Riqui!
Puig.
Goal!
Wow.
Eighty-five minutes is what it took.
It's over.
After a decade away,
the Los Angeles Galaxy are
back atop the Western Conference.
What happened?
Hopefully he's okay?
We think he's done his knee.
Uh-huh, right?
Come off the grass.
Riqui, Riqui! Hey, hey.
I did my knee.
Congratulations on the win.
Riqui seemed to be limping afterwards
and had to be pulled back out of the
locker room for the trophy celebrations.
There's a concern that those guys will…
won't make it for next week?
Riqui… I don't know exactly what happened.
It was right at the end of the game,
and next thing I know,
he was kind of walking off the field,
and I don't know exactly
what the situation is and what happened.
So we'll have to find out
when we go back into… in the room,
and it'll probably be assessed
over the next day or so
and see where these guys are at.
- Thank you.
- All right.
- Thanks for your time, Greg.
- All right.
Welcome to the Eastern Conference Final.
The Red Bulls have been ultra impressive
since the first kick of these playoffs.
They hope to claim
the Eastern Conference championship trophy
to book a place in MLS Cup.
John Tolkin is the man for Red Bull.
Contact made
and the free kick is won by Harper.
And this is what Tolkin loves.
The inswinger from this side of the field
off that left foot.
Signal by the New Jersey native…
Head, and a goal!
This ball from Tolkin, it is up there
with the best set pieces
you will ever see.
Attackers win you games,
defenders win you titles.
And indeed, that's all!
An original MLS franchise.
One that's never won
the league championship
will have the opportunity to do just that.
One week from today,
they'll go west to Los Angeles.
And you never thought
you'd hear these words.
The New York Red Bulls
will play for MLS Cup.
- It's beautiful.
- Beautiful.
- Beautiful.
- It's gorgeous.
We put everything into
this Eastern Conference Final
to get to another final.
To be able to play in another big game
for another trophy is…
It's huge because I've never
gotten to this point in MLS play.
John, congratulations on the win.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe you were
six when the Red Bulls last made,
- for the first and last time, MLS Cup.
- I didn't know that.
Don't quote me on that,
but I'm pretty sure.
How does it feel,
the emotions being homegrown
and having the chance
to make history with the club?
Yeah. It's…
I think for me
and just the guys who grew up in the area,
a dream come true.
We have one more to go,
but the guys will enjoy tonight, for sure.
For sure.
Everyone, thanks for joining…
I always dreamed of winning the cup
for my hometown team.
I live and breathe Jersey, and it would
mean a lot to win our first MLS Cup.
Can I get a couple…
John Tolkin is definitely
one of the rising stars
of the New York Red Bulls.
Full national team at the Olympics.
And now, he's playing an MLS Cup
playing for a trophy.
It's good though. It feels really good.
And the stadium is shaking a lot more
when you score.
He's one of the most exciting
players Major League Soccer has today.
And he knows it.
That arrogance, that I want to be already
superstar-ish type of feel to him.
There's European interest for John Tolkin.
Certainly he feels up for that challenge.
Are you nervous?
- Nah, this is a cakewalk.
- Cool as a cucumber?
It's a cakewalk.
Aight, here we go.
All right, dude.
Anytime you bring trophies
to a big sports city,
you're always gonna get
a lot more attention.
Over in Europe, they look over here
and they wanna see winners,
and guys on winning teams
and guys performing on winning teams.
Yeah, hopefully we can win that trophy,
and eventually get over to Europe,
and hopefully that can help with it.
The plan is to win a cup.
Paris is sweet.
I love France.
You're not a huge traveler though, so…
We might be stuck here forever.
No.
We'll see.
It's not that I like Europe more
or anything,
it's just, I wanna see
how far I can take my career,
and see, you know, what I can achieve.
A lot on the line.
As important as Riqui is to this team,
we know our depth and we know…
You know, this season we've been
without him a couple times too,
and we've been able to hold our own.
Without Riqui, you know, of course he's
an important player, a really big player.
Like I said, guys gotta step up.
We need to make our own legacy as
young players and also a new player…
We found out Riqui's ACL is torn.
He will not be able to play
in the MLS Cup.
It's the news we didn't want to hear.
Coach, the thought of
trying to get this done without Riqui…
But obviously,
he's not gonna be there Saturday.
Yeah, I mean, we're gonna miss Riqui.
There's not another player
in the league, honestly, that's like him.
And he's special and unique.
But for now, he, his family, who is here,
everybody, we're all locked in on,
you know, helping the team to get through
this weekend in a positive way.
When you see a player like Riqui go down,
it's tough.
But at the end of the day, we're brothers.
He knows he has our support,
we have his support.
And now everybody needs to be ready.
We've made it this far to win.
We're gonna get this done,
but it'll be in a slightly different way.
And yes, it's… Let's do it…
Let's do it for Riqui.
And let's do it to complete this mission
that we've been on all year,
and for some of us, multiple years…
to complete the task.
And I feel for Riqui.
I know just the despair that you have
when you get an opportunity
to do something special
and it kind of disappears on you quickly.
I played in three championships
with the LA Galaxy
and did not win any of the three.
My legacy is having lost
in three MLS Cup finals.
And I want nothing more than
to rectify some demons
that I wasn't able to as a player
here at the Galaxy.
And bring joy back to this club
and the fan base.
And put the club back on top.
For the players, you're going into
your biggest game of the season,
and you're without your best,
number ten, your playmaker.
What does that do for the players,
how does that affect them?
Riqui was the most influential
player who carried the LA Galaxy,
but now it's up to everybody else
to carry this team.
It's all about the front three.
That's Pec, Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic.
To score the goals, put the ball
in the back of the net and be the heroes.
There you go, slide across.
Yes, good.
Keep it wide, keep it wide,
keep it wide. Good.
It's the opportunity
for these guys to cement their legacy
with one more win.
And you're so close
and you don't know as a player
if you ever get this opportunity again.
Go same side, same side. Yep.
Yes, good.
You never want to lose a player like Riqui
and you never feel good about it.
But, the reality is nobody is
sitting there feeling sorry for us.
Firm, firm. Everything at speed,
everything at speed. Okay, Joe.
Bang. Boom.
Good job, guys. Great job.
New York Red Bulls are headed to MLS Cup.
…and they're now going to LA
to play for a championship.
Are you kidding me?
They're playing away from home, they
finished seventh in the regular season.
You know, a little of this star factor.
We live off of that. We live off of
being told we can't do something.
And that's brought them together,
but why not them?
This is a team that has
struggled throughout their history
in the biggest moments.
They've always fallen short.
Can this ragtag group of fighters
get the job done?
MLS Cup is the Super Bowl
for Major League Soccer.
It's crazy that it's taken this long
for two of the original franchises
in Major League Soccer
to meet with stakes like this.
The New York Red Bulls are without a doubt
one of the most uncomfortable
teams to play against.
It doesn't matter who they play against,
they've shut out these teams on the road.
Riqui Puig is not on the field.
And Greg Vanney and the LA Galaxy
have a ton of question marks
heading into this game.
Can't beat the weather, that's for sure.
Yeah, you hear about Riqui yet?
Oh, yeah.
Man, that sucks actually, to be honest.
For us, it's beneficial that he's hurt
- because--
- It just feels wrong to say something…
- It feels…
- Yeah.
Like you said, you want to play
against the best all the time
and it's just so sad that he's injured
because he deserves to play in the finals.
Very sad for Riqui.
He's played a fantastic season
here for the LA Galaxy.
And he's involved in so much
in their team,
of course it's gonna change for them.
He's such an important player,
but how it's going to affect them,
it's hard to say now.
- It's nicer for us, but… It's…
- Yeah.
That's why we're lucky.
He's also the QB of their team
so… fuck that guy.
- Fuck that, bro.
- Yeah.
People have battled injuries all year,
you can't chalk it up to one player
because if we were healthy all season,
then we could go in as a one seed
and we could be playing at home,
like, you never know.
Hearing that he tore his ACL,
I was like, "Oh, shit."
It definitely helps us,
I'm not gonna sugarcoat it.
Like, the confidence is growing
and hopefully we can get up in their face,
make them frustrated,
and, yeah, man, win the cup.
I think we've been spoilers
the whole post season, so
it would only make sense
to spoil one more time.
Oh, my God. We have to avenge the Yankees.
That's what I was just saying, yeah.
The coast-to-coast battle
is pretty cool too.
Oh, my God.
I was actually at the Dodgers-Yankees
Game 5 when LA won in the Yankee Stadium,
and it was horrible,
like a horrible feeling.
All the New York fans were pissed.
And I thought to myself,
"We have the opportunity
to spoil the party in their stadium
and avenge the Yankees
and win our first trophy."
So, yeah, it would be great.
It would be so great.
In minute 60,
I feel something in my knee.
It was really bad.
To be a hero,
I played 30 minutes with my ACL torn,
and I think that it was the best decision
that I make in my life.
Now I have surgery.
For me, it's so difficult to
manage the last week of the season
outside the field, you know?
I was waiting nine months
to play this game, you know?
So, the machine is going to flex his knee.
We're going to adjust
the amount of degrees.
I like this machine, but also I hate it.
Because it's painful.
One of the most important
things is when you have the respect
of your teammates.
We are the team that deserve the MLS Cup.
That's only the thing
that matters now for me.
That's it.
Hey, what's going on?
- How are you?
- You did a good job out there.
Thank you.
Hello, everyone.
Hey, how's it going? How you doing?
- Daniel, nice to meet you.
- Likewise.
If you can just scoot up
a bit and be closer, that would be great.
The main focus is not for tomorrow.
I'm sure every young player, also JMi
Tolkin, feel pressure. You need pressure.
- Van Nistelrooy or Arne?
- Arne.
John, personal finance question.
How much a month
are we spending at the barber?
Quite a lot.
He has the potential,
but he has to
show the potential every day.
For JMi Tolkin, it is, at this moment,
the biggest game in his career.
- All righty. Appreciate it, guys.
- Thank you so much.
I have seen a lot of players
who are winning things
and they make moves overseas.
Winning an MLS Cup can put you
in a good position to make a move,
and I think when people have something
to prove, you get the best out of them.
The game this weekend,
that's exactly what I want to do.
That's a hundred percent
the goal I'm scoring in.
- This one right here?
- No, this one down there.
We're gonna score another set piece.
- That's how we'll win games.
- Yeah, that's it, man.
We sit back and defend.
I think we deserve to be here
more than anyone else.
- We went to Columbus, we beat them there.
- Yeah.
- We went to NYFC, we beat them.
- Yeah.
- Went to Orlando, beat them.
- Orlando, yep.
And now, Los Angeles here,
we're trying to beat them here.
I mean, the journey wasn't easy.
This could be the best
MLS Cup run anyone's ever had.
W…
- Yeah.
- When all's said and done.
I think we're the lowest seed, right?
- To make the final?
- Yeah.
Yeah.
We have a fantastic team here.
It's a young team.
But still, the pressure is big
for everyone.
To win here, guys…
- Imagine we just win here at…
- Oh, bro.
- …at their stadium.
- That's the best.
It's the best.
And when you are younger,
you haven't learned
to handle the pressure,
to deal with it, to cope with it.
And then now, we have the ultimate test
left in the MLS Cup final.
It's going to be a tough task for us,
but we're up to it.
It's a nice trophy, innit?
It's nice.
We have to lift it, guys. Come on.
Fucking bring it home to New York, huh?
Welcome back to today's 2024 MLS Cup.
We're joined today by head coach,
Greg Vanney.
Greg,
thank you for taking time to do this.
Will Kuntz has talked about your vision,
maybe to think about Riqui
as something of a quarterback
and to think about some of these guys that
you ended up bringing in as his receivers.
I'm curious, how has that changed?
It's just a matter
of looking at your pieces
and trying to say, "Okay, what other
complementary pieces do you have?"
So it's on me to also adapt.
Maybe it doesn't always
need to be through Riqui.
Yeah.
We are quite ready for tomorrow.
- This guy's ready.
- Let's go.
I will fight till every moment
to win something for LA Galaxy
because I'm here to win something,
not just to play and just have fun
and just go home.
Paintsil. You're not gonna catch him!
Paintsil scores!
Devastating from LA Galaxy!
Scoring 14 goals
and I don't know how many assists.
It's not an easy thing for someone to just
come in a season and to perform like this.
Year one, and a very impressive year one
for the Ghanaian.
I feel good.
They brought me here for a reason.
To showcase what I got,
and I think the results speak for itself.
Yes, we are home!
So, yeah.
So, this is
my music room.
So these are some of my music I make.
Yeah, so this is also one song
I recorded here.
This one.
It's really new.
In the family, my mom was also a musician.
My twin sister is also a musician.
My senior brother is also
a gospel musician.
So it's something that runs in the family.
My dad was a football player.
So you better love me now
Don't love me later
Me say later
D'you know, know, know, know
All my music is all about love.
Maybe I'm a lover boy, though.
One love, I see one heart
Free soul, free mind
We fall
We rise
We bounce back
Stronger, stronger
- One love…
- I'm fine with the music because
it's a motivation music
and it always makes me calm.
But the most important thing now
is to focus on football.
No matter whatever it takes
for us to win this final,
we will… with our sweat and blood.
And we are going to do everything possible
that we win this game.
One love, I see one heart
Free soul, free mind
We fall
We rise
We bounce back
Stronger, stronger
Welcome to Los Angeles, California,
in the 29th MLS Cup.
It's the Los Angeles Galaxy
hosting the New York Red Bulls.
Delgado, Fagúndez,
we got this no matter what.
- Riqui, Joveljic…
- You're forgetting Joveljic!
Come on!
We got all of it! Riqui…
All right. Come on, guys. Bring it home.
- Thank you.
- Good luck.
When I came here,
I could feel that every guy
gets a little push,
a little kick in the ass,
they will be fantastic.
I felt that, like,
growing as a family together
all throughout the season.
To win the first MLS Cup
to be a part of that,
it's pressure, but, you know,
I think we're used to that.
I'm used to that.
You know, we don't wanna just win,
we want to dominate.
So you just want to kick them around
and win at the end of the day.
It's definitely one of my goals
in my career, to win an MLS Cup.
It's…
It's something special and I'm hoping
I can check that off the list.
I've been in this league for 14 years
and I've played more than 400 games.
To not have won one MLS Cup…
I want that ring, I want that cup.
Big players step up for big games.
The Galaxy are without their leader,
Riqui Puig.
They want to win it for him.
Should we let them take our photo?
It was the first game
that I'm going to the stadium
that I'm not playing the game.
It's hard to see my team playing the final
and a final that I think
that I deserve to play.
It's really hard for me to see all
the fans shouting your name and you're…
in the bench with your family.
But don't win this MLS cup for me.
Win it to win for the fans.
And LA Galaxy can be on top,
and can be one of the best teams
in MLS again.
You did such a great job.
- Thank you so much.
- Great to see you.
I'm so… I'm so sorry.
- No problem.
- For you.
We're gonna come back stronger. Thank you.
This is our house.
Feel the energy that the fans are giving.
Give it right back out on the field.
Ninety minutes. Whatever it takes.
Trust yourself. Be calm.
Work together. Fight for each other.
Throw the first punch in this game.
Just show 'em you're here
to fucking set the tone.
This is the moment
we've been working for, right?
Okay, guys. Listen.
The game… it's the last game.
Don't think about, "It's the final."
It's the last game.
Everyone has to be ready.
Everyone has to be ready.
Come on, let's go. Come on, everyone.
- Come on, guys!
- Win on three. One, two, three.
Win!
Come on. Let's go.
We're here for a reason. Come on.
We keep going. Again and again.
Again and again.
It's difficult for me to be here.
And I know that it's difficult…
But I need… I need to say that…
Thanks a lot for the support.
And… Let's fucking go!
Because a lot of people
don't trust this group.
And today I think is a step
- and we can do history.
- Yeah.
Let's go.
Mount up!
The 2024 MLS Cup is minutes away.
The Red Bulls and the Galaxy.
Will there be a 6th star tonight?
LA Galaxy!
Go!
Go on! Go on!
Go wide!
LA Galaxy!
LA Galaxy!
Broken up… Now Paintsil.
Touch and go.
- They just can't get away…
- I know.
…with whatever they want.
Ultimately, this is about…
Is the game gonna be played in the mud?
Because that's what
the New York Red Bulls want.
Go! Go on! Go on!
There he is. Go on! Go on!
Go!
Go on! Go on!
Right here…
How often throughout the entire year…
Riqui Puig would just do something
on his own.
Joseph! Flow, flow, flow.
Organize the switch.
The ball to Brugman
and passes to Paintsil!
Paintsil in!
The Galaxy!
Score!
Goal!
The opening goal of the 2024 MLS Cup
is Joseph Paintsil.
Galaxy off to a flying start.
Joseph Paintsil…
Riqui Puig's jersey, to dedicate it
to their number ten.
LA Galaxy!
Get inside.
Come on, organize. Step up.
Go! Go!
Step to it!
Here come the Galaxy. Joveljic…
Still Joveljic!
Goal!
What a start for Los Angeles.
Two, nil.
A bow to Riqui Puig in the suites.
Two Galaxy goals within 13 minutes.
And a corner coming for the Red Bulls.
Not a corner kick. Fucking kidding me?
Forsberg loves that area to whip it in.
Into a dangerous spot.
Not cleared yet by the Galaxy.
They're back in it!
And the lead is cut in half. Two to one.
And it is halftime.
An intriguing and interesting first 45.
Paintsil! Riqui! Riqui!
I was really satisfied with
about the first 20 to 25 minutes.
And then I felt like
we fell a little bit off of a cliff.
Just got a little bit passive.
We don't need to be protecting a 2-1.
We need to be pushing the game.
The next 45 minutes,
I want us to play that we're gonna…
go get the goal before you…
have a chance to get the goal.
They're not… good enough!
You know, the way Red Bull plays,
they don't wanna be pretty.
They're a bunch of Jersey boys
and Long Island boys.
They're here for a street fight.
I fought those guys
growing up when I was in Brooklyn, right?
They're gonna take it the distance
and they wanna muddy it up,
and they're gonna keep on coming.
They are relentless.
Can the Red Bulls continue to come back?
Or will it be a sweet 6th for the Galaxy?
The second half of the 2024 MLS Cup…
- Let's go!
- …is underway.
The further this game goes,
2-1 in favor of the Galaxy,
I expect Tolkin to be a little bit more
aggressive going forward.
- Tolkin slides in.
- Good tackle.
Come on, stick with it. Keep going.
Final minutes of regulation.
Can they find it? Can they finish it?
- Tolkin…
- Let's go!
Step to it!
Serves. Forsberg is alone!
Can they get it away?
It's blocked!
Let's go.
Sandro Schwarz just begging
- for that second goal to come.
- Play wide!
Is this the last chance?
Hey, hey, hey!
Blocked.
That is the final whistle! It is now over.
The Los Angeles Galaxy
have won their sixth MLS Cup.
We are the team that…
We deserve the MLS Cup.
And this year, I have the confidence
of the teammates.
The confidence of the fans.
And I think that when you have
this type of confidence,
you can feel it inside the field.
I see the city, the country.
I see all the states.
And I see the heart that there is
winning the MLS Cup.
I think that…
I need to say that it's one of
the best feelings and titles that I won
in my life.
It's been a long decade
for those Galaxy supporters.
Much longer than they thought
they'd have to wait.
And for the one man to get them back here,
you just have to have a huge smile
on your face for one Greg Vanney.
Doubt Greg at your own peril.
I mean, he stepped up
when this club needed him,
and last year I know
was really tough for him.
Yes!
Yes, go, champ.
It's been such a joy for me
to see him be validated.
After the game, I think,
just a feeling of defeat, really.
That's just the way it goes, though.
I think it's obvious,
with his qualities and what he can do,
that Europe is calling on him.
He's played such a good season in a way,
and I think the guys scouting him,
or the teams scouting him,
already know of his qualities.
But we just have to wait and see.
I wanna see how far I can take my career
and see what I can achieve.
I think that's only natural
for a player to think that.
LA Galaxy fans,
it's been a long ten-year wait.
So, MLS Commissioner Don Garber
will present the 2024 MLS Cup Trophy
to today's champions, LA Galaxy.
When it's done, you've…
you realize that you've overcome a lot
of different things to get to that moment.
The guys never wavered.
They believed in
what we were trying to do.
And here we are, you know? Here we are.
Now it's time to party, my friend.
The question all year long.
Are the Galaxy back?
Will the Galaxy come back?
Can the Galaxy come back?
We're back.
We're here,
and we don't plan on going away.
It's not a "fuck you" to anybody.
It's just a, you know, a little like,
"I told you so."
Let's go!
If you look at the journey
of our players, our staff,
and where we were in 2023…
It was tough.
For all the work
that a lot of us were putting in,
there was just a lot of disrespect
and anger that was directed our way.
That anger was a motivation.
The only way to
prove anybody wrong is to win.
Apologies. I was takin' a shower.
So it's always the way I went
about it, you know?
But when you win it,
you feel like you won…
and I mean that not just on the field.
I mean that in many ways.
This championship will bond this group
of players and us together forever.
And…
that to me is bigger
than the championship.
Yeah, I couldn't feel better about that.
that's been built up for the whole season
just waiting to be released.
The games can be chaotic…
It can be stressful.
We have to have confidence.
There's no other way.
But you can't be scared.
Because it can be over like that.
Atlanta United
has pulled the greatest upset!
That was frustrating.
The playoffs, it's a lottery.
They have blacked out Messi!
That's what's so great about the MLS Cup
playoffs. You can knock anybody out.
Shock goal!
The New York Red Bulls eliminate
the defending champions.
…to be called an underdog by everybody.
Nobody gave them any hope.
We don't give a crap what you think.
John Tolkin, we know what he can be like.
Tonight, the Red Bulls, they're going
to a Eastern Conference final.
He likes to be the bad boy, and he enjoys
- backing it up.
- Come on. Bring it, yeah!
For ten years, the LA Galaxy have been
trying to get back the MLS Cup.
I am driven by people who used to play
for the Galaxy rooting against you.
Great club. The best.
Well, not the best, but…
Come on!
Let's go.
They built around Riqui Puig.
Many doubted the impact he could have.
Riqui Puig has been red hot.
The ball in behind.
Pec trying to come inside.
Pec with the early touch!
What a score for the Galaxy!
They just cannot stop scoring.
When you have this type of confidence,
you can feel it inside the field.
Welcome back, LA Galaxy.
This Galaxy team
marching toward the Conference semifinals
and perhaps a little bit further.
Winning this MLS Cup, we are saying,
"Hey, Galaxy is always here,
and now we are here again."
But everything can happen
with a knockout game.
And it's scoreless at halftime
of the Western Conference Final
between the Seattle Sounders
and the LA Galaxy.
The game is what you expect.
Stay confident, stay bold.
Keep working through it.
- We've got this.
- Come on!
Riqui! Here!
It all goes through Riqui Puig.
Most touches and passes by far
of any player in MLS this season.
Good, good, good. Yes, yes!
Riqui Puig, the most fouled
player in MLS this regular season.
Puig getting treatment 68 minutes
into this Western Conference Final.
It's Riqui Puig waiting
to be allowed onto the pitch.
It looks like he will continue.
Go on, Riqui!
Puig.
Goal!
Wow.
Eighty-five minutes is what it took.
It's over.
After a decade away,
the Los Angeles Galaxy are
back atop the Western Conference.
What happened?
Hopefully he's okay?
We think he's done his knee.
Uh-huh, right?
Come off the grass.
Riqui, Riqui! Hey, hey.
I did my knee.
Congratulations on the win.
Riqui seemed to be limping afterwards
and had to be pulled back out of the
locker room for the trophy celebrations.
There's a concern that those guys will…
won't make it for next week?
Riqui… I don't know exactly what happened.
It was right at the end of the game,
and next thing I know,
he was kind of walking off the field,
and I don't know exactly
what the situation is and what happened.
So we'll have to find out
when we go back into… in the room,
and it'll probably be assessed
over the next day or so
and see where these guys are at.
- Thank you.
- All right.
- Thanks for your time, Greg.
- All right.
Welcome to the Eastern Conference Final.
The Red Bulls have been ultra impressive
since the first kick of these playoffs.
They hope to claim
the Eastern Conference championship trophy
to book a place in MLS Cup.
John Tolkin is the man for Red Bull.
Contact made
and the free kick is won by Harper.
And this is what Tolkin loves.
The inswinger from this side of the field
off that left foot.
Signal by the New Jersey native…
Head, and a goal!
This ball from Tolkin, it is up there
with the best set pieces
you will ever see.
Attackers win you games,
defenders win you titles.
And indeed, that's all!
An original MLS franchise.
One that's never won
the league championship
will have the opportunity to do just that.
One week from today,
they'll go west to Los Angeles.
And you never thought
you'd hear these words.
The New York Red Bulls
will play for MLS Cup.
- It's beautiful.
- Beautiful.
- Beautiful.
- It's gorgeous.
We put everything into
this Eastern Conference Final
to get to another final.
To be able to play in another big game
for another trophy is…
It's huge because I've never
gotten to this point in MLS play.
John, congratulations on the win.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe you were
six when the Red Bulls last made,
- for the first and last time, MLS Cup.
- I didn't know that.
Don't quote me on that,
but I'm pretty sure.
How does it feel,
the emotions being homegrown
and having the chance
to make history with the club?
Yeah. It's…
I think for me
and just the guys who grew up in the area,
a dream come true.
We have one more to go,
but the guys will enjoy tonight, for sure.
For sure.
Everyone, thanks for joining…
I always dreamed of winning the cup
for my hometown team.
I live and breathe Jersey, and it would
mean a lot to win our first MLS Cup.
Can I get a couple…
John Tolkin is definitely
one of the rising stars
of the New York Red Bulls.
Full national team at the Olympics.
And now, he's playing an MLS Cup
playing for a trophy.
It's good though. It feels really good.
And the stadium is shaking a lot more
when you score.
He's one of the most exciting
players Major League Soccer has today.
And he knows it.
That arrogance, that I want to be already
superstar-ish type of feel to him.
There's European interest for John Tolkin.
Certainly he feels up for that challenge.
Are you nervous?
- Nah, this is a cakewalk.
- Cool as a cucumber?
It's a cakewalk.
Aight, here we go.
All right, dude.
Anytime you bring trophies
to a big sports city,
you're always gonna get
a lot more attention.
Over in Europe, they look over here
and they wanna see winners,
and guys on winning teams
and guys performing on winning teams.
Yeah, hopefully we can win that trophy,
and eventually get over to Europe,
and hopefully that can help with it.
The plan is to win a cup.
Paris is sweet.
I love France.
You're not a huge traveler though, so…
We might be stuck here forever.
No.
We'll see.
It's not that I like Europe more
or anything,
it's just, I wanna see
how far I can take my career,
and see, you know, what I can achieve.
A lot on the line.
As important as Riqui is to this team,
we know our depth and we know…
You know, this season we've been
without him a couple times too,
and we've been able to hold our own.
Without Riqui, you know, of course he's
an important player, a really big player.
Like I said, guys gotta step up.
We need to make our own legacy as
young players and also a new player…
We found out Riqui's ACL is torn.
He will not be able to play
in the MLS Cup.
It's the news we didn't want to hear.
Coach, the thought of
trying to get this done without Riqui…
But obviously,
he's not gonna be there Saturday.
Yeah, I mean, we're gonna miss Riqui.
There's not another player
in the league, honestly, that's like him.
And he's special and unique.
But for now, he, his family, who is here,
everybody, we're all locked in on,
you know, helping the team to get through
this weekend in a positive way.
When you see a player like Riqui go down,
it's tough.
But at the end of the day, we're brothers.
He knows he has our support,
we have his support.
And now everybody needs to be ready.
We've made it this far to win.
We're gonna get this done,
but it'll be in a slightly different way.
And yes, it's… Let's do it…
Let's do it for Riqui.
And let's do it to complete this mission
that we've been on all year,
and for some of us, multiple years…
to complete the task.
And I feel for Riqui.
I know just the despair that you have
when you get an opportunity
to do something special
and it kind of disappears on you quickly.
I played in three championships
with the LA Galaxy
and did not win any of the three.
My legacy is having lost
in three MLS Cup finals.
And I want nothing more than
to rectify some demons
that I wasn't able to as a player
here at the Galaxy.
And bring joy back to this club
and the fan base.
And put the club back on top.
For the players, you're going into
your biggest game of the season,
and you're without your best,
number ten, your playmaker.
What does that do for the players,
how does that affect them?
Riqui was the most influential
player who carried the LA Galaxy,
but now it's up to everybody else
to carry this team.
It's all about the front three.
That's Pec, Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic.
To score the goals, put the ball
in the back of the net and be the heroes.
There you go, slide across.
Yes, good.
Keep it wide, keep it wide,
keep it wide. Good.
It's the opportunity
for these guys to cement their legacy
with one more win.
And you're so close
and you don't know as a player
if you ever get this opportunity again.
Go same side, same side. Yep.
Yes, good.
You never want to lose a player like Riqui
and you never feel good about it.
But, the reality is nobody is
sitting there feeling sorry for us.
Firm, firm. Everything at speed,
everything at speed. Okay, Joe.
Bang. Boom.
Good job, guys. Great job.
New York Red Bulls are headed to MLS Cup.
…and they're now going to LA
to play for a championship.
Are you kidding me?
They're playing away from home, they
finished seventh in the regular season.
You know, a little of this star factor.
We live off of that. We live off of
being told we can't do something.
And that's brought them together,
but why not them?
This is a team that has
struggled throughout their history
in the biggest moments.
They've always fallen short.
Can this ragtag group of fighters
get the job done?
MLS Cup is the Super Bowl
for Major League Soccer.
It's crazy that it's taken this long
for two of the original franchises
in Major League Soccer
to meet with stakes like this.
The New York Red Bulls are without a doubt
one of the most uncomfortable
teams to play against.
It doesn't matter who they play against,
they've shut out these teams on the road.
Riqui Puig is not on the field.
And Greg Vanney and the LA Galaxy
have a ton of question marks
heading into this game.
Can't beat the weather, that's for sure.
Yeah, you hear about Riqui yet?
Oh, yeah.
Man, that sucks actually, to be honest.
For us, it's beneficial that he's hurt
- because--
- It just feels wrong to say something…
- It feels…
- Yeah.
Like you said, you want to play
against the best all the time
and it's just so sad that he's injured
because he deserves to play in the finals.
Very sad for Riqui.
He's played a fantastic season
here for the LA Galaxy.
And he's involved in so much
in their team,
of course it's gonna change for them.
He's such an important player,
but how it's going to affect them,
it's hard to say now.
- It's nicer for us, but… It's…
- Yeah.
That's why we're lucky.
He's also the QB of their team
so… fuck that guy.
- Fuck that, bro.
- Yeah.
People have battled injuries all year,
you can't chalk it up to one player
because if we were healthy all season,
then we could go in as a one seed
and we could be playing at home,
like, you never know.
Hearing that he tore his ACL,
I was like, "Oh, shit."
It definitely helps us,
I'm not gonna sugarcoat it.
Like, the confidence is growing
and hopefully we can get up in their face,
make them frustrated,
and, yeah, man, win the cup.
I think we've been spoilers
the whole post season, so
it would only make sense
to spoil one more time.
Oh, my God. We have to avenge the Yankees.
That's what I was just saying, yeah.
The coast-to-coast battle
is pretty cool too.
Oh, my God.
I was actually at the Dodgers-Yankees
Game 5 when LA won in the Yankee Stadium,
and it was horrible,
like a horrible feeling.
All the New York fans were pissed.
And I thought to myself,
"We have the opportunity
to spoil the party in their stadium
and avenge the Yankees
and win our first trophy."
So, yeah, it would be great.
It would be so great.
In minute 60,
I feel something in my knee.
It was really bad.
To be a hero,
I played 30 minutes with my ACL torn,
and I think that it was the best decision
that I make in my life.
Now I have surgery.
For me, it's so difficult to
manage the last week of the season
outside the field, you know?
I was waiting nine months
to play this game, you know?
So, the machine is going to flex his knee.
We're going to adjust
the amount of degrees.
I like this machine, but also I hate it.
Because it's painful.
One of the most important
things is when you have the respect
of your teammates.
We are the team that deserve the MLS Cup.
That's only the thing
that matters now for me.
That's it.
Hey, what's going on?
- How are you?
- You did a good job out there.
Thank you.
Hello, everyone.
Hey, how's it going? How you doing?
- Daniel, nice to meet you.
- Likewise.
If you can just scoot up
a bit and be closer, that would be great.
The main focus is not for tomorrow.
I'm sure every young player, also JMi
Tolkin, feel pressure. You need pressure.
- Van Nistelrooy or Arne?
- Arne.
John, personal finance question.
How much a month
are we spending at the barber?
Quite a lot.
He has the potential,
but he has to
show the potential every day.
For JMi Tolkin, it is, at this moment,
the biggest game in his career.
- All righty. Appreciate it, guys.
- Thank you so much.
I have seen a lot of players
who are winning things
and they make moves overseas.
Winning an MLS Cup can put you
in a good position to make a move,
and I think when people have something
to prove, you get the best out of them.
The game this weekend,
that's exactly what I want to do.
That's a hundred percent
the goal I'm scoring in.
- This one right here?
- No, this one down there.
We're gonna score another set piece.
- That's how we'll win games.
- Yeah, that's it, man.
We sit back and defend.
I think we deserve to be here
more than anyone else.
- We went to Columbus, we beat them there.
- Yeah.
- We went to NYFC, we beat them.
- Yeah.
- Went to Orlando, beat them.
- Orlando, yep.
And now, Los Angeles here,
we're trying to beat them here.
I mean, the journey wasn't easy.
This could be the best
MLS Cup run anyone's ever had.
W…
- Yeah.
- When all's said and done.
I think we're the lowest seed, right?
- To make the final?
- Yeah.
Yeah.
We have a fantastic team here.
It's a young team.
But still, the pressure is big
for everyone.
To win here, guys…
- Imagine we just win here at…
- Oh, bro.
- …at their stadium.
- That's the best.
It's the best.
And when you are younger,
you haven't learned
to handle the pressure,
to deal with it, to cope with it.
And then now, we have the ultimate test
left in the MLS Cup final.
It's going to be a tough task for us,
but we're up to it.
It's a nice trophy, innit?
It's nice.
We have to lift it, guys. Come on.
Fucking bring it home to New York, huh?
Welcome back to today's 2024 MLS Cup.
We're joined today by head coach,
Greg Vanney.
Greg,
thank you for taking time to do this.
Will Kuntz has talked about your vision,
maybe to think about Riqui
as something of a quarterback
and to think about some of these guys that
you ended up bringing in as his receivers.
I'm curious, how has that changed?
It's just a matter
of looking at your pieces
and trying to say, "Okay, what other
complementary pieces do you have?"
So it's on me to also adapt.
Maybe it doesn't always
need to be through Riqui.
Yeah.
We are quite ready for tomorrow.
- This guy's ready.
- Let's go.
I will fight till every moment
to win something for LA Galaxy
because I'm here to win something,
not just to play and just have fun
and just go home.
Paintsil. You're not gonna catch him!
Paintsil scores!
Devastating from LA Galaxy!
Scoring 14 goals
and I don't know how many assists.
It's not an easy thing for someone to just
come in a season and to perform like this.
Year one, and a very impressive year one
for the Ghanaian.
I feel good.
They brought me here for a reason.
To showcase what I got,
and I think the results speak for itself.
Yes, we are home!
So, yeah.
So, this is
my music room.
So these are some of my music I make.
Yeah, so this is also one song
I recorded here.
This one.
It's really new.
In the family, my mom was also a musician.
My twin sister is also a musician.
My senior brother is also
a gospel musician.
So it's something that runs in the family.
My dad was a football player.
So you better love me now
Don't love me later
Me say later
D'you know, know, know, know
All my music is all about love.
Maybe I'm a lover boy, though.
One love, I see one heart
Free soul, free mind
We fall
We rise
We bounce back
Stronger, stronger
- One love…
- I'm fine with the music because
it's a motivation music
and it always makes me calm.
But the most important thing now
is to focus on football.
No matter whatever it takes
for us to win this final,
we will… with our sweat and blood.
And we are going to do everything possible
that we win this game.
One love, I see one heart
Free soul, free mind
We fall
We rise
We bounce back
Stronger, stronger
Welcome to Los Angeles, California,
in the 29th MLS Cup.
It's the Los Angeles Galaxy
hosting the New York Red Bulls.
Delgado, Fagúndez,
we got this no matter what.
- Riqui, Joveljic…
- You're forgetting Joveljic!
Come on!
We got all of it! Riqui…
All right. Come on, guys. Bring it home.
- Thank you.
- Good luck.
When I came here,
I could feel that every guy
gets a little push,
a little kick in the ass,
they will be fantastic.
I felt that, like,
growing as a family together
all throughout the season.
To win the first MLS Cup
to be a part of that,
it's pressure, but, you know,
I think we're used to that.
I'm used to that.
You know, we don't wanna just win,
we want to dominate.
So you just want to kick them around
and win at the end of the day.
It's definitely one of my goals
in my career, to win an MLS Cup.
It's…
It's something special and I'm hoping
I can check that off the list.
I've been in this league for 14 years
and I've played more than 400 games.
To not have won one MLS Cup…
I want that ring, I want that cup.
Big players step up for big games.
The Galaxy are without their leader,
Riqui Puig.
They want to win it for him.
Should we let them take our photo?
It was the first game
that I'm going to the stadium
that I'm not playing the game.
It's hard to see my team playing the final
and a final that I think
that I deserve to play.
It's really hard for me to see all
the fans shouting your name and you're…
in the bench with your family.
But don't win this MLS cup for me.
Win it to win for the fans.
And LA Galaxy can be on top,
and can be one of the best teams
in MLS again.
You did such a great job.
- Thank you so much.
- Great to see you.
I'm so… I'm so sorry.
- No problem.
- For you.
We're gonna come back stronger. Thank you.
This is our house.
Feel the energy that the fans are giving.
Give it right back out on the field.
Ninety minutes. Whatever it takes.
Trust yourself. Be calm.
Work together. Fight for each other.
Throw the first punch in this game.
Just show 'em you're here
to fucking set the tone.
This is the moment
we've been working for, right?
Okay, guys. Listen.
The game… it's the last game.
Don't think about, "It's the final."
It's the last game.
Everyone has to be ready.
Everyone has to be ready.
Come on, let's go. Come on, everyone.
- Come on, guys!
- Win on three. One, two, three.
Win!
Come on. Let's go.
We're here for a reason. Come on.
We keep going. Again and again.
Again and again.
It's difficult for me to be here.
And I know that it's difficult…
But I need… I need to say that…
Thanks a lot for the support.
And… Let's fucking go!
Because a lot of people
don't trust this group.
And today I think is a step
- and we can do history.
- Yeah.
Let's go.
Mount up!
The 2024 MLS Cup is minutes away.
The Red Bulls and the Galaxy.
Will there be a 6th star tonight?
LA Galaxy!
Go!
Go on! Go on!
Go wide!
LA Galaxy!
LA Galaxy!
Broken up… Now Paintsil.
Touch and go.
- They just can't get away…
- I know.
…with whatever they want.
Ultimately, this is about…
Is the game gonna be played in the mud?
Because that's what
the New York Red Bulls want.
Go! Go on! Go on!
There he is. Go on! Go on!
Go!
Go on! Go on!
Right here…
How often throughout the entire year…
Riqui Puig would just do something
on his own.
Joseph! Flow, flow, flow.
Organize the switch.
The ball to Brugman
and passes to Paintsil!
Paintsil in!
The Galaxy!
Score!
Goal!
The opening goal of the 2024 MLS Cup
is Joseph Paintsil.
Galaxy off to a flying start.
Joseph Paintsil…
Riqui Puig's jersey, to dedicate it
to their number ten.
LA Galaxy!
Get inside.
Come on, organize. Step up.
Go! Go!
Step to it!
Here come the Galaxy. Joveljic…
Still Joveljic!
Goal!
What a start for Los Angeles.
Two, nil.
A bow to Riqui Puig in the suites.
Two Galaxy goals within 13 minutes.
And a corner coming for the Red Bulls.
Not a corner kick. Fucking kidding me?
Forsberg loves that area to whip it in.
Into a dangerous spot.
Not cleared yet by the Galaxy.
They're back in it!
And the lead is cut in half. Two to one.
And it is halftime.
An intriguing and interesting first 45.
Paintsil! Riqui! Riqui!
I was really satisfied with
about the first 20 to 25 minutes.
And then I felt like
we fell a little bit off of a cliff.
Just got a little bit passive.
We don't need to be protecting a 2-1.
We need to be pushing the game.
The next 45 minutes,
I want us to play that we're gonna…
go get the goal before you…
have a chance to get the goal.
They're not… good enough!
You know, the way Red Bull plays,
they don't wanna be pretty.
They're a bunch of Jersey boys
and Long Island boys.
They're here for a street fight.
I fought those guys
growing up when I was in Brooklyn, right?
They're gonna take it the distance
and they wanna muddy it up,
and they're gonna keep on coming.
They are relentless.
Can the Red Bulls continue to come back?
Or will it be a sweet 6th for the Galaxy?
The second half of the 2024 MLS Cup…
- Let's go!
- …is underway.
The further this game goes,
2-1 in favor of the Galaxy,
I expect Tolkin to be a little bit more
aggressive going forward.
- Tolkin slides in.
- Good tackle.
Come on, stick with it. Keep going.
Final minutes of regulation.
Can they find it? Can they finish it?
- Tolkin…
- Let's go!
Step to it!
Serves. Forsberg is alone!
Can they get it away?
It's blocked!
Let's go.
Sandro Schwarz just begging
- for that second goal to come.
- Play wide!
Is this the last chance?
Hey, hey, hey!
Blocked.
That is the final whistle! It is now over.
The Los Angeles Galaxy
have won their sixth MLS Cup.
We are the team that…
We deserve the MLS Cup.
And this year, I have the confidence
of the teammates.
The confidence of the fans.
And I think that when you have
this type of confidence,
you can feel it inside the field.
I see the city, the country.
I see all the states.
And I see the heart that there is
winning the MLS Cup.
I think that…
I need to say that it's one of
the best feelings and titles that I won
in my life.
It's been a long decade
for those Galaxy supporters.
Much longer than they thought
they'd have to wait.
And for the one man to get them back here,
you just have to have a huge smile
on your face for one Greg Vanney.
Doubt Greg at your own peril.
I mean, he stepped up
when this club needed him,
and last year I know
was really tough for him.
Yes!
Yes, go, champ.
It's been such a joy for me
to see him be validated.
After the game, I think,
just a feeling of defeat, really.
That's just the way it goes, though.
I think it's obvious,
with his qualities and what he can do,
that Europe is calling on him.
He's played such a good season in a way,
and I think the guys scouting him,
or the teams scouting him,
already know of his qualities.
But we just have to wait and see.
I wanna see how far I can take my career
and see what I can achieve.
I think that's only natural
for a player to think that.
LA Galaxy fans,
it's been a long ten-year wait.
So, MLS Commissioner Don Garber
will present the 2024 MLS Cup Trophy
to today's champions, LA Galaxy.
When it's done, you've…
you realize that you've overcome a lot
of different things to get to that moment.
The guys never wavered.
They believed in
what we were trying to do.
And here we are, you know? Here we are.
Now it's time to party, my friend.
The question all year long.
Are the Galaxy back?
Will the Galaxy come back?
Can the Galaxy come back?
We're back.
We're here,
and we don't plan on going away.
It's not a "fuck you" to anybody.
It's just a, you know, a little like,
"I told you so."
Let's go!
If you look at the journey
of our players, our staff,
and where we were in 2023…
It was tough.
For all the work
that a lot of us were putting in,
there was just a lot of disrespect
and anger that was directed our way.
That anger was a motivation.
The only way to
prove anybody wrong is to win.
Apologies. I was takin' a shower.
So it's always the way I went
about it, you know?
But when you win it,
you feel like you won…
and I mean that not just on the field.
I mean that in many ways.
This championship will bond this group
of players and us together forever.
And…
that to me is bigger
than the championship.
Yeah, I couldn't feel better about that.