The Los Angeles Galaxy entered the Leagues Cup amid the franchise's worst MLS season and advanced unbeaten to the semifinals after group play and a quarterfinal win over Pachuca. The Seattle Sounders beat the Galaxy 2-0 in the semifinal, with goals from Pedro de la Vega and Osaze De Rosario. The opening goal followed a series of saves by Novak Micovic and a loose-ball rebound finished by De la Vega. Seattle dominated early and maintained control for the remainder of the match. The Galaxy will host Orlando City in the third-place game, with a CONCACAF Champions Cup berth available.
Qualifying for the confederation's top club competition would be a considerable accomplishment for the Galaxy, who are last in the MLS table nine months after winning their sixth league title. But they've played like another team in the Leagues Cup, emerging unbeaten from group play, where they faced three Liga MX teams, then eliminating Mexico's Pachuca in the quarterfinals. And through the quarterfinals, they were scoring three goals a game, more than double their average in MLS.
The score came on the last of a flurry of shots inside the Galaxy penalty area. The first, from De Rosario, was saved in the center of the goal by Novak Micovic, who dove to push the rebound out to his right. As Micovic scrambled after the loose ball, Jesús Ferreira took a shot, which Micovic, still on his stomach, also saved. But that rebound fell to De la Vega, who would not be denied, putting his right-footed shot into the back of the net.
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