Galaxy’s late rally falls short in loss to Austin FC

CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy's desperate stoppage-time penalty conversion proved too little, too late in a 2-1 loss to Austin FC Wednesday night.

Joseph Paintsil's 93rd-minute penalty—awarded after the Ghanaian winger was hauled down near the end line—briefly energized Dignity Health Sports Park and cut Austin's lead in half.

The Galaxy couldn't find an equalizer during the remaining five minutes of the eight allotted for stoppage time, seeing their three-game unbeaten streak snapped before an announced crowd of 16,272.

“It took us a little while to get going. Sometimes that can happen, but you can't give up goals while you're working through that process,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said afterwards. “I feel like we needed to come here and try to impose ourselves on the game… and it took us too long and two soft goals before I felt like we really got there again.”

In a match featuring bizarre officiating decisions, multiple injury stoppages, and defensive breakdowns, the Galaxy (3-14-6, 15 points) couldn't mask another concerning performance, as the team saw this result slip away due to two major lapses on defense. 

Uzuni exploited an unusual space between Maya Yoshida and Zanka for the opener in the 40th, while Owen Wolff capitalized on a botched clearance and failed recovery from Yoshida for the second just after the hour mark. 

Any semblance of continuity the Galaxy had entering the match quickly dissolved in a chaotic first half that saw both coaches booked, 10 minutes of stoppage time and a strange, unexplained pause in play.

Austin’s goalkeeper, Brad Stuver, looked like he was going to make a routine goal kick, until he appeared to share his displeasure with the ball to the officials.

“All the players were complaining, if you will and kind of stopping because they felt like the balls were flat. They weren’t firm enough. So it was both teams that felt that way,” Vanney said. “They wanted to change the balls, we tried several. I don’t think, in the end, they actually put any air in the balls. I think we just ended up getting on with it.”

Edwin Cerrillo, who was booked for a yellow card in the third minute, said the card limited his play.

”That limits a little bit of what I can do,” Cerrillo said. “Every game is important for us right now and I can’t afford to get another card having to go to LAFC on Saturday.” 

The opening goal came after the Galaxy had generated several promising attacks, including a clever backheel attempt from Matheus Nascimento following a flowing build up initiated by Miki Yamane.

Gabriel Pec's 53rd-minute strike off the post represented LA's best scoring opportunity before the late penalty drama. Micovic would go on to make a save moments later to keep the score within reach before the second goal fell.

The loss marked a regression to earlier-season form after recent progress. Marco Reus, so influential during the Galaxy's three-game unbeaten run, had a quiet before getting subbed out in the second half. 

The Galaxy now face a brutal turnaround before Saturday's El Tráfico derby against LAFC. 

Currently sitting 14 points below the playoff line, the margin for error has effectively disappeared for the club’s playoff hopes, but Joseph Paintsil is taking things one match at a time.

”We have more games to go…things can change so quickly…The most important thing for us is to get three points.”

The Galaxy now face a quick turnaround before Saturday's El Tráfico derby against LAFC, also needing near-perfect results down the stretch to avoid missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.