Tasked with replacing Puig, Galaxy's midfield trio won MLS Cup

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CARSON, California -- As the LA Galaxy players waited to hoist their sixth MLS Cup trophy, midfielders Gastón Brugman, Edwin Cerrillo and Mark Delgado met on the field and engaged in a group hug. Such was their exhaustion -- both physical and mental -- that it was about all the energy they could muster.

The celebration was well earned. The Galaxy have bigger stars certainly. The trio weren't even among the goal-scorers on Saturday. That honor fell to Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic, though Brugman and Delgado did deliver assists. But the three, comprising a makeshift midfield, played perhaps the biggest role in the Galaxy's triumph. Brugman was named the game's MVP, and…