LA GALAXY 1-3 ST. LOUIS CITY SC
Jul 22, 2026
Att. 17,322 • Dignity Health Sports Park
CARSON — For nearly 40 minutes, the LA Galaxy appeared to have control of Wednesday night's match. Within a matter of minutes, that control and eventually the match was gone.
St. Louis CITY SC scored twice before halftime and took advantage of an early second-half red card to defeat the Galaxy 3-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park. The loss dropped LA to 5-7-5 with 20 points and marked its second consecutive defeat since returning from the break. The Galaxy have now conceded six goals across those two matches after allowing three or more goals only twice through their first 15 league games.
The Galaxy lacked a consistent final product but largely limited St. Louis during the opening 40 minutes. LA recovered possession in promising areas, created several attacking moments and kept the visitors from generating sustained pressure inside the penalty area. Then the match changed almost instantly.
Lukas MacNaughton opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, meeting Marcel Hartel's corner at the near post and directing his header into the far corner. Four minutes later, Hartel doubled the advantage. The St. Louis attacker received the ball near the left edge of the penalty area and drove a shot past goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski in first-half stoppage time, turning a competitive first half into a two goal deficit.
"I thought we had the better of it until the final six minutes of the half," Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said. "A couple moments tipped the momentum in their favor and ultimately gave them the result." The Galaxy's frustration continued during the sequence surrounding the second goal. Marco Reus went down holding his leg while play continued, and Hartel scored before LA could reorganize defensively.
Reus remained in the match after halftime but appeared limited before Robert Taylor replaced him in the 59th minute. Vanney did not provide an immediate update on Reus' condition. Any realistic chance of a Galaxy comeback became significantly more difficult four minutes into the second half.
Emiro Garcés, who had already been cautioned during first-half stoppage time, received his second yellow card in the 49th minute and was sent off. LA was forced to play the remaining 41 minutes with 10 men while already trailing by two goals. The dismissal also added to the Galaxy's growing availability concerns. Vanney said the team could have as few as 11 available players from its 20-man roster for Saturday's match against the San Jose Earthquakes because of injuries, absences and suspension.
"What we need to see right now from everybody is discipline and clean play," Vanney said. "Picking up silly yellows leads to suspensions and situations where we hurt each other." St. Louis capitalized on the numerical advantage in the 68th minute. Hartel played a ball behind the Galaxy backline into the path of Simon Becher, who separated from the defense and finished past Marcinkowski in a one-on-one situation to make it 3-0.
The goal capped an influential night for Hartel, who finished with one goal and two assists. St. Louis placed 11 of its 16 shots on target, forcing Marcinkowski to make eight saves. Despite playing a man down, the Galaxy showed more urgency during the closing stages. Much of that energy came from Harbor Miller and a group of younger players attempting to create something from an otherwise disappointing night.
Miller drove forward from midfield in the 86th minute and carried the ball into the penalty area. The move eventually produced an opportunity for substitute Troy Elgersma, who finished into the bottom-right corner for his first professional goal. Elgersma had entered the match only 12 minutes earlier for Joseph Paintsil.
"It's a big confidence boost," Elgersma said. "I'm always ready to step up, whether that's pushing hard in training or working hard for 20 minutes and hopefully getting a goal like I did tonight." The goal was one of the few positives for a Galaxy team that was outshot 16-11 and managed only three shots on target. However, the combination between Miller and Elgersma offered a glimpse of the energy LA may need while navigating a depleted roster.
Miller described Elgersma as a player who consistently brings effort and is willing to fight for his opportunity. The two trained together before Elgersma joined Galaxy II on trial and eventually earned a first-team contract. "He's one of those guys who will bring that effort and that heart to fight for the badge," Miller said. "I know he brings that every day because I see it on the training field."
For Miller, that level of effort cannot be limited to the team's youngest players or only appear after the Galaxy fall behind. "We all need to have that heart and that fight from minute zero to minute 90," Miller said. "That's the minimum. That's what should be expected, especially representing this big of a club."
The defeat extended St. Louis' unbeaten run against the Galaxy to seven matches and moved CITY SC to 6-6-4 with 22 points. St. Louis also earned its second consecutive victory at Dignity Health Sports Park. The Galaxy will now finish a stretch of three matches in nine days when they face the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at Stanford Stadium.
With limited depth, little recovery time and another rivalry match approaching, the Galaxy cannot afford another performance decided by a brief stretch of lost concentration. "We need to step out with the right mentality," Miller said. "The tactics and the talent will come. We need to step out with the intensity to do everything in our power to get three points."
- Joao Portugal
