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Galaxy’s late rally falls short against Sporting KC

March 15, 2026

CARSON — The Galaxy didn’t find the light switch until late in Saturday’s meeting with Sporting Kansas City.

After going down two goals, the Galaxy scratched back on an 82nd-minute goal by Marco Reus. The equalizing goal never materialized, despite heavy pressure from the Galaxy and seven extra minutes of stoppage time, leaving the Galaxy to deal with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of what was the worst team in the league.

“I think in the end, it’s just a game of moments,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “I thought we had control of more stretches of the game, it’s just a game of moments and we’ve got to be better in ours.

The Galaxy (1-2-1, four points) went into the game shorthanded without two-thirds of their Designated Player trio, with Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec both sidelined. Paintsil is sidelined with a thigh injury, which will likely keep him out for the rest of the month. Pec, who scored a hat trick in Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions Cup opening leg against Mount Pleasant FA, was out serving a one-game suspension after picking up two yellow cards in last Saturday’s loss at Colorado.

Sporting Kansas City, who had only one point from its first three games, went into halftime ahead on Dejan Joveljić’s goal against his former mates for a 1-0 lead.

“Dejan is Dejan, no matter what; he has a nose for the goal,” Vanney said of Joveljić.

“It (the first goal) was a little bit crazy because it’s the 47th minute and we play a ball into the forward, which is fine, but then we have guys kind of running beyond who aren’t going to get involved in the attack. They’re not going to make it, and they’re running beyond guys that we could be controlling in transition and not being mindful or talking through Dejan rolling to the outside, dealing with the situation. I just think again, you’re at the 47th minute, you’ve got to be way more mature in that situation to see the half out.”

Galaxy defender Maya Yoshida added that the team should have been able to see the game into halftime scoreless.

“We shouldn’t have conceded that goal; it was really cheap,” he said.

In the 74th minute, Lasse Berg Johnsen gave SKC a 2-0 lead. For the Galaxy, that finally seemed to wake up.

In the 82nd minute, Reus cut the deficit in half, after a wild sequence that started with a save by Jon Pulskamp, which led to a shot off the post by Mauricio Cuevas, then a shot off the crossbar by Matheus Nascimento and finally the rebound was put home by Reus.

The Galaxy continued pressing, nearly had a handball call late in the second half, but VAR checked and ruled that it was not the case.

“For us, I felt like at times, we were rushing things and then there were times where we needed to play with a little more urgency,” Vanney said. “But not necessarily rush attacks.”

Joveljić, who started his MLS career with the Galaxy, joined SKC last season in a cash trade. He scored in his first trip back to Carson last season, but the Galaxy won that meeting.

“First chance was a little bit difficult,” Joveljić said of his first shot on goal that was saved by Novak Micovic. “Fortunately for me, the other one he had no chance. I dribbled from the left side, cut the ball inside and placed my ball nicely in the corner, so I’m very happy that I scored and we’re going to push forward.

“It (scoring here) feels special. Different emotions, different vibes. Unfortunately for L.A. fans, I need to be professional and play 100-120 percent. I can say sorry, but I’m going to score every time.”

It’s a busy week ahead for the Galaxy. The club will depart Tuesday for Jamaica to prepare for Thursday’s second leg of their CONCACAF Round of 16 series against Mount Pleasant FA. Afterward, the club will fly to Portland for a Sunday meeting with the Timbers.

After the international break, the Galaxy will be back home April 4 against Minnesota United FC.

Orange County Register

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Galaxy’s late rally falls short against Sporting KC

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