After beating Philadelphia Union in a shootout, LAFC was awarded its first-ever MLS Cup title.

LAFC #77 John McCarthy (Goalkeeper) blocked two shots against the Philadelphia Union in the shootout. Photo by BNS.

LOS ANGELES, CA - Saturday in Los Angeles, Gareth Bale's dramatic header in the eighth minute of extra-time stoppage time tied the score at 3-3, and Los Angeles FC defeated Philadelphia Union 3-0 on penalty kicks to win its first MLS Cup. Substitute goalkeeper John McCarthy saved two Philadelphia shots in the shootout.

Denis Bouanga, Ryan Hollingshead, and Ilie Sanchez all scored in the shootout after Bale scored the game-tying goal in extra time for 10-man LA. This climaxed the most exciting of the 27 MLS championship matches.

LAFC is the sixth team in Major League Soccer history to win both the Supporters' Shield and the MLS Cup.

Philadelphia native and former Union goalkeeper Cory McCarthy was called upon in the second overtime period after starter Maxime Crepeau suffered a serious leg injury after receiving a red card for a red card foul on Cory Burke.

McCarthy conceded Jack Elliott's second goal of the game in the fourth minute of injury time to give Philadelphia the lead. Bale entered the game in the 97th minute, and the 33-year-old scored with a stunning header in the eighth of nine minutes of stoppage time for his third MLS goal and first in three months.

McCarthy didn't let the Union score in the shootout. Dániel Gazdag's first shot went over the crossbar because he slipped, and then he dove to stop shots by José Martnez and Kai Wagner. Then, Sánchez clinched the victory in front of an exuberant home crowd for LAFC.

Elliott scored the tying goal in the 85th minute of regulation to force extra time for the Union, who had overcome two one-goal deficits to reach their first MLS Cup final. Then, late in extra time, Philadelphia seized the lead when their English defense scored the latest goal in MLS history.

Elliott only maintained the record for four minutes when Bale rose and headed home Diego Palacios' cross.

Bale, who departed Real Madrid in the summer to prepare for Wales' upcoming World Cup appearance, was playing his first minutes with LA since October 2.

After the hosts took the lead, Philadelphia rallied twice in regulation to tie it at Banc of California Stadium, which was filled with black-clad fans awaiting the crowning triumph of their high-profile expansion franchise's outstanding first half-decade, which included two regular-season league crowns.

LAFC's Kellyn Acosta scored in the first half, and Philadelphia's Gazdag knotted the game early in the second. In the 83rd minute, Jess David Murillo headed in a goal that broke the deadlock for LAFC from a corner kick from Carlos Vela, but Elliott tied the score again for Philadelphia two minutes later.

The MLS Cup final featured two of the league's greatest clubs from the regular season and two of its most successful organizations over the prior five years. This year, both LAFC and Philadelphia finished at the top of their conferences with 67 points. After surviving the two-game playoff gauntlet, both teams made it to their first playoff championship game.