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Galaxy forward Joseph Paintsil, front, vies for the ball New York Red Bulls defender Dylan Nealis during the first half of the MLS Cup final at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)

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CARSON — Before 32-year-old goalkeeper John McCarthy signed a two-year deal with the Galaxy in January following a pair of seasons with the Los Angeles Football Club, he had one thing in mind.

Competing for playing time.

Eleven months later, firmly entrenched as the Galaxy starter, McCarthy and Will Kuntz, the man who offered him a spot on the 2024 Galaxy roster, embraced near midfield after the final whistle sealed their 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls to take the MLS Cup final.

“We always knew he was a leader,” said a champagne-soaked Kuntz, who worked in the LAFC front office when McCarthy arrived in 2022 and became the Galaxy general manager the following year. “In the locker room. The way he plays. He gives his all all the time. He’s all gas, no breaks.

“I don’t know what took so long for everybody to figure it out, but that guy is an [expletive] champion.”

On Saturday, McCarthy became the first player in MLS to lift championship trophies for both L.A. teams and the seventh goalkeeper to win multiple MLS Cups.

“I’m grateful to Will for giving me the opportunity and our relationship at LAFC,” McCarthy said. “To give me the opportunity to compete, that’s all I asked for.

“At the end of the day all I care about is winning. So he gave me belief and said you have an opportunity to compete. There’s no guarantees here. I made the most of my opportunity. I give everything I have every single on the field for the Galaxy organization, this entire organization.”

Coming off back-to-back MLS championship berths with LAFC — he’s the only MLS player to make the MLS Cup final the past three years — contract offers for McCarthy weren’t exactly piling up in the weeks after losing the 2023 final to the Columbus Crew, which he watched from the bench.

During the championship season with LAFC, McCarthy didn’t see much action behind Maxime Crepeau. But after the Canadian goalkeeper went down late in the final against the Philadelphia Union, McCarthy stopped each of the three penalty shots he faced to help secure LAFC’s first title for the Black & Gold in the most pressure-packed situation possible.

“When it was time to own the moment he definitely took the matter into his own hands and made an impact,” Crepeau said. “He made the difference for the team.”

Last year, McCarthy rode that momentum and served as LAFC’s No. 1 goalkeeper for much of the season until the homestretch, when Crepeau regained his starting role after fully recovering from the badly broken leg he suffered against the Union that gave McCarthy the kind of opportunity he always sought and never gave up on.

“When I had my chance in the second year to play at LAFC because of what happened to Max, I was grateful,” McCarthy said. “I felt like I was ready. I always pushed myself the year before to be ready if my name was called. And now that I’m here and playing, it’s amazing.”

He spent four seasons with his hometown Philadelphia Union and a year in the USL with the Tampa Bay Rowdies before joining Inter Miami CF, working his way up through small college soccer at La Salle University.

Simply hoping to remain in MLS, McCarthy agreed to join LAFC in 2022 as a backup.

The self-described “East Coast dude” has flourished in Southern California for the last three years, growing as a player and a person. His family expanded, as well, adding a newborn to the mix on Thanksgiving night in the midst of the Galaxy’s triumphant playoff run.

“It’s crazy,” he said of the experience. “You just have to figure it out. It’s part of life.”

Taking on a leadership role, McCarthy asserted himself as one of the loud voices in the group as the Galaxy attempted to rise in the wake of a dreadful 2023 when the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.

“Guys aren’t the biggest fan when I yell and scream, but when I do I want to have some purpose to it because I care about the group,” he said. “And at the end of the day I care about lifting trophies. To do it for one of the most historic clubs in the Galaxy, if not the most historic club in MLS, it’s a dream.”


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