February 20 – Los Angeles Galaxy struggled to find the back of the net in Panama but eventually came away with a draw and a crucial away goal in Panama.
The 2025 season was one to forget for the Los Angeles Galaxy as the MLS Cup Champions completely flamed out and returned one of the worst season records ever for a defending champion.
With a new campaign comes renewed hope in the form of the Concacaf Champions Cup and the 1st leg versus Sporting San Miguelito of Panama, winners of the 2025 Concacaf Central American Cup. The Estadio Universitario in Penonomé would be treated to one-way traffic but ultimately a 1-1 draw.
Galaxy, head coach and Sporting Director, Greg Vanney, is under immediate pressure to produce results for one of Major League Soccer’s most storied franchises. With former German star Marco Reus not 100%, Vanney was already down a key component.
A fast start saw the visitors completely dominating possession in the first half, but César Aguilar had clearly set up his club with a game plan in mind, and that plan would pay dividends.
With the Galaxy pummelling the José Calderón’s goal, the 40-year-old was in inspired form, denying Gabriel Pec on three occasions, Joseph Glesnesl, and Matheus Nascimento.
An increasingly frustrated Vanney would become irate in the 37th minute as a rare foray by the home club found space for Ángel Valencia. His cross was pinpoint, and Rodrigo Tello beat JT Marcinkowski in Galaxy’s goal with Sporting’s only shot of the first period.
Sporting led against the run of play 1-0 at the break.
The second half began with neither team making any changes, and the pattern of the match continued with Galaxy dominance but no goals. Joseph Paintsil, who is expected to be a big component of the attack after hitting double figures in goals last season, had a wild swing that went high and wide.
In the 60th minute, Vanney had to make changes as the match was clearly drifting away. On came Lucas Sanabria, replacing Justin Haak. João Klauss swapped out Matheus Nascimento, and Reus, the Galaxy game changer, replaced Christian Ramirez.
The possession stat climbed to 70% in favour of the visitors. The home side was bending but refused to break with a backline playing highly organized and disciplined defending, with Omar Alba outstanding in the challenge.
Five minutes after the changes, though, Vanney’s decision paid off, though, when Pantsil found the bottom right corner with Klauss providing the assist. It was nothing more than the visitors deserved.
Now it was time to find the winner; however, Sporting, sensing the momentum riding entirely with the Galaxy, slowed the tempo. Niggling fouls turned the pace of the game into a stop-start affair, with referee Nelson Salgado increasingly called into action. LA’s Lucas Sanabria was the first to find himself in the book for a nasty foul swiftly followed by Sporting’s Marlon Ávila.
With just two minutes to play, Marcinkowski, who’d been a spectator, showed the value of concentration with a save from Alba, who’d ventured upfield for what seemed like the first time in the match.
Aguilar, sensing nervousness in the Galaxy, grew more animated on the sidelines, perhaps feeling a late winner, and Marlon Ávila almost provided what would’ve been a cruel winner against the Americans, but again, Marcinkowski earned his keep.
With that, Salgado whistled the close to an absorbing but frustrating first leg for the Galaxy, who fired in 18 shots but with a depressingly poor 16% accuracy, while Sporting mustered a paltry 5 shots but with 60% on target. The possession stat remained unchanged, with LA close to 70%.
So they’ll go back to Carson and Dignity Health Stadium. The Galaxy have the away goal, but Vanney and his players will know that unless his team brings their shooting boots, a nervy 90 minutes will await them.
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