Editorial: Looking Back On MLS Cup 2014 (VIDEO)

Happy Boxing Day from the MLS Multiplex, a key part of your world-famous FanSided Network of sports awesomeness. We wrap up our series of reflections of the past 19 MLS Cup Finals with one more look back at the 2014 MLS Cup Final between Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy and Jay Heaps’s New England Revolution. This reflection is special, in that I give you my personal recollections of this event, as I covered this game for you live via Live Blog here on the Plex.

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Well, it feels like it’s just yesterday that we had MLS Cup 2014. We sometimes forget that we are easing in two new teams for the 2015 edition of the competition in New York City FC and Orlando City SC. We forget that we had different drafts, trades, and a College Cup that was contested. And we had retirements. Oh yes, we had a lot of them.

It was the end of a era for a number of players. At the age of 38, Montreal’s Marco Di Vaio was calling it quits. Seattle’s Marcus Hahnemann hung up his cleats at the age of 42. Chicago’s Logan Pause finished his career in 2014. Thierry Henry walked away from the New York Red Bulls and the game after the season ended.

No retirement would leave a bigger impact on MLS than that of the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Landon Donovan.

But no retirement would leave a bigger impact on MLS than that of the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Landon Donovan. At the age of 32, and after being axed by Jurgen Klinsmann ahead of the FIFA World Cup, Donovan announced his retirement midway through the season. He went on to claim the MLS career goal and assists records from Jeff Cunningham and Steve Ralston, respectively, earning accolades from across the league.

Donovan wasn’t the only bright spot on the Galaxy. LA featured goalkeeper Jaime Penedo (the first Panamanian to ever win an MLS Cup), defenders Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza, Tommy Meyer, Leonardo and Robbie Rogers; midfielders Marcelo Sarvas and Juninho; and forwards Gyasi Zardes and Robbie Keane. Keane, in particular, would shine brightly in 2014. The face of Irish soccer and the captain of the Galaxy won league MVP honors and MLS Cup MVP honors to go with three MLS Cups won.

In addition, the Galaxy were boosted by new faces. Defender Dan Gargan added defensive depth to a back line in need of a backbone. Midfielders Stefan Ishizaki and Baggio Husidic were vital contributors and Ishizaki was a finalist for Newcomer of the Year. And target forward Alan Gordon, after being cast aside by the San Jose Earthquakes, returned to the Galaxy and redeemed the fans’ trust in him after being long scrutinized for his commitments to LA’s primary rival.

Los Angeles ended the regular season with a record of 17-7-10 (61 points), good for second place in the Western Conference and the league behind Sigi Schmid’s Seattle Sounders. As with last year, they opened up the postseason against Real Salt Lake. This time, LA were ready: following a scoreless draw at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah in the first leg, the Galaxy routed RSL 5-0 on aggregate in the second leg at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. on a hat trick from Donovan (10′, 54′, 72′), to go with goals from Keane (20′) and Sarvas (63′).

The Western Conference Championship against Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins, future Tottenham Hotspur bookend DeAndre Yedlin and the rest of the Sounders would be memorable. In the first leg at the Hub, Sarvas’s 52nd minute strike gave the Galaxy a 1-0 victory. In the second leg at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Wash., the Galaxy lost 2-1 but advanced on an away goal from Juninho (54′), whose previous goal came, coincidentally, against the Sounders last year. That’s how you break a drought and thousands of Sounders hearts, Juni, albeit it’s a bit old hat.

As for Heaps’s Revs, the rise of scoring ace Lee Nguyen and the arrival of USA international Jermaine Jones gave New England fans reason to believe that the curse would be finally over. They had a number of talented players besides Jones and Nguyen, though.

The Revolution also had goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth; defenders Andrew Farrell, A.J. Soares, Chris Tierney, Jose Goncalves and Kevin Alston; midfielders Kelyn Rowe, Diego Fagundez and Daigo Kobayashi; and forward Charlie Davies, Teal Bunbury and Patrick Mullins. Davies was reviving his career after an accident a few years ago nearly cost him his life. As for the rookie Mullins, his stay at New England would be short, with New York City FC snapping him up in the Expansion Draft.

New England finished the regular season with a record of 17-13-4 (55 points), good for second place in the MLS Eastern Conference behind D.C. United. They started out flying off the gates in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, blitzing Gregg Berhalter’s Columbus Crew 7-3 on aggregate. A brace from Davies (34′, 78′) to go with goals from Tierney (51′) and Nguyen (70′) powered the Revs to a 4-2 first-leg victory at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Nugyen (43′), Goncalves (55′) and Bunbury (77′) piled it on in the second leg at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. for a 3-1 insurance victory.

In the Eastern Conference Championship, the Revolution took on Mike Petke’s New York Red Bulls. In the first leg at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., goals from Bunbury (17′) and Jones (85′) gave New England a 2-1 victory. A brace from Davies (41′, 70′) in the second leg at Gillette secured a 2-2 draw and a 4-3 win on aggregate.