Gareth Bale, LAFC Beat Philadelphia Union on Penalty Kicks to Win 2022 MLS Cup
Nov 5, 2022
Los Angeles FC defender Jesús Murillo (3), middle, celebrates after scoring a goal in the second half during the MLS Cup soccer match against the Philadelphia Union, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
For the first time in club history, Los Angeles FC are winners of the MLS Cup after defeating the Philadelphia Union 3-0 on penalty kicks Saturday in front of their home crowd at Banc of California Stadium.
With the match tied 3-3 through extra time, it was sent to penalty kicks to determine a winner, and Denis Bouanga, Ryan Hollingshead and Ilie Sánchez all made their kicks to power the Black and Gold to victory.
John McCarthy, who came on in relief of an injured Maxime Crépeau in extra time, was also brilliant in stopping all of Philadelphia's penalties. He went on to be named MLS Cup MVP.
LAFC kicked things off early, taking a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute on a free kick just outside the penalty area.
The Black and Gold were awarded the free kick after Union midfielder José Martínez was whistled for a foul, and Kellyn Acosta sent a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal to give LAFC a 1-0 lead.
LAFC took a 1-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, but the Philadelphia Union were quick to respond in the second half when Dániel Gazdag found the back of the net from inside the penalty area in the 59th minute, making it a 1-1 game.
LAFC were in good position to win the game in 90 minutes when Jesús Murillo broke the tie in the 83rd minute on a header off a corner kick that sailed past Union goalkeeper Andre Blake.
However, Philadelphia fought back again to tie the game 2-2 in the 85th minute when Jack Elliott scored on a header inside the box off a free kick that was awarded after LAFC's José Cifuentes was whistled for a foul.
With the game tied 2-2, it went to extra time, where chaos ensued in the 110th minute as LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau collided with Cory Burke while rushing out of the net to prevent a goal.
Crépeau was initially given a yellow card before being shown the red card in the 116th minute. He was carted off the field because of injury, and the Black and Gold were forced to play down a man for the remainder of the match.
John McCarthy came on in relief of Crépeau.
Burke was also subbed off in the 120th minute because of injury. He was replaced by Chris Donovan.
The Union went on to score the tiebreaker in the 124th minute when Elliott scored his second of the game following a corner kick. It looked like Elliott's goal was going to be the game winner—then Gareth Bale happened.
Bale, who was subbed on in extra time, tied the game 3-3 for LAFC in the 128th minute on a brilliant header from inside the box. His goal sent the game to penalty kicks.
LAFC's win on penalty kicks capped off an impressive 2022 season that saw them finish first in the Western Conference with a 21-4-9 record, tying the Union for the most points in MLS with 67.
LAFC's Carlos Vela Named 2019 MLS MVP over Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Nov 4, 2019
Carlos Vela has been named the 2019 Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player after a record-breaking season with LAFC:
The Mexican scooped 69 per cent of the weighted vote to take top spot ahead of LA Galaxy's Zlatan Ibrahimovic with 14 per cent and Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez in third on six per cent.
Vela netted 34 goals in 31 regular-season appearances for LAFC as well as contributing 15 assists to pick up the award for the first time in his career.
The striker's exploits helped LAFC top the Western Conference table with 72 points, a massive 16 points ahead of second-placed Seattle Sounders. They also netted 85 goals in what was a record-breaking campaign:
LAFC ran away with the Supporters' Shield and enjoyed a thrilling 5-3 win over the Galaxy in the Western Conference play-off semi-final, with Vela scoring twice.
However, there will be no MLS Cup for Bob Bradley's team after they were beaten 3-1 by Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference final, just their second defeat in 2019.
Major League Soccer offered some highlights of their campaign:
Vela's goals this season also saw him become the highest scoring Mexican player in MLS history, and he is also the first Mexican to scoop the MLS MVP award.
LAFC noted how Vela compares with recent MVP winners:
There is no doubt that Vela has thrived since arriving at LAFC in January 2018 ahead of their first season in MLS. He had previously enjoyed spells in the Premier League with Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion, and in La Liga at Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Celta Vigo.
Vela also landed the MLS Golden Boot in 2019, beating Ibrahimovic to the trophy. His MVP award also follows on from Bradley being named the 2019 MLS Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year in October.
