Will Kuntz, who would become the architect of the team’s turnaround, was hired three months later, Klein was sacked a month after that and after rebuilding the front office, the Galaxy quickly rebuilt their roster. The result was one of the most dramatic turnarounds in MLS history.

Seeking their first MLS Cup berth in 10 years, things did not come so easily against the Seattle Sounders. It took more than 85 minutes for the Galaxy to unlock Seattle’s organized approach, but Dejan Joveljic got on the end of a pass from Riqui Puig and beat Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei to lift the Galaxy to a 1-0 win.