The football gods must be crazy. That’s well known, after all they regularly come up with things that the human mind lacks the imagination for. For example, this final in the North American football league MLS: Gareth Bale, who had only moved to the USA to get in shape for his home country Wales’ first World Cup participation since 1958, scored in the eighth minute of added time in extra time 3-3 and sent that final to penalties – where his club Los Angeles FC defeated Philadelphia Union and won the title.
Now you could say: Gareth Bale, substitution in the final, decisive goal – you really don’t have to bother the football gods, you could also say: classic Bale. In the 2018 Champions League final, he scored the goals against Liverpool for Real Madrid after coming on as a substitute with a side kick and a 40-metre shot, and scored the two important goals against Austria for Wales in March despite an injury. So: the headball hit on exactly the third touch of the ball – no real miracle now, is it?
That’s true, and that’s why the Bale goal was only the third most notable event in what will go down in history as the craziest game in this league. It was a high-class and of course – once again: the 3:3 came in the 128th minute – exciting final, which they see not only as the end of the season, but also as an introduction to the World Cup. It’s time again to get the Americans excited about this often wondrous sport for them, along with its gods who do wondrous things.
US television is currently broadcasting a World Cup commercial on a continuous loop in which actor Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”) plays Santa Claus who opens letters from American children – all of whom want nothing more than the World Cup title for the USA. In 2026, at the World Cup in their own country, they would like to be among the favorites – but why not this year, at this strange World Cup in Qatar. “I believe that we will win” is the rallying cry from the fans, and nothing could describe this final better than believe in it.
LAFC is the ordinary people’s club
Then, all the curiosities collected, starting with the situation: This final was in Los Angeles, so people would make a pilgrimage to the downtown stadium, and then they would sing for almost three hours – because LAFC is the ordinary people’s club, chicimicks are over there at Galaxy with Beckham and Ibrahimovic. Only: In the evening there was Coliseum, not even a stone’s throw away, the USC vs. Cal football game; a tradition for 107 years. In pro baseball, the Phillies played the Houston Astros in the finals series for survival. LA and Philly, both cities were ready for an enraptured sports day.
The game itself initially went as expected: LAFC, the most successful club of the regular season, dominated and took the lead through a deflected free-kick from Kelly Acosta. Union, designed to counterattack, equalized midway through the second half through Daniel Gazdag. Los Angeles regained the lead with seven minutes left when Jesus Morilla headed in from a corner. That’s it, everyone thought, but then this game really got going – a bit like the 1970 World Cup semi-final between Germany and Italy, which, of all things, needed Karl-Heinz Schnellinger’s goal to become the game of the century.
And now buckle up, please: Union defender Jack Elliot, a kind of MLS Schnelllinger who almost never crosses the center line, rushed forward with a free kick – and Elliot, Elliot of all people, managed to equalize with a header and forced extra time. A small caper that was to increase later: In extra time, LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crépau grabbed a Union striker, the Canadian keeper suffered a broken shin and will miss the World Cup. For the record, he was also sent off for the foul and replaced by John McCarthy.
Philadelphia pressed for the winning goal, and in the 124th minute, the fourth minute of overtime, Elliot crossed the center line again and, after a brilliant save by McCarthy, pushed the ball over the line to make it 3-2. Two goals from Elliot was crazier than Bale’s equalizer four minutes later, but there was more to come.
Los Angeles won because that substitute goalkeeper McCarthy – who was born in Philadelphia and played for Union at the beginning of his career – didn’t allow a single penalty. He saved two, one flew over his goal. McCarthy said nothing when presented with the man of the match trophy, just shook his head in disbelief, tears welling in his eyes. The view: The football gods must be crazy.
The larger context: a high-quality finale in a football-only arena in downtown Los Angeles; in front of a knowledgeable and ecstatic audience. No, you don’t have to ask Santa Claus to explain this sport to the Americans. They now have a very good league that produces finals like the one on Saturday. You can now actually believe, and maybe that’s the craziest message of this MLS season, that something will happen with football in the USA.