Joseph Paintsil Opens Up on Dedicating Goal in MLS Final to Former Barcelona Star
- Ghanaian forward Joseph Painstil has dedicated his goal in the MLS final to former Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig
- The Black Stars winger and Riqui Puig are teammates at LA Galaxy, starring in the MLS campaign as LA Galaxy won the title
- The former Barcelona midfielder missed the final against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening
Joseph Paintsil dedicated his goal in the final of the MLS to former Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig.
The Ghana international opened the scoring after nine minutes in an exciting final against the New York Red Bulls as LA Galaxy won the title for the sixth time.
In an explosive start to the game, Dejan Joveljic scored five minutes after Paintsil's opener to double LA Galaxy's advantage.
Source: Twitter
However, the New York Red Bulls pulled one back through Sean Nealis halfway in the first.
The LA Galaxy held on to win the game and end their ten-year wait for the MLS title.
Meanwhile, in a video shared on social media, Paintsil was seen rushing for a Puig jersey to celebrate the ex-Barcelona star. He held the jersey aloft while pointing at the midfielder in the stands.
"It means a lot. I did it, it was in my mind. In the dressing room, I said it also but I was a little bit mad because they did not bring it early. All together, it was a good thing, and we did it for Riqui," he said after the game.
Why Paintsil dedicated goal to Puig?
Puig played a huge role in LA Galaxy's campaign, starring in both the regular season and the playoffs. He even delivered the assist for the match winner in the Western Conference final against the Seattle Sounders.
However, the former Barcelona player suffered a serious injury, ruling him out of the final last Saturday, as reported by MLS Soccer.
His injury was a big blow to the LA club, but Painstil promised to honour the midfielder before the game against the New York Red Bulls—a promise he delivered.
Painstil wins MLS with LA Galaxy
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghanaian forward Joseph Painstil has won the Major League Soccer title with the LA Galaxy.
The 26-year-old scored the opener as the LA-based club defeated the Eastern Conference champions 2-1 in the final.
He played a huge role as Galaxy ended their ten-year wait for the title.
Source: YEN.com.gh
