LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls: MLS Cup lineups, history and what to know
This file has been updated to correctly identify Reus' status as a World Cup winner.
MLS Cup is here, with the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls meeting up as this season's championship game. It pairs a major favorite with an underdog no one expected to get this far.
The Galaxy surprised few by advancing through the Western Conference to claim a spot at MLS Cup. A front-office makeover last winter was followed by two major signings, with attackers Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec uniting with playmaker Riqui Puig to spark LA's return to major contender status. That said, Puig will miss the final after suffering a major knee injury in last week's semifinal win over the Seattle Sounders, giving head coach Greg Vanney a difficult problem to solve.
On the other hand, the Red Bulls are the surprise package. The No. 7 seed in the East, most figured RBNY would — for the fifth straight season — crash out of the playoffs early, particularly after a 1W-3D-5L finish to the regular season. A shock upset of the Columbus Crew changed the calculus, and the combative Red Bulls have scratched and clawed their way to MLS Cup through grit and ferocious defending. With Emil Forsberg and Lewis Morgan capable of deciding a game in a single moment, it's a formula that could finally see an MLS original lift MLS Cup.
Here's what you need to know about the 2024 MLS Cup final between the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls:
MLS Cup: LA Galaxy projected starters
The biggest news item by far surrounding MLS Cup concerns a player who won't be able to participate. Riqui Puig, arguably the best playmaker in MLS not named Lionel Messi, will miss the final after tearing his ACL in the Western Conference final. Puig remarkably suffered the injury in the second half and played on, registering the game-winning assist in a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders in the 85th minute before leaving the match.
The Galaxy will have to change their approach somewhat without Puig, who has no true analog anywhere within MLS (much less on LA's roster). Most likely, they'll select the energetic Mark Delgado, leaning on former German national team midfielder Marco Reus to pick up more of the creative slack. If head coach Greg Vanney opts for a more combative, mobile team, he could drop Reus and deploy both Delgado and Gastón Brugman to either side of defensive midfielder Edwin Cerrillo.
Galaxy (4-3-3 formation, right to left): John McCarthy; Miki Yamane, Carlos Garcés, Maya Yoshida, John Nelson; Marco Reus, Edwin Cerrillo, Mark Delgado; Gabriel Pec, Dejan Joveljić, Joseph Paintsil
MLS Cup: New York Red Bulls projected starters
The main stress point for the Red Bulls is pretty straightforward: midfield engine Felipe Carballo missed the Eastern Conference final with a foot injury that remains a question mark. The Uruguay national team midfielder was critical in the prior round, scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 win over arch-rival New York City FC, and figures to start if he can give even 60 minutes.
However, Peter Stroud stepped in confidently as the Red Bulls won a 1-0 rock fight over Orlando City to claim a place at MLS Cup, and the 22-year-old seems certain to step in if Carballo isn't cleared to start.
Red Bulls (3-4-1-2 formation, right to left): Carlos Coronel; Dylan Nealis, Andres Reyés, Sean Nealis; Cameron Harper, Daniel Edelman, Felipe Carballo, John Tolkin; Emil Forsberg; Dante Vanzeir, Lewis Morgan
LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls: MLS playoff history
This year's MLS Cup final is a classic favorite vs. underdog clash, both in terms of 2024 performance and in historical success.
The LA Galaxy have won MLS Cup five times, more than any other team, and though they trail D.C. United in terms of major trophies (D.C. has 13, the Galaxy 12), LA has inarguably been the most consistently strong team in MLS. The Galaxy have now been to the championship game 10 times over the years; no other club has gone to MLS Cup more than five times.
For the Red Bulls, things are quite different. Though the club has made the playoffs a remarkable 25 of 29 times (including each of the last 15 seasons), postseason agony is the norm. RBNY had been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last five years before this surprise run through the Eastern Conference, and has just one MLS Cup appearance ever.
What TV channel is MLS Cup game on?
The MLS Cup final between the Galaxy and Red Bulls will be broadcast nationally in the United States on Fox, and Fox Deportes will carry Spanish-language coverage.
In Canada, the match will be broadcast on TSN (English) and RDS (French).
How to stream MLS Cup: LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls
You can stream the LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls MLS Cup final on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass, and on Fubo.
LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls: TV, time, streaming for MLS Cup
The MLS Cup final between the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls will be broadcast on Fox. It can also be streamed on Apple TV's MLS Season Pass, as well as on Fubo.
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 7
- Time: 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT)
- TV: Fox
- Location: Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, Calif.)
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Paste BN Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.