Donald Trump, Steph Curry, Yamal: The world the last time LA Galaxy won MLS Cup

They may be the most successful team in MLS, but a lot has changed since the Galaxy last won a championship.

For many observers, LA Galaxy remains the biggest and most illustrious MLS team. One of the league's 10 founding clubs, the Galaxy can lay claim to many of the most celebrated players in MLS history and have won a record five MLS Cup titles.

However, it has been a long time since they last won the ultimate prize. The Galaxy were the defining force for the first two decades of MLS, winning five MLS Cups, four Supporters' Shields, two US Open Cups and the CONCACAF Champions Cup during that period. However, the Galaxy has not won anything since. In 2021, former player Greg Vanney appointed the new head coach and has mapped out the way back.

“It's a big project and a club-wide project because the aim is to move the league forward and keep the standard,” Vanney told The Athletic. “If you do that, you're going to be chasing championships.”

This year's MLS Cup will be held on Saturday, December 7, exactly ten years after the 2014 Galaxy Championship. Here's a look at what was going on in the world the last time the LA Galaxy won the MLS Cup…

TV personality Donald Trump is considering switching to politics

Real estate mogul and entertainer Donald Trump has been involved in politics since 1988, when his name was first mentioned as a potential presidential candidate. There were a number of false mornings – including a declaration for the Reform Party in 1999 – but by late 2014 there were rumors that a real run for the White House was in the pipeline.

Trump had been a speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2013 and had reportedly spent $1 million researching a possible run for president in 2016. However, as of December 2014, he was still under contract with his TV show ' The Apprentice'. His reluctance to renew the deal led to speculation that he would formally run for office.

The announcement came in June 2015 when he gave a speech at Trump Tower in New York City, appearing before supporters on the now-famous golden escalator. Ten years later, Trump has won a second term, further deepening his impact on the United States and making him, if he wasn't already, one of the defining figures of the 21st century.

Steph Curry's Warriors are closing in on their first NBA championship

The Golden State Warriors had grown in recent years, but the arrival of Steve Kerr as head coach for the 2014-15 season turned the team into contenders. Kerr introduced a faster style of play and gave more freedom to his star player, who would change the game of basketball forever. In December 2014, Steph Curry's three-point shooting seemed like a dangerous weapon, but ten years later it seems historic.

Powered by Curry's incredible performance, the Warriors finished the regular season with 67 wins and Curry was named the NBA Most Valuable Player. The Warriors were crowned NBA champions in 2015, as well as in 2017, 2018 and 2022. Curry added another MVP award the following season and has now led the league in three-point shooting in eight different seasons.

However, in December 2014, it wasn't clear that basketball was witnessing the beginning of “The Steph Effect.”

Six-year-old Lamine Yamal comes to Barcelona

In 2014, Barcelona's famous La Masia academy received word of a talented young player who had recently joined CF La Torreta. He was still very young, in fact, only six years old. But even at that age, Lamine Yamal stood out.

“When he was six, we got a report from a scout in Mataro,” former academy director Jordi Roura told ESPN. “He told us about this boy who was different from everyone else in his age group and advised us to follow him.”

In December 2014, a young Lamine Yamal took his first tentative steps into Barcelona's youth system and was soon moved to La Masia, allowing him to train with the team more regularly.

Trained quickly through the age groups Yamal trained with the first team in September 2022, just months after his 15th birthday. He made his debut later that season, becoming the youngest player to play for Barcelona's first team in over a century, aged 15 years, nine months and 16 days old.

Yamal recently finished eighth in the voting for the 2024 Ballon d'Or. Ten years after joining Barcelona's academy as a six-year-old, Yamal has developed into one of the best footballers in the world.