SEATTLE — Gabriel Pec was everywhere. He opened the scoring. He set up the insurance goal. And when it mattered most, James Marcinkowski made sure nothing slipped through the back. The LA Galaxy picked up a convincing 2-0 road victory over the Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field on Saturday, with Pec’s fingerprints on both goals and a clean sheet to seal it.
Pec Runs the Show
The Brazilian winger put LA in front in the 23rd minute, finishing crisply into the bottom right corner off a Marco Reus assist. It was a goal that matched the buildup, slick and purposeful, and it gave the Galaxy control they would not relinquish. Pec came agonizingly close to doubling his own tally in the 64th minute, rattling the right post from the center of the box, but he found a way into the final scoreline regardless. When the substitute Matheus Nascimento tucked home the second goal in stoppage time, it was Pec who played him through. One goal, one assist, and a post hit for good measure. Few players on the field had a more complete afternoon.
Marcinkowski Locks the Door
Seattle was not short on chances. The Sounders generated corner after corner in the second half and carved out dangerous moments in transition, including a Paul Arriola header in the 59th minute that forced a sharp reflex save from Marcinkowski. In the 89th minute, with the Sounders pushing for a lifeline, Jordan Morris met a cross at the back post and tested the Galaxy keeper from inside the box. Marcinkowski turned it away cleanly. The clean sheet was not a formality on this afternoon. It was earned.
Nascimento Seals It
The Galaxy’s triple substitution wave in the 65th and 66th minutes brought fresh legs and stability in the second half. Nascimento entered in the 83rd minute and needed only nine minutes to make his mark. Pec found him through the center of the box in stoppage time, and the Brazilian forward finished low to the bottom left corner to put the result beyond doubt.
Edwin Cerrillo picked up a yellow card moments before his secondary assist on the second goal, and Marcinkowski was also booked late after the result was secured. Neither dampened the mood for a Galaxy side that controlled the road match from wire to wire.
LA climbs the Western Conference standings with a clean and composed performance in Seattle.
