LA Galaxy defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 at Dignity Health Sports Park, with 19,557 fans in the stands, ending a long stretch without back-to-back home wins. The team hadn’t done that since May 31.
Joseph Paintsil scored twice, and Matheus Nascimento got his first home goal as the Galaxy earned a convincing result against the second-place team in the Western Conference. Even sitting at the bottom of the table with just 12 points, the California side showed it’s still alive this season. The match also marked a league milestone, with LA playing its 29th home game on July 4, the most in MLS history.
Galaxy strikes early and keeps the pressure on
Only two minutes in, the Galaxy opened the scoring. Edwin Cerrillo took a shot from distance, Yohei Takaoka couldn’t hold it, and Nascimento was in the right place to calmly knock in the rebound.
Not long after, Ranko Veselinovic came up with a key tackle in the box to stop Nascimento from scoring again. Vancouver answered around the 10-minute mark, when Édier Ocampo found space inside the area but lost his footing right as he went to finish.
At the 20-minute mark, Paintsil fired from outside the box, forcing Takaoka into a solid save to keep the score at 1-0.
Even start, but LA takes full control
The Canadian side had another close call at minute 35. Emmanuel Sabbi slipped past a defender and crossed into the area, but the ball was cleared before it could reach a teammate. Just moments later, Sabbi tried a low shot that deflected off a defender and almost led to an own goal, but Emiro Garces managed to clear it over the bar under pressure.
Vancouver came out strong after the break. Pedro Vite hit a well-placed free kick that forced a diving save from Micovic, and just minutes later, Jayden Nelson, who had just come on, nearly capitalized on a loose ball near goal, but Micovic stepped up quickly to clear it.
Despite the pressure, LA extended the lead. At the 60-minute mark, Gabriel Pec swung in a cross from the right, Marco Reus touched it first-time into Paintsil’s path, and he sent it low into the corner, making it 2-0.
The third goal came from the spot. Maya Yoshida was fouled inside the box, and Paintsil stepped up, burying his shot into the left corner and putting the match out of reach.