Galaxy overcome wet field, Sounders

Two teams that traditionally don’t have a lot in common battled a similar scenario on Saturday night; a wet field.

With another round of heavy rains pounding Southern California throughout the daytime, both teams faces off against each other on a wet pitch that saw players from both the Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders splashing water during its runs. While the conditions were not as dire as the W Gold Cup semifinal match between the USWNT and Canada earlier in the month, the field conditions presented to both sides on Saturday night certainly must have had an impact.

The Galaxy seemed to adjust to the conditions a little bit better. The Galaxy got an early first goal from Gabriel Pec and rode that goal all the way and in the process withstood two dangerous chances and went all the way to the 1-0 win at Dignity Health Sports Park.

I couldn’t feel my feet today in the game, also, the half-field, the halves were fixed because of rain,” Pec said of the playing conditions. “Definitely it was a difficult thing today in the game, but (I) definitely do my best and get the win. I’m glad that I could score today. I’m very happy with my performance.”

The result keeps the Galaxy undefeated and in first place in the Western Conference heading into the season’s first edition of El Trafico with LAFC at BMO Field.

“Of course we want to play like Barcelona every game, but on the pitch, on the condition, the fitness, everything, and sometimes you have to be very realistic sometimes, yeah.”

Paintsil passed a ball to Riqui Puig, who then passed a ball back to Paintsil, who had made a run into the penalty area, Paintsil touched a ball to Pec, who then fired a left-footed shot that deflected off keeper Stefan Frei and into the back net to give the Galaxy the early lead.

Seattle didn’t start threatening an equalizer until the second half, and it had two great chances at leveling the score. The first chance came in the 64th minute, as Cristian Roldan crossed into the penalty area and Danny Musovski headed a ball inside the six-yard box, but keeper John McCarthy calmly got his right hand on the ball and parried it over the crossbar. However, the one chance that Seattle really wanted back came in the 90th minute, as Jordan Morris received a ball from Nouhou and dribbled down the left side of the field towards the penalty area. The Galaxy defense closed in and Morris played a ball to Devin Teves, who got the ball near the end line, Teves passed back to a trailing Morris, who had sightline at the far post and aimed for said post with keeper John McCarthy out of position, but Morris pulled the shot wide right.