MLS Cup 2012
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| Event | MLS Cup | ||||||
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| Date | December 1, 2012 | ||||||
| Venue | The Home Depot Center, Carson, California | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Omar Gonzalez | ||||||
| Referee | Silviu Petrescu | ||||||
| Attendance | 30,510 | ||||||
| Weather | Overcast and 64 °F (18 °C) | ||||||
MLS Cup 2012, the 17th edition of Major League Soccer's championship match, was a rematch between the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy to decide the champion of the 2012 season. The match was played at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on December 1, 2012. Los Angeles defeated Houston 3–1 giving the Galaxy their second-straight league title and their fourth overall.
For the first time in MLS Cup history, the championship was not held at a predetermined neutral site. Instead, the match venue was held in the home stadium of the finalist with the best regular season record, in this case The Home Depot Center (Los Angeles), which broke the MLS record for hosting the most MLS Cup matches (5). The game was a rematch of the 2011 MLS Cup, won 1–0 by the Galaxy.
As MLS Cup finalists, both Houston and Los Angeles qualified for the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League (champion in Pot A, runner-up in Pot B).
Los Angeles Galaxy entered the 2012 season as the defending MLS Cup champions, as well as the Supporters Shield titleholders, becoming the first team since 2008 to achieve a "league double" (having the best regular season record, and winning the championship). Due to preseason injuries, the Galaxy started their 2012 campaign off on a rough note, at point being at the bottom of the Western Conference table. Their 3–8–2 record to begin the season caused many critics to wonder if the club was even capable of qualifying for the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Midway through the regular season however, Los Angeles went on a resurgence, that saw the club climb as high as third place in the Western Conference. Many point to the return of centre-back Omar Gonzalez as a source for the team's renowned success, as well as the Josh Saunders returning from injury. Due to their early season underachievement, the club was unable to ever seriously be in the talks of the Supporters Shield race. Their revitalization in the regular season got them within a dozen points of eventual premiers, and their upstate rivals, San Jose Earthquakes, but in early October Los Angeles was mathematically unable to defend the Shield for what would have been a record third-consecutive year.
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