Gareth Bale was the hero as LAFC won their first Major League Soccer Cup last week, and it seems the Welsh superstar also managed to benefit MLS academies in the process
The beautiful game continues to grow in the United States, and now $1million (£840,000) has been donated to MLS academies league-wide.
The MLS continues to strengthen with each year, and now the national sides of both America and Canada are being flooded with waves of fresh talent as years of hard work is starting to pay off. And even more money is set to be invested, as MLS Cup play-off sponsors Audi have pledged to donate $1m.
The car manufacturer pledged to donate $500 (£422) for ever MLS goal scored during the season, and the stakes were raised even higher during the play-offs as this amount increased to $2000 (£1690). Their official total came to $849,500 (£718,000), but they opted to round that up to $1m in order to help the next generation of MLS talent.
In addition to the $2000 for every play-off game scored, $10000 (£8450) was up for grabs for any goal scored in the MLS Cup final. Thankfully for the MLS, there were plenty, six to be precise. Gareth Bale was the hero after scoring a 129th-minute equaliser to send the game to penalties, after coming off the bench. That was his third goal in 13 MLS appearances since joining from Real Madrid.