Riqui Puig and Joseph Paintsil scored goals 10 minutes apart in the second half and the first-place Los Angeles Galaxy held on for a 3-2 victory Saturday over the visiting Portland Timbers at Carson, Calif. Gabriel Pec scored a first-half goal, Paintsil had two assists and John McCarthy made two saves for the Galaxy (14-5-7, 49 points), who won after moving into sole possession of the top spot in the Western Conference on Wednesday. The Galaxy won for the third time in four games and improved to 9-0-3 in their home venue. Their only "home" loss was against Los Angeles FC on July 4 at the Rose Bowl. Jonathan Rodriguez and Santiago Moreno scored goals for the Timbers (10-9-6, 36 points), while James Pantemis made three saves. Portland has scored at least two goals in seven consecutive games, going 5-2-0 in that stretch. Referred to as the Galaxy's "Killer Ps," Puig delivered a pass to Paintsil on the right wing in the 38th minute before Pec scored into a wide-open net after receiving Paintsil's centering pass. It was the 10th goal of the season for Pec, who also has 10 assists. Pec is the fourth Galaxy player with at least 10 goals and 10 assists in his first season with the club. He has a goal or an assist in 11 consecutive home games. Puig made it 2-0 three minutes into the second half with his eighth of the season. The Timbers pulled within a goal when Rodriguez scored off a pass from Evander for his team-leading 12th of the season. Evander delivered his team-leading 13th assist. The Galaxy made it 3-1 in the 58th minute when Paintsil scored his eighth of the season. Again the Timbers got within a goal when Santiago Moreno scored in the 73rd minute, his sixth. --Field Level Media
Jul 20, 2024; Carson, California, USA; Portland Timbers defender Miguel Araujo (2) and LA Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig (10) battle for the ball during their MLS soccer match at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports