8Dec/140
Landon Donovan Retires a Champion as MLS Must Begin New Chapter Without Its Face
Landon Donovan is taking his ball, and his trophy, and going home. Forever. In the 111th minute of a sloppy, grind-it-out MLS Cup final, MLS MVP Robbie Keane slotted home the cup-winning goal for the LA Galaxy, who defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 in extra time, earning the Los Angeles franchise its record fifth league title. A jubilant home crowd unfurled its banners and tributes, celebrating another title with the class franchise in MLS, with the class player of a generation. "Party at Donovan's," one banner read. I have a feeling the Galaxy will bring the cups. Keane's extra-time goal did more than just win another cup for the Galaxy and send Donovan off into the sunset a six-time champion. The goal—and the win, the cup and all the celebration that comes with winning another title—signified the end of an MLS era. "This is incredible. When you look around and you see this it's amazing," Donovan told Monica Gonzalez of ESPN. "There is lots of excitement around this league. I'm glad to have been a part of it. This is just the end of the playing part. I'll still be around." The timing seems more than coincidental that MLS will begin its 20th season—the first without ...8Dec/140
LA Galaxy Celebrate Winning MLS Cup with ‘Slip ‘N Slide’ Fun
The Los Angeles Galaxy won the 2014 MLS Cup by pulling out a 2-1 extra-time victory over the New England Revolution on Sunday, so after the game, their celebration needed to be worthy of a championship. It was.The players celebrated the franchise's fifth MLS Cup by turning the locker room into a Slip 'N Slide room. To make it even better, it looks like they used champagne to soak the floor.[MLS]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com8Dec/140
Flawed New England Defense Gifts Robbie Keane and LA Galaxy MLS Cup
For the fifth time in MLS Cup history, the New England Revolution were forced to watch a celebration they dreamed of participating in. This time around, the defeat was a bit more agonizing to swallow. When Chris Tierney's 79th-minute strike found the back of the net, it looked like the Revolution would find a way to score a second goal and lift their first MLS Cup. The visiting supporters at the StubHub Center, and the rest of the fans watching back home across New England, were inches away from letting out all of their past failures into one exuberant celebration in the 85th minute. But their celebration was halted when Teal Bunbury's shot from the left wing hit the inside of the top post. Even after Bunbury's attempt off the crossbar, New England showed no let up in its attacking impetus. With all of the momentum behind them, Jay Heaps' side were poised to break the franchise's final curse. Despite all of their offensive efforts, the Revolution could not cover up the one area in which they were exposed all match. On Robbie Keane's game-winning goal in the 111th minute, the back four was disorganized and allowed the Irish forward to remain onside. The main ...7Dec/140
LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: Winners and Losers from MLS Cup Final
The LA Galaxy became the first Major League Soccer side to lift the MLS Cup five times, defeating the New England Revolution 2-1 in extra time on Sunday. Gyasi Zardes juggled the ball at the back post before slotting home from an angle to open the scoring, but the Revs pegged LA back via Chris Tierney. Robbie Keane scored the settler in extra time, sliding a nice finish home after a beautiful through ball from Marcelo Sarvas. Here, Bleacher Report picks its winners and losers.Begin Slideshow7Dec/140
LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: Score, Grades, Reaction from MLS Cup Final
LA Galaxy 2-1 New England Revolution (after extra time) Landon Donovan's swansong with the LA Galaxy ended in triumph, as fellow veteran Robbie Keane scored the winning goal to beat the New England Revolution at the StubHub Center in California and claim the MLS Cup. This was the last professional game for Donovan, a former United States international, and he clearly wanted to end to his glittering career on a winning note. Local boy Gyasi Zardes appeared to have helped him achieve that goal with his 52nd-minute opener. But New England Revolution refused to read the script, and Chris Tierney sent the final into extra time with a 79th-minute equaliser. Keane had not enjoyed the best of matches for the Galaxy, but with nine minutes remaining in extra time, he found space in the area to fire past Bobby Shuttleworth and win the title for Donovan and his team-mates. Donovan's final match nearly began with a dream start, as Robbie Rogers almost broke the deadlock within the opening 80 seconds of the game. The left-back pushed forward before playing a neat one-two with Donovan to open up space in the New England area. But the Revolution defence got back in numbers, and Scott Caldwell cleared. The Galaxy settled ...7Dec/140
Gyasi Zardes, Chris Tierney, Robbie Keane Score in the 2014 MLS Cup Final
Gyasi Zardes scored early in the second half as LA Galaxy took a 1-0 lead over New England Revolution in the MLS Cup final.Zardes juggled the ball at the far post before drilling a shot into the corner of the net. But with 10 minutes to go, Chris Tierney levelled the game: Video | Gol de Tierney https://t.co/HDLUd6NW7u— Pared Virtual (@ParedVirtual) December 7, 2014 When the game went into extra time it looked as if penalties were looming, but Robbie Keane struck late to restore the Galaxy's lead: Robbie Keane's goal that won the MLS Cup for the LA Galaxy https://t.co/2vfr8gPdrT— ❤️=⚽️ (@Total_Futbol_) December 7, 2014 [Vine, @Wijors]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com7Dec/140
LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: Live Score, Highlights from MLS Cup Final
2014 MLS Cup Final Live L.A. Galaxy 2-1 New England Revolution Scorers: Zardes (52'), Tierney (78'), Keane (111') Galaxy XIPenedo; DLG, Gonzalez, Leonardo, Rogers; Ishizaki, Sarvas, Juninho, Donovan; Keane, Zardes Revs XITierney, Goncalves (c), Soares, Farrell; Jones, Caldwell; Rowe, Nguyen, Bunbury; Davies Watch: Top 10 Players of 2014 MLS Season Follow @stighefootballRead more MLS news on BleacherReport.com7Dec/140
MLS Cup Finals 2014: Galaxy vs. Revolution Date, Time, Live Stream and TV Info
The LA Galaxy and New England Revolution will meet on Sunday at the StubHub Center in Carson, California for the 2014 MLS Cup, the final match which will determine the 2014 Major League champions. The hosts will be appearing in their ninth Cup final, winning four so far, while the Revs are winless in four tries. Both teams narrowly qualified for Sunday's showpiece after winning their conference semi-finals, and with little to separate them on paper, this year's final should be a close affair. Landon Donovan's last match in the MLS has dominated headlines all week, as America's most decorated player in the sport's history will have a chance to give his career the kind of Hollywood-ending it deserves. Date: Sunday, Dec. 7 Time: 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT Venue: StubHub Center, Carson (Home of the Galaxy) TV info and live stream: The match will be broadcast on ESPN and UniMas (for U.S. viewers), with mobile coverage available via WatchESPN. Preview To say people are excited about the 19th edition of the MLS Cup final would be an understatement—ESPN FC's Taylor Twellman and Goal's Ives Galarcep have been talking about the match all week: The level of excitement is understandable, of course. The amount of storylines surrounding this match ...6Dec/140
MLS Cup Final 2014: TV Schedule and Predictions for Galaxy vs. Revolution
The Los Angeles Galaxy will be at the center of the American soccer universe on Sunday, as perhaps the most iconic player in U.S. soccer plays out his swan song in the 2014 MLS Cup final.Landon Donovan—the all-time leading scorer in the history of both MLS and the U.S. national team—will walk out onto the pitch at StubHub Center in Los Angeles for the last time as a player. Having already played his last game for the Stars and Stripes, the MLS Cup final serves as an opportunity for the player whose career is most associated with the growth of soccer in the United States to go out on top with another MLS championship. Standing in his way are the New England Revolution, an athletic, hardworking team spearheaded by insatiable midfielder Jermaine Jones—a fixture on the U.S. national team—and Lee Nguyen, an attacking midfielder wrapping up a career year with his club. The Revolution clinched a berth in the final with a 4-3 aggregate win over Thierry Henry and the New York Red Bulls. It is their first trip to the Cup final since 2007.The Galaxy defeated the Supporters Shield-winning Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference finals on away goals (2-2 aggregate). It's ...5Dec/140