Galaxy falls to Sounders in Leagues Cup’s Round of 32
The hosts score twice in the first seven minutes of a 3-1 win – both off of corner kicks – and the Galaxy’s winless streak in Seattle reaches nine matches (0-6-3), a stretch that dates to 2016.
SEATTLE — Lumen Field has long been a house of horrors for the Galaxy, and that trend continued Thursday night when the team was eliminated from the Leagues Cup in the Round of 32 with a 3-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders.
Yeimar Gomez, Jackson Ragen and Alex Roldan all scored in the first half for Seattle, before Gabriel Pec scored a late consolation goal for the Galaxy, which is winless in its past nine trips to Seattle (0-6-3), a stretch that dates to 2016.
The Sounders struck twice in the first seven minutes – both goals coming off corner kicks. Yeimar opened the scoring in the fourth minute when he headed home a ball from Albert Rusnák into the top corner of the goal. Ragen then doubled the lead three minutes later when a Jordan Morris header hit Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy in the face. The ensuing rebound inside the 6-yard box fell to Ragen, who converted his shot into the roof of the net.
Over the next 10 minutes, the Galaxy’s Pec had a pair of opportunities, both of which he sent over the crossbar.
McCarthy made a huge save in the 35th minute to deny Roldan before Jalen Neal made a critical deflection on Morris’ subsequent close-range shot.
Roldan, a product of Pico Rivera’s El Rancho High, scored the Sounders’ third goal with a curling wonder strike from 22 yards out in first-half stoppage time.
The Galaxy’s Maya Yoshida converted a header off a free kick from Pec in the 53rd minute, but the goal was waived off because of an offside violation.
Rusnák almost made it a four-goal lead in the 69th minute, but McCarthy denied the Slovakian’s left-footed strike from the left side of the box.
Pec scored in the 83rd minute when Riqui Puig delivered an incisive pass down the left side of the penalty area. Pec dinked his shot over a sliding Andrew Thomas into the bottom right corner of the goal.
The Sounders outshot the Galaxy 21-9 overall and 11-1 on frame.
The Sounders will host Liga MX’s Pumas UNAM in the Round of 16 on Monday. Pumas shut out Vancouver, 2-0, to advance and set up a rematch of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League final.
UP NEXT
The Galaxy returns to MLS play on Aug. 24 when it hosts Atlanta United FC.