CARSON, Calif. — Joseph Paintsil was looking for something.
He’d just scored the LA Galaxy’s opener against the New York Red Bulls in Saturday’s MLS Cup.
In the midst of goal celebration, the Ghanaian winger turned towards the Galaxy’s sideline, waved his hands in the air, and tugged his jersey. Moments later, someone came running from the bench to hand Paintsil a shirt, which he unfurled in front of the home crowd at Dignity Health Sports Park.
It was Riqui Puig’s jersey.
One week after Puig suffered a torn ACL against the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference final, the Galaxy suited up in MLS Cup. They were forced to play without their biggest star — the Spaniard collected 22 goal contributions in the regular season while dictating the team’s tempo at an unprecedented level. Still, the Galaxy weren’t going to miss an opportunity to include Puig in their hunt for a trophy.
Less than two hours later, cheers erupted as the final whistle blew. Even without their biggest star, the LA Galaxy were MLS champions.
Joseph Paintsil celebrates his goal for LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup by holding up a Riqui Puig shirt 🥹 pic.twitter.com/rGKl3bVAc1
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) December 7, 2024
With Puig sidelined for the final, Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney had no choice but to shift his midfield personnel. But with Marco Reus nursing a groin injury that kept him on the bench to start the match, Vanney opted to do more than shuffle just his lineup. He decided to zag on his go-to tactical approach, too.
