Puig, Joveljic spark a Galaxy rally
Riqui Puig and Dejan Joveljic scored the final two goals in a wild second half and the Galaxy rallied for a 2-2 road draw with Nashville SC on Sunday.
Neither team scored until Teal Bunbury connected on a penalty kick in the 54th minute to give Nashville (00-3) the lead. Bunbury's goal came after the Galaxy's Joseph Paintsil fouled Dru Yearwood in the penalty area.
Yearwood took a pass from McKinze Gaines and scored just four minutes later to stretch the lead to 2-0.
Puig got the Galaxy (10-2) on the scoreboard with an unassisted goal in the 67th minute.
Joveljic pulled LA even in the 82nd minute when he used an assist from Julián Aude to score for a third time this season. Joveljic had six goals in 19 starts and 32 appearances for the Galaxy last season.
John McCarthy totaled two saves for the Galaxy. Elliot Panicco saved six shots in his first start of the season and the fifth of his career over the last three seasons for Nashville.
The Galaxy improved to 2-0-2 all time versus Nashville. The last time the two clubs met ended in a 1-0 Galaxy victory in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.
Tyler Boyd faced his former teammates for the first time after being traded to Nashville on Dec. 30.
LAFC 0, Sporting KC 0:
Sporting Kansas City’s Tim Melia and LAFC’s Hugo Lloris finished with six saves as the two clubs played to a scoreless draw Saturday night at BMO Stadium.
Sporting KC has opened the season with three straight ties, two of them on the road. Sporting KC already has as many points as it did in its first 10 matches in 2023 when it started 0-7-3.
Reigning Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga, who signed a two-year contract extension with LAFC (1-1-1) on Friday with an option for 2028, is still looking for his first goal after scoring 20 in 2023.