It's almost hard to believe that an MLS Cup Final between New York and Los Angeles has never happened - until now, as anticipation builds for this Saturday's showdown between the New York Red Bulls and LA Galaxy.
Consider the list of stars who have played for the four clubs in MLS's two biggest markets: David Beckham, Thierry Henry, David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Vela, Frank Lampard, Gareth Bale, Tyler Adams and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, among others. Outside of Inter Miami making it this far, this is likely the next best alternative - even though there is one significant setback that will take off some of the luster.
Riqui Puig, arguably the best player in this year's playoffs, tore his ACL and played through it to deliver the game-winning moment for the Galaxy in the Western Conference finals. While LA are still favored to win, thanks to their deep and well-balanced roster, this match loses some of the flair and electricity it would have had if both teams were at full strength.
GOAL recaps the Conference finals, and offers a brief look ahead to MLS Cup 2024.
