Galaxy Struggles Against Dejan Joveljic and Kansas City in Tough Match
Sporting Kansas City Tops LA Galaxy 2-1 in Thrilling Match
Sporting Kansas City secured a 2-1 victory over the LA Galaxy on Saturday night, thanks to a standout performance from Dejan Joveljic, who netted a goal and provided an assist against his former team. Lasse Johnsen, marking his league debut, also contributed with a goal and an assist.
Neither team managed to score until stoppage time, when Joveljic, assisted by Manu García and Johnsen, found the back of the net just two minutes before halftime, giving Sporting a 1-0 lead. García recorded his first assist of the season following a successful rookie campaign last year, where he tallied nine assists.
Joveljic teamed up with Stephen Afrifa to set up an insurance goal for Johnsen in the 74th minute, extending Sporting’s lead to 2-0. Afrifa’s assist marked his first of the season, adding to his total of two assists in 39 appearances.
The Galaxy fought back when Marco Reus scored with a header in the 82nd minute, narrowing the deficit to 2-1. This marked Reus’s first goal of the season and the seventh of his career across 31 matches.
Goalkeeper John Pulskamp made four saves for Sporting Kansas City, helping the team achieve its first victory of the season and end a seven-match road losing streak dating back to last year. In contrast, Novak Micovic recorded two saves for the Galaxy.
In his time with the Galaxy from 2021 to 2024, Joveljic scored a total of 34 goals and assisted on 11, including 15 goals during the Galaxy’s championship run in 2024. His third goal of the season adds to his tally of 21 goals and three assists in 36 matches with Sporting Kansas City.
The Galaxy were without Gabriel Pec, who served a suspension following a red card in a recent 4-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids. Joseph Paintsil also missed the match due to a hamstring injury.
Despite the loss, the Galaxy maintain a slight edge in the all-time series, holding a record of 29 wins, 28 losses, and 18 draws, including a strong home record of 19 wins, 9 losses, and 9 draws. Last season, each team secured a home victory in their matchups.
Looking ahead, the Galaxy will travel to face the Portland Timbers this coming Sunday.
