The LA Galaxy overcame a first-half red card to take a 2-1 lead but conceded an own goal equalizer in the 82nd minute, settling for a 2-2 draw against the Seattle Sounders at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday.
Raul Ruidiaz netted the opening goal for Seattle in the 42nd minute, but a brace from Zlatan Ibrahimovic had the Galaxy up 2-1 despite playing down a man for almost the entire match after a sixth-minute red card to Daniel Steres. But a bizarre own goal off a deflection for Seattle late in the second half would force the sides to split the points.
The Galaxy were on the front foot early, forcing Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei into a pair of reaction saves, but were dealt a massive blow when Steres was sent off shortly after kickoff for chopping down Ruidiaz when he was the last man back, forcing the Galaxy to play with 10 men for the next 84 minutes.
The Sounders struggled to press the action in the minutes after the red card, but found the game's opening goal in the 42nd after Ruidiaz finished off a counterattack spearheaded by Jordan Morris giving Seattle a 1-0 lead. But they would relinquish that lead in short order courtesy of a perfectly placed headed finish from Ibrahimovic off a feed from Sebastian Lletget, bringing the match level as it hit halftime.
The Galaxy found the go-ahead goal in the 65th after Ibrahimovic was brought down in the box by Kim Kee-hee, drawing a penalty kick whistle from referee Robert Sibiga. The Swedish superstar made no mistake from the spot, improbably handing the shorthanded home side the second-half lead.
LA looked destined for the shocking victory, but the Sounders drew the game level in the 82nd after goalkeeper David Bingham came off his line and saw his attempted save on Morris deflect off Jorgen Skjelvik and roll into the net, sealing the 2-2 final scoreline.
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Goals
- 42' - SEA - Raul Ruidiaz | WATCH
- 45' - LAG - Zlatan Ibrahimovic | WATCH
- 65' - LAG - Zlatan Ibrahimovic | WATCH
- 82' - SEA - Jorgen Skjelvik (OG) | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Coming away with a draw while playing down a man for that long would ordinarily be a great result, but the Galaxy might actually come away disappointed they didn't hold on for all three points considering they outplayed the Sounders for long stretches after the red card, and had the lead late in the second half. For the Sounders, it's not as bad as a loss would have been, but they'll certainly feel like they squandered the early gift afforded by Steres' ejection as they continue their recent rough run of form. It's a road point, but Seattle are still a team with a lot of questions to answer, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Steres' red card is an obvious candidate, but you don't see many own goals cover the kind of distance that Seattle's equalizer did, so we'll give it the nod for the novelty.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: There's not much left to say about the exploits of Zlatan at this point, other than that he remains the most dominant aerial presence in the league. That was on full display on his first goal, which saw him place his header perfectly despite having Kim draped all over him. The dominant striker gets the honors once again after bagging his 19th and 20th goals of the season.
Next Up
- LAG: Tuesday, August 20 vs. Cruz Azul (10:30 pm ET | ESPN2 in US; TSN in Canada) | Leagues Cup
- SEA: Friday, August 23 vs. Portland Timbers (7 pm ET | ESPN in US; MLS Live on DAZN in Canada)
