The Los Angeles Galaxy became the first team to win the MLS Cup five times as they recorded a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution in extra time in South California.
After a nervy start to the game from both sides, Gyasi Zardes put LA ahead early in the second half with a fine finish from a tight angle, but New England forced extra time thanks to Chris Tierney's strike in the 79th minute.
It looked like the final would be decided on penalties until the league's MVP, Robbie Keane, slotted home in the second period of extra time to secure a third title in four seasons for Galaxy.
Read below to find out how the drama unfolded.
Good evening everyone! The American season comes to an end tonight with the MLS Cup final between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New England Revolution. It's been a long battle for both of these sides, and they need just one more win to be crowned champions. Thanks for joining Sports Mole to find out who lifts the trophy at the StubHub Center.
Yes, that's right. The StubHub Center. For those of you who are unfamiliar with MLS rules, the Los Angeles Galaxy are the hosts tonight thanks to their superior record in the regular season. After producing brilliant football on a regular basis, they even have the advantage of playing on their own ground.
It's certainly going to be an historic evening in California. If the Galaxy lift the trophy tonight, it will be their fifth title, putting them one ahead of DC United. New England go in search of their first victory in the MLS Cup after falling at the final hurdle on four previous occasions.
These two sides have history in this competition, too. In 2002 and 2005, the Galaxy claimed 1-0 victories in extra time to condemn the Revolution to defeat. Will history repeat itself? Over the years New England have struggled on the big nights, but there's plenty to suggest that they will be able to challenge the Galaxy tonight.
The Galaxy head into the final as firm favourites to be champions again, and with good reason. In Robbie Keane, they have the league's MVP and a player who has produced Premier League quality on a nightly basis. Bruce Arena's experience on the touchline has been a huge advantage throughout the season, and there's few coaches you'd rather have take you to the MLS Cup final. Oh, and there's this guy called Landon...
Landon Donovan, a legend of the sport in the USA, plays his final game as a professional tonight. He's done it all in MLS, but he'll be desperate to lead the Galaxy to one final victory.
LA GALAXY: Penedo; DeLaGarza, Gonzalez, Leonardo, Rogers; Ishizaki, Sarvas, Juninho, Donovan; Keane, Zardes
SUBS: Rowe, Dunivant, Husidic, Gordon, Meyer, Gargan, Walker
No surprises in the Galaxy side. Gyasi Zardes starts in attack alongside Keane, with Donovan expected to play from the left wing. As always, keep an eye on Juninho in midfield. The Brazilian really does pull the strings from a deeper position for his side.
NE REVOLUTION: Shuttleworth; Tierney, Goncalves, Soares, Farrell; Jones, Caldwell; Rowe, Nguyen, Bunbury; Davies
SUBS: Knighton, Alston, Barnes, Dorman, Kobayashi, Fagundez, Mullins
Charlie Davies, who scored twice in the second leg of the Eastern Conference finals triumph over the Red Bulls, leads the line for the Revolution. Teal Bunbury and Lee Nguyen are the men to look out for behind the striker. Nguyen's fantastic form has been a key factor in New England's run to the final. He finished third in the MVP voting.
These two teams have already met once this season, and the New England supporters won't forgive me for reminding them that the Galaxy came out on top in a 5-1 triumph for Arena's side. That was the Revolution's heaviest defeat of the campaign. They simply cannot afford to let the Galaxy get on top early in the game.
As always in Major League Soccer, an 8pm kickoff never quite means what you think, but the players are ready to go. The game will be getting underway in just a few moments.
All of the attention is on Donovan, but there is plenty of star power on the pitch. Keane and Nguyen will be the key players for their respective sides. It won't just be their goals, either. Both players have the ability to drop into deep positions to set up attacks.
Official from the MLS have already suggested that kickoff is likely to be at 8:25pm (UK time). The players have gone back inside following the warm-ups as the noise level increases inside the StubHub Center.
The players are lined up behind the MLS Cup in the tunnel. Let's take a look at the regular season records of both of these sides.
LA Galaxy - P34 W17 D10 L7
NE Revolution - P34 W17 D4 L13
Two teams. One firm favourite, one admired underdog. A legend playing his final game, and two of the top three players in the MVP voting. It's set up to be a fantastic final. Just the national anthem and the handshakes standing in the way of kickoff.
Aloe Blacc takes on the responsibility of singing the national anthem. He decides against giving us a bit of 'I Need A Dollar', but maybe now isn't the time. Next time, Aloe!
Finally, the build-up is over in California. It will be the Revolution who get the game underway.
CHANCE! The Galaxy come agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the second minute. Robbie Rogers gets forward to collect a long ball, before exchanging passes with Donovan. The left-back does well to create space in the box, but Soares makes the block before clearing off the line.
Los Angeles send out an early warning, and they have settled the better of the two sides. It's been a bit rushed from the Revolution in the opening few minutes.
It's the hosts who are dominating possession, with Juninho seeing plenty of the ball in a deep midfield position. Keane hasn't really been involved yet, but he's been eager to drift into space in attack.
Jay Heaps will be eager to see his players settle down soon. There's been too many misplaced passes, and the rare longer ball forward has been easily dealt with by Gonzalez and Leonardo.
Jones does well to get forward from midfield, but he wastes a decent opening by hitting a weak effort straight at Penedo from the edge of the box.
Shuttleworth is fortunate to see his clearance not come back to haunt him. Goncalves takes on the responsibility to clear up his goalkeeper's mess, and wins a free kick under pressure from Zardes.
We've seen very little of Nguyen yet, which is a concern for New England fans. His ability to find pockets of space in the final third of the pitch will be crucial to his side's chances. Galaxy are seeing slightly more of the ball at the moment, but there's not a lot of space on offer.
Brilliant work from Sarvas as he sprints across to make a perfect sliding tackle on Davies after the New England forward had broke free on the left. The Galaxy midfielder took a painful blow to the knee, but he will be fine to continue.
It's been a typical final so far. Neither side have been willing to send too many players forward in the early stages, but the defending has been impressive. The likes of Keane, Donovan and Nguyen have barely had a sniff at goal.
Much better from the Galaxy as Donovan comes inside to get the ball before finding Keane, whose cross into the box is cleared away by Farrell. Donovan will continue to do that if he is given the space on the edge of the box.
New England defend well to clear a Galaxy corner, and a cross into the box which follows moments later. Keane stays on the left wing and it's the Irish forward who wins his side another corner. Good pressure from the hosts.
Rowe makes the perfect run in the middle when New England launch a counter attack, but he's left furious when Bunbury decides against playing the pass before eventually being dispossessed. Missed chance for New England.
CHANCE! Keane forces Shuttleworth into a decent save after being gifted the space to unleash an effort from the edge of the box. Donovan and Zardes then carve out another opening, but they are made to settle for a corner, which is cleared by the Revolution defence.
New England look threatening on the break again when the lively Davies sprints clear. It looks like the forward will get the chance to have a shot, but Delagarza does superbly to execute the perfect sliding tackle in the box.
Zardes creates a yard of space on the edge of the box with a clever turn, but he loses his balance slightly before dragging a weak shot past the post.
New England win a free kick, but their decision to take it quick is a poor one as the Galaxy quickly retrieve possession. There's been a lot of mistakes in midfield in the first half, which will be a disappointment to both managers.
New England are growing in confidence, but most of their play is taking place in the centre of the pitch, rather than in attacking areas. LA have barely put a foot wrong at the back. The first goal is going to be vital tonight.
The Galaxy have had some joy with a longer ball into the channels. Zardes drifts into space to collect a pass before teeing up Keane, who curls just over the crossbar from the edge of the box.
Keane misses a great chance to cross for Zardes after bringing the ball down brilliantly on the right wing. The Irishman takes his frustration out on the assistant referee when he fouls Goncalves, who makes a crucial tackle.
More poor play from the Revolution as both Jones and Caldwell give the ball away in midfield. Neither manager will be delighted, but after heading into this final as big underdogs, New England will surely be the happier of the two sides at this stage.
Keane and Zardes are starting to get frustrated with the lack of service they are receiving. Rogers slices a poor ball out of play on the left. This match needs a goal.
CHANCE! Better from Galaxy as Donovan sprints past a couple of challenges before sliding the ball into the path of Zardes, who fires just past the near post.
Nguyen delivers a brilliant corner to the near post, but Zardes does well to clear the danger under pressure from Davies. Chances have been difficult to come by for the Revs, so they will need to take advantage of set pieces.
We're still waiting for these two sides to explode. Neither seem read to go out and dominate, but it's the team that takes the biggest risk who might make the breakthrough. Galaxy continue to look slightly more dangerous. However, they've lacked a cutting edge.
YELLOW CARD! Donovan becomes the first player to be booked when he charges into the back of Soares while attempting to compete for a high ball.
HALF TIME: LA GALAXY 0-0 NE REVOLUTION
It's been a battle out there, no doubt about it. Galaxy have only been able to show in flashes why there were favourites heading into the final, while New England have been too wasteful in possession further up the pitch. That first breakthrough could be huge.
BENCH WATCH: The first obvious change for the Revolution would be the introduction of Kevin Alston, which should allow Tierney to push slightly further forward. Los Angeles do have Alan Gordon on the bench if they need to hold the ball up more effectively for the likes of Keane and Juninho to get further forward.
Keane and Nguyen were the two singled out as key players for their side, but neither have been at their best yet. Nguyen has struggled to make an impact, while Keane has been forced to drop deeper to get on the ball. They'll both surely improve after the break.
Here we go then. Both sides are back out on the pitch for the second half. It will be the Galaxy who get the game back underway.
Promising start to the second half from LA as the hosts push forward from the restart, before threatening when Ishizaki sends a speculative half-volley over the crossbar from the edge of the box.
Bruce Arena's side are on the front foot early in the second half, and the hosts are beginning to dominate possession. Jones is lucky to escape a booking following a late challenge on the ankle of Donovan. Incredible. No one in the ground can believe he hasn't been booked.
There seems to be more space in midfield for both sides to operate, but the quality in the final third of the pitch is still poor.
New England want a penalty, but they're left disappointed. Davies drifts out wide before crossing to Nguyen, who goes down under pressure from Sarvas as he was about to unleash a shot. There didn't seem to be a lot of contact.
GOAL! LA GALAXY 1-0 NE REVOLUTION (ZARDES)
Zardes strikes first! The local hero peels away from his marker at the back post to control a cross, before holding off the challenge of Farrell and firing a low strike past Shuttleworth. It's a fine finish. Can New England respond?
Galaxy are definitely on top now. Sarvas breaks free on the right, but his low cross is well blocked by Goncalves. New England can't afford to concede another at this stage. However, they're starting to look vulnerable.
Zardes had scored just once in 10 games before today, but he's full of confidence after breaking the deadlock. A clever turn and pass releases Rogers, who slices a cross out of play from the left wing.
SUBSTITUTION: The Revs make their first change as Daigo Kobayashi comes on to replace Caldwell in midfield.
There hasn't been a response from New England. They've barely threatened in the first hour, but the Eastern Conference champions have to change something if they are to level the scores. Galaxy's defence have looked very comfortable.
YELLOW CARD! Farrell has struggled since the break, and he's left embarrassed by Zardes again as he chops down the tricky forward following a clever turn from the Galaxy ace.
Zardes is having so much joy against Farrell that Donovan has moved into the centre to partner Keane in attack. Neither of the experienced forwards have had their best games, but their collective ability to link with the midfield will be key in the latter stages.
Galaxy almost create another chance when Donovan plays in Delagarza, whose decision to take an extra touch makes the difference as the New England defence recover quickly to crowd out the full-back.
CHANCE! This this the moment every Galaxy fan was waiting for, but Donovan misses the chance. Keane's clever dummy plays in his strike partner, but Donovan's first touch is poor and he can only hit a weak shot straight at Shuttleworth. Moments earlier Penedo had sprinted off his line to punch the ball away from Bunbury.
CHANCE! Keane wastes a huge chance as he twists and turns himself into some space, before losing his balance and poking the ball into the waiting arms of Shuttleworth. The pass to Donovan was on, but Keane should have scored. Rowe then curls just wide of the post at the other end.
SUBSTITUTION: Davies has tired in the second half, and he comes off to be replaced by New England rookie Patrick Mullins.
It's just not quite clicking for New England on the edge of the box. A poor pass from Kobayashi sees a promising move come to an end, and the game is beginning to get stretched. Keane breaks free of the Revs defence at the other end, but an offside flag halts his progress.
LA are still managing to get the ball forward quickly, but they're taking less risks at this stage of the game. A second goal would kill the match off. Zardes watches his deflected effort loop into the hands of Shuttleworth.
GOAL! LA GALAXY 1-1 NE REVOLUTION (TIERNEY)
The Revs find the equaliser! A long ball forward doesn't appear to carry much threat, but Mullins does brilliantly to chase it down before pulling a pass back for Tierney, who keeps his composure to fire a shot into the bottom corner. We're in for a dramatic finish now. Will there be extra time in South California?
SAVE! The hosts go close to regaining the lead immediately when Ishizaki's low strike causes problems for Shuttleworth, whose fumble almost sets up Keane for an easy finish. Fortunately for the New England goalkeeper, Goncalves manages to clear the danger.
YELLOW CARD! The Revs look like a different side now as a free kick is cleared to Goncalves, whose powerful cross is deflected into the gloves of Penedo. Rogers picked up a yellow card for a foul on Nguyen moments earlier.
CROSSBAR! Brilliant from Nguyen as his clever flick plays in Bunbury. It looks like a cross from Bunbury, but he almost scores with a chip which comes back off the crossbar. Wow! Penedo breathes a huge sigh of relief.
There's concern on the face of Jay Heaps when Nguyen goes down in pain, but it looks like he may be able to continue after some treatment on the pitch.
Extra time is just a few minutes away. New England have grown in confidence since finding the equaliser. Can they create one final chance in normal time?
Galaxy beat New England in extra time in both of the previous two finals between these two sides. It looks like that's where we are going. Four minutes of stoppage time to be played.
SUBSTITUTION: New England are dealt a blow ahead of extra time as Nguyen limps off to be replaced by Andy Dorman.
Big opportunity wasted by Galaxy as they send the central defenders up, only to see Ishizaki send a free kick out of play. That's very poor from the midfielder.
Goncalves storms forward from the back before seeing his powerful shot deflect to safety. Time is running out. It looks like we'll be treated to another 30 minutes.
FULL TIME: LA GALAXY 1-1 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
LA were cruising after taking the lead, but their inability to kill the game off allowed New England to force extra time. Both sides will fancy their chances in the next 30 minutes. Who will take the biggest risk in search of a winner?
SUBSTITUTIONS: Just a few words from each manager during a short interval. We're ready to go again. New England will get extra time started. Two changes from LA, with Alan Gordon and Dan Gargan replacing Rogers and Ishizaki.
YELLOW CARD! Keane hasn't had the best of days at the office, and he becomes the third Galaxy player to receive a booking when he brings down Jones in midfield.
It's slow, patient possession from LA, but they are controlling the game in the early stages of extra time. No openings for either side yet, though. Sides are often reluctant to take risks at this stage of finals.
New England break forward in numbers, but the attack breaks down when a cross from Mullins is cleared by Gonzalez. Worrying signs for Galaxy when Juninho goes down clutching his groin. It doesn't look like he can stay on.
SUBSTITUTION: Bruce Arena is forced into another change as the injured Juninho makes way for Baggio Husidic.
Jones finds himself in space, but he isn't sure what to do as a weak effort is charged down by Leonardo. You feel that it's going to take a moment of magic, or a mistake, to decide this final.
Neither side look comfortable in possession, and it's clear that a few players are tiring. Galaxy, in particular, are struggling to keep the ball.
SHOT! Jones pops up on the edge of the box again, but he can only fire a swerving effort past the post. Galaxy can't keep giving him that much space.
SAVE! Big moment in extra time. A long ball over the top encourages Mullins to do the chasing, and he comes close to putting his side ahead by forcing Penedo into a fine save from a tight angle.
It's New England who look the fresher side, but Galaxy have the attacking talent to make a breakthrough at some stage in extra time. They could be heading for penalties in South California.
HALF TIME IN EXTRA TIME - LA GALAXY 1-1 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: The two sides remain level. Just 15 minutes remain before penalties are required to decide the final. Galaxy will get the game back underway after a very short interval.
Galaxy are knocking the ball around confidently, which is something we didn't see that much in the first period of extra time. They need to get the ball into Keane and Donovan in the closing stages.
CLOSE! Shuttleworth almost puts his side in trouble when he fumbles the ball after attempting to collect a long throw from Gargan. New England survive the immediate danger, but a handball on the edge of the box gifts LA a free kick.
Shuttleworth looks confident on this occasion as Donovan curls the free kick just over the crossbar. That would have been a pretty special way to end a career.
GOAL! LA GALAXY 2-1 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (KEANE)
The MVP delivers! Keane times his run to perfection to latch onto a long ball from Sarvas, and he keeps his composure to slot past the helpless Shuttleworth. Is that the winner?
New England threaten when Rowe's dangerous cross flashes across the box without a touch. It's going to be a nervy finish for the Galaxy supporters.
Donovan leads another attack for the hosts with a brilliant run through the middle, but his pass to Keane is too strong as Shuttleworth watches the ball roll out of play for a goal kick. Five minutes left in the final.
SAVE! Kobayashi holds off a couple of challenges before playing in Mullins, whose low effort is well held by a grateful Penedo at the near post. The hosts need to slow the pace of the game down late on.
New England are desperately looking for a way back, but Farrell makes the wrong decision by slicing a half-volley wide at the back post when a cross would have been a better option.
Galaxy should kill the game off on the break when Donovan delivers a perfect cross to Keane, but the Irish forward's touch lets him down as Revolution recover to clear the danger.
Anywhere will do for Galaxy at this stage. New England are seeing every cross hit back at them in the final minute of extra time.
I must say I'm surprised. The fourth official confirms that there will be three minutes of stoppage time added on.
New England are piling the pressure on. Rowe sends a cross to the back post, where Goncalves sees a header deflected behind for a corner. Shuttleworth is coming up.
Galaxy manage to clear two corners, before Penedo bravely comes off his line to punch a cross to safety. Can LA hold on for the title?
FULL TIME: LA GALAXY 2-1 NE REVOLUTION
It's all over in California! The Los Angeles Galaxy are crowned MLS champions, and in the process they become the first team to win the MLS Cup five times. Keane's goal in the second period of extra time has made the difference. Donovan's final game ends with victory. LA's hero is champion once again. How was that for drama?
You've got to feel for New England. It's been a great run to the final from Jay Heaps and his players, but the Galaxy have managed to get over the line once again. LA Galaxy are champions once again!
That's all from our live coverage. I hope you've enjoyed following the MLS Cup final with Sports Mole. Same time next year! Goodnight folks.
