Was there ever really any doubt the most earth-shattering moment of the regular season would win MLS Goal of the Year?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 22 goals during his inaugural Major League Soccer campaign. But it’s his first that will forever be memorialized.
Last weekend, the LA Galaxy’s 3-1 win over Minnesota United — coupled with Real Salt Lake’s 0-3 defeat to Portland — seemed to all but guarantee Zlatan’s side a place in the playoffs. The route was clear: defeat the Houston Dynamo, the West’s 10th-place side, at home, and the Galaxy would be in.
Anything less and it was all over.
27 minutes into the first half, the Galaxy took control through Ola Kamara with Romain Alessandrini providing the assist.
Minnesota United drew a record crowd for its final home match at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday, and although the 50,000+ in attendance weren’t just there to watch Zlatan Ibrahimovic play (although that’s what Zlatan would have you believe), the big Swede delivered during a rare appearance on turf — he scored the first goal in the 30th minute and delivered an inch-perfect assist for the Galaxy’s third in the 3-1 win.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made the television rounds in Los Angeles since arriving at the Galaxy, including stops on the Ellen DeGeneres show, Pardon the Interruption and Jimmy Kimmel.
On Sunday, more than 50,000 spectators will attend Minnesota United’s final match at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis (the club will move into Allianz Field in Saint Paul next year), and they’ll be treated to a visit from Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s LA Galaxy.
After a dramatic 18-day search and rescue mission resulted in 12 members of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach being saved from the Tham Luang cave complex back in July, the group has now made their first studio since the incident, appearing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in Los Angeles.
MLS is reaching its most interesting stage; no margin for error if you want to be in the MLS Cup playoffs and compete for the title.
Now, life in the Western and Eastern Conferences differs largely. Out of the four teams that have already secured a spot in the postseason, three of them come from the East (Atlanta United, NY Red Bulls, and NYCFC). The West, on the contrary, has FC Dallas as its only qualified representative.
