Gabriel Pec netted a pair of second-half goals to lead the LA Galaxy to a 2-1 comeback win over Atlanta United on Saturday evening.
Pec’s brace, his third and fourth goals of the MLS season, lifted the Galaxy (4-4-4, 16 points) to their second road win in league play and extended their unbeaten run to three matches (2-0-1).
For Atlanta United (3-8-1, 10 points), the defeat snapped a three-game winning streak across all competitions in what was their final home fixture before the World Cup break.
Pec scored the decisive goal in the 79th minute. After driving into the box, his initial shot was blocked, but the LA winger quickly pounced on the rebound and fired home to make it 2-1.
That strike came just five minutes after Pec leveled the match in the 74th minute. A failed tackle by Elias Baez allowed Pec to face Atlanta goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos one-on-one, and he converted to tie the score at 1-1. Marco Reus and Joseph Paintsil were credited with assists.
Pec’s equalizer canceled out Jay Fortune’s brilliant opener in the 69th minute. Fortune collected the ball near the left touchline, dribbled to the top of the box, and curled a shot past a lunging JT Marcinkowski. It was Fortune’s first goal of the season, with assists from Elias Baez and Saba Lobjanidze.
An eventful but scoreless first half featured three yellow cards for Atlanta United within a four-minute span, along with bookings for both the Atlanta and LA benches.
In the 41st minute, Atlanta thought they had taken a 1-0 lead from a corner kick, but Juan Berrocal’s potential first MLS goal was disallowed after Matias Galarza was ruled to have fouled Marcinkowski during the play.
Pec’s double secured a third straight win for the Galaxy over Atlanta United, pulling the all-time series level at 3-3-0.
