MLS Cup 2022: LAFC, Philadelphia Union set stage for Final
Major League Soccer's 27th final is set after LAFC and the Philadelphia Union advanced to the 2022 MLS Cup (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX) by beating Austin FC and New York City FC, respectively, in Sunday's conference finals.
Here are three quick thoughts on Sunday's two games and the much anticipated title match, which will pit the two best regular season teams against each other at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angles.
Philadelphia gets revenge, setting up dream MLS Cup
When Maxi Moralez scored to give NYCFC a second half lead in Chester, Pennsylvania, it looked like the Pigeons might spoil Philly's party for the second year running.
Instead, it lit a fire under a Union squad that had been waiting all year to face the team that eliminated them at the same stage last year under extraordinary circumstances.
Determined not to suffer a similar fate this year, Jim Curtin's team turned the game on its head with goals by Julián Carranza and Dániel Gazdag almost exactly two minutes apart. The punch-drunk visitors held on for another nine minutes, but it was already all but over when substitute Cory Burke sealed the win with about a quarter-hour to go:
Philly's stirring comeback sends the club to its first MLS Cup 12 years after arriving in the league — and maybe 11 months longer than it should've taken. It's no less than they deserve, though, as Curtin, the 2022 MLS coach of the year, has cultivated a winning environment without the resources of some of the league's deeper pocketed competitors, including LAFC.
The Union will be underdogs next week, not that they'll care. They come to play. If the 2022 MLS Cup is anywhere near as entertaining as the last few meetings between these teams, neutral fans could be in for a memorable finale.
It's LAFC's MLS Cup to lose
It's become so rare for a Supporters Shield winner advance to MLS Cup — before LAFC accomplished the feat Sunday, just one had made it since 2011 — that the regular season title has become seen almost as a curse.
Doubts about Steve Cherundolo's team were based on cold hard reality, too. After dominating the league during the first half of the season, they weren't good down the stretch — an ominous sign. During the lightning-quick MLS postseason, momentum is usually everything.
LAFC didn't have much, but they showed enough resilience in a thrilling playoff El Tráfico to outlast the rival LA Galaxy despite an unconvincing performance. Yet when it mattered on Sunday against a legit Austin FC side that beat them in both meetings earlier in the year, Carlos Vela & Co. produced one of their most mature, professional showings of 2022.
LAFC has been a model club since joining MLS as an expansion team four years ago. They hoisted their first Supporters Shield in 2019. The next year they nearly won the CONCACAF Champions League, losing on a late goal to Mexico's Tigres. The wheels finally fell off last season, as LAFC failed to make the playoffs for the first time and original coach Bob Bradley left for Toronto FC.
Not even Cherundolo expected his maiden campaign to go this well. But LAFC led the league almost all year, then bolstered their squad (and made a global splash in the process) in the summer by adding decorated European veterans Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini.
The lesser known likes of forwards Denis Bouanga and Cristian Arango have gotten them here, though, with unsung MLS lifers like Kellyn Acosta, Max Crepeau and Ryan Hollingshead underpinning the turnaround in their first season in Los Angeles. (Bale was an unused substitute on Sunday, while Chiellini was pulled at halftime for tactical reasons.)
They're now just 90 minutes away from the trophy they covet most. They're playing at home. Things couldn't set up any better for LAFC. On Saturday at the Banc, it's their MLS Cup to lose.
Austin, NYCFC will be back
Austin FC got a harsh a lesson on Sunday, outclassed as they were over 90 minutes in the 3-1 loss in Los Angeles. That still doesn't take away from what the Texas club was able to do this year in just its second season in MLS.
If LAFC is MLS's standard-bearer, the Verde aren't far behind. Coach Josh Wolff and Sporting Director Claudio Reyna have assembled a balanced and deep squad populated by proven league vets and talented imports, not least MVP finalist Sebastián Driussi. The front office is first class, and their fans are already some of the best in MLS.
Austin's run to within a game of the title match was no accident. They finished second in the Western Conference and gained valuable postseason experience this fall. Already a bona fide Cup contender, they should stay one for years to come.
Same goes for the Pigeons back East. Even with decisions looming on interim coach Nick Cushing and star midfielder Moralez, who turns 36 in February, there is a foundation of success to build on. Their nomadic existence continues to be a black eye for the league, with no permanent home stadium anywhere on the horizon. But from a pure soccer perspective, there's no reason to think that young, resilient NYCFC won't be right back in the mix for another title run next year.
One of the leading soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
