Substitute Billy Sharp leveled the match in the 82nd minute to help the LA Galaxy rally from two goals down and salvage a 2-2 draw against 10-man St. Louis City on Sunday in Carson, Calif.
Riqui Puig scored from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute for his team-lead-tying sixth goal for LA (7-10-9, 30 points), which has lost only once in its last 12 MLS matches to climb back into playoff contention.
Puig also induced Samuel Adeniran into his second yellow-card offense in the 60th minute, a moment that turned the final half-hour decidedly in the Galaxy’s favor.
But their failure to find a third goal after Sharp’s equalizer keeps the Galaxy second-to-last in the Western Conference, albeit only four points beneath the playoff line.
Adeniran had opened the scoring in the fourth minute for the visitors with his seventh goal of the season.
Joao Klauss added his sixth goal — and his first since March 25 after missing four months with a quad injury — to help St. Louis (15-10-3, 48 points) extend its lead to seven points over Seattle atop the West.
St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Burki made six saves in an important performance despite conceding a pair of goals.
Adeniran received his second caution in a span of eight minutes for a late challenge on Puig, after receiving his first for the handball that led to Puig’s penalty.
Puig narrowly missed wide of the left post only a few minutes after Adeniran’s departure, and there weren’t many chances that followed until Sharp’s leveler.
Uri Rosell reached Diego Fagundez’s initial free kick from the right side near the back post and headed it back across the goal, where Sharp outmuscled Tim Parker to redirect a first-time finish past Burki from close range.
Adeniran gave the visitors the lead after only four minutes with a snap finish past Jonathan Bond after Eduard Lowen’s through ball set up Jared Stroud’s cross.
Klauss doubled that advantage in the 28th minute after Aziel Jackson’s exceptional run from his own half set up his Klauss’ low finish through Bond’s legs.
–Field Level Media
