MLS Cup 2024

MLS Cup 2024 was the 29th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-flight soccer league in the United States and Canada. The match was played on December 7, 2024, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, United States. It was contested by the Western Conference champions LA Galaxy and the Eastern Conference champions New York Red Bulls and determined the champions of the 2024 season. The match also marked the conclusion of the MLS Cup playoffs, which was contested by the top 18 teams based on their regular season records.

The LA Galaxy won 2–1 and clinched a record-extending sixth MLS Cup title with two goals in the first half. Gastón Brugman was named the match's most valuable player.

The MLS Cup is the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-flight club soccer league in the United States and Canada. The 2024 season was the 29th in MLS history, and was contested by 29 teams organized into the eastern and western conferences. Each team played 34 matches during the regular season, which runs from February to October, twice against each intra-conference opponent and six to seven times for inter-conference opposition in an unbalanced schedule. The regular season included a month-long break for the Leagues Cup, which comprised all MLS and Liga MX teams. The nine clubs in each conference with the most points qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs, which was played over four rounds from October to December. Most rounds were a single-elimination match hosted by the higher-seeded team; the exception was Round One, which was a best-of-three series with the first and third (if necessary) match hosted by the higher-seeded team.

Both of the finalists, the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls, were among the ten original teams that joined the league for the inaugural season in 1996. The 2024 final is the first MLS Cup to not feature an expansion team since MLS Cup 2014, which was contested by the Galaxy and New England Revolution. It is also the first championship match between teams from New York City and Los Angeles—the two largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The metropolitan areas also each have two MLS teams, with their newer counterparts established in the 2010s having each won the MLS Cup. The Galaxy and Red Bulls last played each other during the 2021 regular season, which ended in a 3–2 victory for the Galaxy.

The LA Galaxy are the most successful team in MLS Cup history, having won five titles in nine appearances in the final; their most recent was in 2014 against the New England Revolution, who they previously defeated in 2002 and 2005. The team had won three MLS Cup championships in a four-year span under head coach Bruce Arena, who left in 2016. In the following seven seasons, the Galaxy qualified for the playoffs only twice and finished with the worst record in the league once despite making several star signings. They finished in 26th place during the 2023 season, their worst performance in club history, and fired longtime club president Chris Klein and technical director Jovan Kirovski in response to a boycott from fans.

Head coach Greg Vanney was retained and worked with new general manager Will Kuntz to acquire 20 players over a 16-month period to overhaul the Galaxy roster; the attack would also remain under the leadership of star midfielder Riqui Puig. The club remained under transfer sanctions during the 2023 season that limited their early rebuild to free agent signings and trades. Starting goalkeeper Jonathan Bond was replaced by free agent John McCarthy, who had won MLS Cup 2022 with cross-town rivals Los Angeles FC. Two of the Galaxy's Designated Players, Javier "Chicharito" Hernández and Douglas Costa, left during the winter transfer window and were replaced by young wingers Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil at a reported combined cost of $19 million in transfer fees. The moves marked a change from the club's traditional Designated Player signings, which had included veteran European stars, but aligned with other MLS teams who pursued younger talent.

The team were undefeated in their first six matches of the regular season, including two matches where they were trailing 2–0, until a loss to Los Angeles FC in the El Tráfico derby. The Galaxy's schedule included nine away matches in the first fourteen weeks of the season, which was followed by a home stand of four matches during a five-week stretch. Prior to the home stand, the team had a five-match winless streak in May that included four consecutive draws that dropped them to fourth place in the Western Conference. The Galaxy won six of their next seven matches through the end of June and tied for the top spot in the conference despite injuries to midfielders Riqui Puig and Gastón Brugman. The team entered the midseason break for the Leagues Cup atop the Western Conference standings with a record of 14 wins, 5 losses, and 7 draws.

The Galaxy advanced from their Leagues Cup group but were eliminated in the round of 32 by Seattle Sounders FC. Before MLS play resumed in late August, the team signed German midfielder Marco Reus from Borussia Dortmund; he scored in his debut match for the club, a 2–0 defeat of Atlanta United FC that was also the 400th win in franchise history. The Galaxy had a pair of losses on the road in September, but clinched a playoff spot and remained atop the conference standings. The team lost on Decision Day to Houston Dynamo FC and ended the regular season tied on points with Los Angeles FC, but finished second in the conference on goal differential. The Galaxy finished with an undefeated record at their primary home stadium, Dignity Health Sports Park, and equaled their franchise records for wins (19) and goals scored (69) in the season. Pec, who was awarded Newcomer of the Year, led the team in scoring with 16 goals and 14 assists, followed by Puig with 13 goals and 15 assists; the Galaxy set an MLS record with four players who scored ten or more goals during the season.