The LA Galaxy are back in the Western Conference playoff places, and they largely have Gabriel Pec to thank for it.
The Brazilian winger shone brightly for the third straight week, this time adding a goal and an assist to his tally in a 2-0 win over a defensively sound Seattle Sounders FC team.
“[Pec] is benefiting from some of our transition attacks when he has space to attack, and we can get him into good positions,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said.
“He's a handful. He got a goal and then he had his assist and his movements into space, if you will."
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Tough tests passed
A road game against the Sounders at Lumen Field can typically be considered one of the most difficult games to take all three points. The Sounders, who boast one of MLS's best defenses, are flying high and are firmly entrenched in the race atop the West.
But the visiting Galaxy left Seattle with a win, handing Seattle just their second defeat of the season.
“I don't know if I could say I envisioned our points to go the way they did this week,” Vanney said. “But I think going on the road and winning two out of three is very, very solid, and come off of good results prior to that.”
Just over twenty minutes into the game, it was LA’s stars that stepped up. Marco Reus – who’s playing his best soccer since arriving in MLS two years ago – found Pec with an inch-perfect through ball. The 25-year-old had a fairly simple job from there by his standards, converting easily from a one-on-one position.
For the Galaxy’s second goal, Pec turned from finisher into provider. Picking up the ball in midfield, he progressed all the way to Seattle’s endline before unselfishly laying it off for fellow Brazilian Matheus Nascimento to score. The two goal contributions bring Pec to a total of 5g/4a on the season so far.
Specifically, Vanney singled out Pec’s performance against Sounders right back Nouhou – a key personnel battle in the matchup.
“We all know that [Pec] has had a hard time against Nouhou over the years,” Vanney said. “I felt like tonight he got the best of them. I thought it was the best performance he has had against him.”
On the rise
The victory marks the continuation of a minor turnaround in the Galaxy's fortunes. They’ve now won three of their last five games, bringing them to ninth in the West.
For a team that missed the playoffs as the reigning MLS Cup presented by Audi champion in 2025, this improvement is a welcome sight.
“I think guys were really disappointed by how it went in Kansas City, and hopefully we can remember what the standard is for a day like today and carry it with us,” Vanney said.
“They were committed, they knew they were going to have to defend hard and defend well. We had three games on the road, that’s a lot of travel, and everyone did a ton of work out there.”
Crucially, the Galaxy also handed Seattle their first shutout loss of the season. Just three days after they put three goals past the then-first-place San Jose Earthquakes, the Sounders struggled in the final third.
“I think it was a really, really well done defensive job by the guys,” Vanney said. “I think this is the way they've been playing, [Seattle] is one of the best teams in the league. And I think playing here in Seattle is never easy. They had the fortune of playing three games at home this week.
"We played three on the road, so when you look at the circumstances, what a huge effort by the group on the defensive side.”
