Nov 5, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles FC goalkeeper John McCarthy (77) makes a save against the Philadelphia Union in the penalty kick shootout in the 2022 MLS Cup championship game at Banc of California Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Never in the 27 seasons of existence had Major League Soccer seen a scenario that unfolded in this year’s MLS Cup final.
A matchup between the top two seeds from both conferences for the first time in 20 years according to MLS Commissioner Don Garber, as LAFC and the Philadelphia Union squared off for the opportunity to be called 2022 MLS Champions, a match that went back and forth and eventually into overtime, a major injury that added a that required the backup keeper to come in for relief duty, more goals being traded and the match eventually being decided in a shootout.
Perhaps it was only fitting that all this played out in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world. Thankfully for the majority of the sellout crowd at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it was their side that provided the Hollywood ending, Gareth Bale saved LAFC with his header with about three minutes remaining in stoppage time of extra time, LAFC carried the momentum into the penalty shootout, as backup keeper John McCarthy kept the Union out of the back net, while Denis Bouanga, Ryan Hollingshead and Ilie Sanchez converted their penalties to give LAFC its first MLS Cup title.
The game had a little bit of everything for sure: goals galore, going up a goal, going down a goal, scoring in the last minutes of the game, PKs;it was a roller coaster, it was craziness,” LAFC’s Kellyn Acosta said. “It was an incredible game, and shout out to Gareth, big goal, John McCarthy coming up big. We wish Maxime Crépeaua speedy recovery, but I just have to shout out to my teammates, the staff, the organization, 3252. It was a collective effort tonight.”
The madness started well into the second overtime. LAFC’s Jesus David Murillo played a back pass towards keeper Maxime Crepeau, but did not notice Cory Burke behind him, and the Union forward immediately chased down the ball with just him and Crepeau to beat. Crepeau immediately rushed off his line to try and beat Burke to the ball, both players collided with each other, and Crepeau immediately signaled for the training staff. Crepeau was initally given only a yellow card, but referee Ismail Elfath later changed it to a straight red card, which surely and literally felt like insult to injury for Crepeau, as he had to be eventually carted off the field, and worse for LAFC, they had to play a man down the rest of the match.
Crepeau’s injury added an extra nine minutes to stoppage time, and Philadelphia seized the opportunity, breaking through in the 123rd minute, as Kai Wagner sent a left-footed cross into the penalty area, Elliott headed a ball towards goal, McCarthy somehow stopped the ball, but left a rebound inside the six-yard box and Elliot buried the second chance to give the Union the lead.
Photo courtesy of USA Today.
Jack Elliott, right, put the Philadelphia Union on the cusp of MLS glory late in the second half stoppage time.
The extra stoppage time however proved to be a blessing in disguise for LAFC. Diego Palacios inbounded a ball to Sanchez, who touched it back to Palacios, who then dribbled down the left side of the field. Palacios took the ball all the way to the end line, then crossed a ball towards the top of the six and Bale managed to out-jump the 6-6 Elliot and head a ball past keeper Andre Blake to send the crowd, that just moments earlier had felt like a library, roaring back onto its feet.
“It’s important for the club. it’s important for the fans,” Bale said “Like I said, we were down to 10 men, I guess not really looking like we were going to get anything out of the game. Credit to everybody and to keep pushing and keep fighting, and like I said, it was nice to get the goal and to help the team.”
The shootout actually did not start out well for LAFC, as Cristian Tello opened the shootout by having his penalty saved by Blake, but Lady Luck would come back to LAFC’s side when Gazdag slipped on his attempt and as a result skied his penalty into the LAFC 3252 Supporters Section. Denis Bouanga then put LAFC ahead with a shot past Blake to the upper left corner. Then McCarthy, a Philadelphia native and one-time Union academy product and backup Keeper, went to work, denying Jose Martinez, then after Ryan Hollingshead converted to double the LAFC advantage, stopped Kai Wagner to put LAFC on the brink of glory, leaving it up to Sanchez, LAFC’s first major signing of the Steve Cherundolo era, to finish the job, and he did, slotting his penalty to the right corner, even as Blake guessed right, the shot went into the back net, sending LAFC and its fans into celebration. McCarthy’s heroics earned him the game’s Most Valuable Player honors.”
“We felt confident throughout the 130 minutes and of course in the shootout,” Sanchez said. “We knew how good John McCarthy is in goal, and also, we’ve been practicing the kicks in the past week.Of course, it could have gone to their side, that’s the shootout. But I think that at home, we deserved to be champions, and that’s what happened.”
LAFC struck first in the match in the 28th minute, as Kellyn Acosta sent a free kick that deflected off Gazdag and past Blake into the back net. LAFC took the lead into the halftime break, but Philadelphia equalized in the 59th minute, as Martinez played a ball to Gazdag, who slipped past the LAFC defense and slotted the shot past Crepeau. LAFC regained the lead in the 84th minute, as Jesus David Murillo headed in a Carlos Vela corner kick, but the Union refused to go away, leveling the match a minute later when Elliot headed in a Wagner free kick.
