The Gastón Brugman through ball is a must see. Joseph Paintsil opened the scoring for the LA Galaxy with a right footed shot from the center of the box. His goal assisted by Brugman with a brilliant through ball pass.
Riqui Puig, out with a torn ACL, was only able to watch from the stands. But it was his replacement, Brugman, who played the perfect pass to the on running Paintsil. Moreover, it was a perfectly weighted pass by Brugman. Indeed, a very Puig like pass.
What’s more, the Uruguayan started the play with a given go. Then, with an important touch to control the return pass, he got his head up and begin to drive forward with the ball, before seeing Paintsil making a run in behind the New York Red Bulls defense.
The through ball pass had a bit of bend on it and seemed to hover off the ground just slightly. It made you think of the Olympic sport curling, on the ice. The Brugman pass is one of those passes that should get an extra point or is almost as good as the goal itself.
Appropriately, Paintsil raised Puig’s jersey to the LA Galaxy crowd during his goal celebration. After all, the LA Galaxy wouldn’t be in the MLS Cup final without Puig.
Watch the Brugman through ball in the video below.
JP2⃣8⃣ pic.twitter.com/dE5kfV2mo7
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) December 7, 2024
Finally, the LA Galaxy would hold on to defeat the New York Red Bulls 2-1. Marco Reus replaced Gastón Brugman in the 75th minute. But he more than did his job in stepping in for Puig. Furthermore, it was Brugman literally carrying Puig on his back in the celebrations after the game! It is the LA Galaxy’s sixth MLS Cup trophy. The most of any team in the league.
Post game Brugman had this to say about winning the MLS Cup:
“Once I knew that [I was playing], everything in the year came to mind. I was excited to play for everything that we have done,” Brugman said through a translator. “In regards to the assist, I dreamed it yesterday and I dreamed of something that I could give to the team and then I was able to do it. That was great to see, see the team with the hunger, and it was exciting, and we were deserved winners for the game [and] how we played it.”
Brugman earned MLS Cup 2024 MVP honors presented by Audi.
