The Philadelphia Union and LAFC played 36 games and 120 minutes Saturday until the wildest stalemate. They played for over two hours in Major League Soccer’s dream final, exchanging goals and strikes and everything in between. Philly scored a would-be winner in the 124th minute. Gareth Bale equalized in the 128th minute. They went to penalty kicks to decide the best MLS Cup ever. And just then, the most unlikely hero stepped up. John McCarthy, a native of Philadelphia who had come through the invisible lower levels of American soccer, came off the LAFC bench to win over his city and his former club. As a replacement for an injured and suspended starting goalkeeper, McCarthy made two huge saves in the penalty shootout and won LAFC their first league title. Ilie Sánchez converted the penalty, ran towards McCarthy and jumped into his arms. His teammates arrived seconds later and mobbed him. The Union, about 10 minutes earlier, thought they had won their first MLS Cup at the death of overtime. Jack Elliott, the 77th overall pick in a mostly irrelevant draft, pounced on a loose ball in the box and caused mayhem. Philly players were piling on top of him. Debris from the Los Angeles crowd rained down on them. Thousands of miles away at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, Union die-hards jumped for joy and prepared an all-night celebration. But Bale, the one-time leading winger who has played just six minutes for LAFC since mid-September, came off the bench to slot home a stunning equalizer three minutes later: The 120 minutes – no, 130 – ended up being some of the best the league had ever seen. McCarthy then added to his own legend. For almost a decade, he had bounced around humble football clubs, stadiums and stands. He had played at La Salle University, for the Ocean City Nor’easters and for Reading United. He had a stint with the Rochester Rhinos. He finally got his chance in MLS in 2015 with his local club, the Union, where, ironically, he became somewhat of a cult hero for his penalty shootout heroics. The story continues But he didn’t play that much. He spent more than three years as a backup, third baseman or loanee at Bethlehem Steel. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2019, then Inter Miami in 2020 and LAFC in 2022. Before Saturday, he had played in one game all season. He was, perhaps, the least likely of LAFC’s star-studded backups to see the pitch at Banc of California Stadium with a championship on the line. In the second half of extra time, however, starting goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau flew off his line and brought down Union forward Cory Burke. Crépeau, being the last one, was red-carded and horribly injured anyway. He retired from the field. The several-minute stoppage temporarily drained the life out of a raucous and relentless crowd and interrupted a dramatic game. But he also did two other things. He created the nine minutes of stoppage time that Bale used to send Los Angeles into a frenzy. And he introduced people to McCarthy. Andre Blake, the best goalkeeper in MLS, and the reason the Union had almost no use for McCarthy half a decade ago, saved LAFC’s first attempt on penalties. But Daniel Gazdag, with a chance to give Philly an early advantage, slipped and tipped his shot over the bar. Dennis Buanga gave LAFC the lead. McCarthy then read the minds of José Martinez and Kai Wagner. Ryan Hollingshead, who had a chance late in stoppage time after 90 minutes, scored to put LAFC up 2-0. And Ilie sealed the victory. Ecstatic celebrations followed. Kellyn Acosta, through a lucky deflection, opened the scoring for LAFC early: But the Union never succumbed to the pressure that star power and the stage and constant singing around them naturally bring. They went into half-time 1-0 down but still confident. Fourteen minutes after returning to the pitch, thanks to a superb first touch and finish from Gazdag, they were level: Philly grew in the game from there. The pace was elusive and that favored the underdogs. LAFC went ahead again in the 83rd minute. Jesus Mourinho raced to the near post and nodded the hosts back into the lead: But just a minute after play resumed, Elliot equalised: The long-serving Union centre-back almost clinched the Cup some 45 minutes later. But instead, his former team-mate did – with some help from a Wales star who was once the world’s most expensive player. In the end, LAFC’s unprecedented depth won the day and the title. They lifted a trophy they thoroughly deserved – although the Union would have deserved it too. Philly, with the league’s second-lowest payroll, proved they very much belonged on MLS’s biggest stage. LAFC, however, with quality throughout their starting XI and former Champions League stars who couldn’t even make it, proved they belonged at the top for months, if not years.
