LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: Winners and Losers from MLS Cup Final
The LA Galaxy became the first Major League Soccer side to lift the MLS Cup five times, defeating the New England Revolution 2-1 in extra time on Sunday.
Gyasi Zardes juggled the ball at the back post before slotting home from an angle to open the scoring, but the Revs pegged LA back via Chris Tierney.
Robbie Keane scored the settler in extra time, sliding a nice finish home after a beautiful through ball from Marcelo Sarvas.
Here, Bleacher Report picks its winners and losers.
Winner: A.J. DeLaGarza, Who Put in a Heroic Showing
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A.J. DeLaGarza lifted the 2014 MLS Cup on Sunday afternoon after a titanic personal effort ensured his side held on for the victory. Kelby Ferrell felt DeLaGarza's performance earned him "MVP of the match":
"I love Robbie Keane, but DeLaGarza deserves MVP of the match.
— Kelby Ferrell (@Kelby_13) December 7, 2014"
He played an exceptionally solid game at full-back and put in a number of key blocks and brave tackles, preserving the Galaxy's superiority over 120 minutes.
Loser: Andrew Farrell, Who Struggled Immensely on the Right
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Plenty of casual fans will have tuned into the final, and the game was timed for a European audience too. With a former No. 1 overall pick on the pitch in the form of Andrew Farrell, attention will have been trained on him to see how good he is.
Unfortunately, he didn't fare too well against the LA Galaxy on Sunday.
The space between Farrell (right-back) and A.J. Soares (centre-back) was huge, and the Galaxy exploited it throughout by pushing Robbie Rogers, Landon Donovan and later Gyasi Zardes into those areas.
Farrell also spurned a great chance late on in extra time as he fired wide and behind the goal.
Winner: Robbie Keane, Who Scored the Winner
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If we're being honest—and we're in the business of being honest—Robbie Keane had a poor game. He made incorrect decisions, ignored Landon Donovan for a clear tap-in in normal time and was called up for offside fairly often.
But he scored the winning goal, and that one moment is what he earns the big bucks for. Beating the offside trap and taking advantage of Tierney's slack pushing up, Keane spun in behind and finished.
Loser: Lee Nguyen, Who Couldn't Keep Up with Galaxy's Stars
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The LA Galaxy have known, established stars in the form of Keane and Donovan, but the New England Revolution have one of their own by the name of Lee Nguyen. He's not a world-wide name yet, but if his progression continues there's no reason why he won't be.
His successful season has been built on menacing secondary runs and clever movement to pick up scraps off strikers, but on Sunday he was quiet and ineffectual by his standard. The Revs needed him to step up and have an impact, but he couldn't rise to the challenge.
The disappointing afternoon was compounded by being substituted due to a cramp.
Winner: Landon Donovan, Who Retires a Winner
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Of course, the major story running parallel to the MLS Cup final was Landon Donovan's impending retirement; whether the U.S. hero was going to go out a winner was the question on everyone's lips, including ESPN FC:
"Landon Donovan retires a champion. pic.twitter.com/caNtdlo5pr
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 7, 2014"
Turns out, he did, and we congratulate the 157-cap international on a winning end to his career. He played well, created a few neat chances for Keane and ran his heart out in extra time.
A fitting end.
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