No.2 seed LA Galaxy will host the No.7 New York Red Bulls in the MLS Cup final. The winners will lift the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy on Saturday night and go down in MLS history. We look ahead to the match and tell you who will win when we name our final MLS betting picks of the 2024 season.
Well folks, it was supposed to be Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team, but sadly for Messi and co, it wasn’t to be. Instead, we get to witness two of the founding MLS franchises – the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls – fight it out for the trophy.
The Galaxy has been to nine finals, winning five and losing four. But, the last time the most successful club in MLS history made it this far was in 2014.
The Red Bulls have only ever made it to one final. That was in 2008 when they lost 3-1 to the Columbus Crew.
Moving on to Saturday’s action, the LA Galaxy is the betting favorite to win the match.
As a higher (No.2) seed the Galaxy gets the home-field advantage against the lower seed. This greatly increases their chances of success, as shown on the money line.
In the latest MLS Cup odds, the Galaxy is -120 to win on the money line, with the Red Bulls priced at +295. The draw is available at +290.
In the betting to lift the trophy, the LA Galaxy is -240 to claim their sixth title. New York is +165 to cause another huge upset and win the competition for the first time in their history.
More betting options with different bookmakers can be found on our MLS betting table. The 2024 MLS Cup odds we have used are from our recommended soccer betting partners.
| 90 Minutes Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| LA Galaxy | -120 | -120 | -120 |
| NY Red Bulls | +295 | +295 | +295 |
| Draw | +290 | +290 | +290 |
| To Lift the Trophy | |||
| LA Galaxy | -240 | -240 | -240 |
| NY Red Bulls | +165 | +165 | +165 |
In the last third of the regular season, the Galaxy were regarded as the best side in the MLS. That view was often overlooked, as all eyes were on Inter Miami, meaning the Galaxy’s progress was going slightly under the radar.
Greg Vanney is the Galaxy’s head coach. The experienced former Galaxy defender took over in 2021 and has steered the franchise through some turbulent times during his three-year tenure.
Indeed, many a time Vanney could have been shown the door as the Galaxy struggled in his first couple of seasons, but remarkably, the club stuck with Vanney and is now reaping the reward.
LA finished second in the Western Conference in the regular season. They had 64 points from 34 games, scoring 69 goals and conceding 50.
That might sound like a lot to concede. But this is what the Galaxy does. They are entertainers.
Only Inter Miami and Columbus scored more goals in the MLS, and only Orlando City conceded as many as the Galaxy out of the top six teams in both conferences.
The Galaxy secured their place in the final with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders in the Eastern Conference final. Dejan Jovelic scored the winner on 85 minutes, with influential midfielder Riqui Puig providing the assist.
In what is a huge blow for the Galaxy, it later emerged that Puig played more than 30 minutes with an ACL tear and is out of the final. The loss of Puig will be a huge miss, he has been one of the top performers in the MLS this season with 17 goals and 14 assists.
Replacing the Spaniard will be impossible.
The New York Red Bulls finished seventh in the Eastern Conference regular season. NYRB got 47 points from 34 fixtures, scoring 55 and conceding 50.
Sandro Schwarz is the Red Bull head coach. This is the German manager’s first season in charge.
It’s fair to say that Schwarz has installed a bit of grit and determination into his New York team. It’s also probably fair to say that they’ve ridden their luck at times on their way to the final.
The Red Bulls had the unenviable task of taking on the Columbus Crew in the first round. There was always the possibility that New York might take a game off the defending champions, but they did better than that, dumping Wilfried Nancy’s team out with a match to spare.
The Red Bulls then beat NYCFC 2-0 in a conference semi-final derby match, setting them up for an Eastern Conference final against the No.4 Orlando City.
New York came through courtesy of a 47th-minute goal from Andres Reyes, it was their only strike on target in the match.
The New York Red Bulls are a team happy out of possession, who like to make life difficult for opponents and then hit them on the counterattack. They are almost the ideal opposition to stifle a Galaxy team that likes to play on the front foot.
The Red Bulls have got this far using that blueprint, they won’t be changing it now. So expect that to be the way the final plays out if the Galaxy can’t find an early goal to open the match up.
But we have to go for the Galaxy to win. They have been performing brilliantly in the latter half of the season, and with the home-field advantage, we can see LA beating New York in a low-scoring encounter.
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