The LA Galaxy will aim to complete one of the most remarkable transformations in Major League Soccer history on Saturday when it hosts the New York Red Bulls chasing a record-extending sixth MLS Cup crown.

A year ago, the California franchise had hit rock bottom, plummeting to its worst ever regular-season record to finish one place off the bottom of the Western Conference.

The team that had once been a home to the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were engulfed in crisis, with fans boycotting fixtures after nearly a decade of failure on the field.

Moreover, the Galaxy’s status as one of MLS’s glamour clubs had been diminished by the arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, as well as the emergence of city rival Los Angeles FC, winners of the MLS Cup in 2022. 

The febrile atmosphere at the Galaxy prompted team ownership to shake up their front office, with Will Kuntz appointed general manager to replace long-time predecessor Chris Klein, who was fired in May 2023.

The turnaround since those changes has been dramatic. 

After winning just eight fixtures in the 2023 season, the Galaxy under head coach Greg Vanney won a record-equaling 19 games this season to finish joint top of the table, second only to LAFC on goal difference.

The Galaxy kept up its winning ways in the postseason, swatting aside Colorado 5-0 and 4-1 to wrap up their first round series in two games, before thrashing Minnesota United 6-2 and then squeezing past Seattle 1-0 last weekend.

Those results have left the club on the threshold of a first MLS Cup title since 2014 and a record sixth championship overall.

Victory in Saturday’s showpiece in Carson would be especially sweet for Vanney, who appeared in three MLS Cup finals with the Galaxy as a player in 1996, 1999 and 2001 — and lost all three.

Reflecting on his team’s journey to this year’s final, Vanney said this week his team had thrived under the pressure of being expected to challenge for silverware. 

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