Gabriel Pec had a goal and an assist in the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 2-0 away win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday.
Los Angeles (5-5-4, 19 points) is 3-1-1 in its last five MLS matches, and Saturday’s victory ended the club’s 10-match winless drought (0-5-5) in Seattle. The Galaxy’s last prior regular-season win in Seattle came on July 9, 2016.
Pec scored for the fourth time in his last three matches, as the forward has stepped up in place of the injured Joao Klauss. Pec and Klauss are now tied for the team lead with five goals apiece.
Matheus Nascimento came off the bench in the 83rd minute and then scored two minutes into stoppage time for his first goal of the season.
JT Marcinkowski stopped six shots on target to secure his first clean sheet in 10 regular-season starts.
Seattle (7-2-3, 24 points) lost for just the second time in MLS play, ending its nine-match (6-0-3) regular-season unbeaten streak.
The defeat also ended the Sounders’ 22-match (16-0-6) home unbeaten streak in all competitions, dating back to last season.
A brilliant pass from Marco Reus set up Los Angeles’ opening goal in the 23rd minute. Reus sent a perfectly-placed ball that split two Sounders players and found Pec heading into the box for the finish.
Danny Musovski had to leave the match in the 12th minute after a collision with Galaxy defender John Nelson. Musovski’s fifth-minute shot on target was Seattle’s only real chance of the opening 45 minutes, and his early departure resulted in a quiet offensive half for the Sounders.
More offensive pressure came from the home side early in the second half, and Paul Arriola had a tremendous chance on a header attempt in the 59th minute. Jesus Ferreira’s pass found Arriola by the far post, but Marcinkowski was in position for a big save.
Marcinkowski made two more decent saves in the second half, though Seattle’s lack of a finishing touch was the larger issue. Nine of the Sounders’ 14 shots in the match were off-target.
The Galaxy had several counter-attacking chances off these Seattle misses, and the second goal finally came on Nascimento’s late strike. Pec had plenty of room on the far side to approach the Sounders’ net, and crossed in front to Nascimento for the easy conversion.
–Field Level Media
