LA Galaxy right back Miki Yamane has been named to Major League Soccer's Team of the Matchday for Matchday 33 presented by Audi after scoring his first career MLS goal for the Galaxy in a come-from-behind 2-2 draw at Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, September 13.
Yamane's recognition is his second of the season, with the first coming just three matchdays ago when he earned a spot on the Matchday 30 team for his two assists against the Colorado Rapids on August 23. This is Yamane's third time he's earned an MLS Team of the Matchday honor since joining the Galaxy.
Yamane's goal came from a late quick reaction by the Japanese international, pouncing on a loose ball in the box and hitting it home with a first-time strike.
“I thought he had a great night. I thought he was wise about his movements and where he was putting himself around the field. I thought his decision-making was solid. I thought his in-possession stuff was quite good. I thought he just was having a really good night," LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said after the game. "On that last play, it really, for me, it's the commitment that he made to go from the defensive position to get all the way into the box on the weak side, to then pick up sort of a second ball, deflected ball. That's just commitment to getting there and in a game and at the end of the game when you needed somebody to get there, he got there. I thought he was excellent. There's no doubt he was happy.”
The goal for Yamane is his fifth goal contribution of the season and 11th in MLS Regular Season play across his two seasons in LA. Yamane also provided two assists in the Galaxy's postseason run to winning MLS Cup in 2024.
Yamane's 87th minute game-tying goal also marked the first instance that two Japanese born players on the same team scored in the same MLS match as captain Maya Yoshida headed in the Galaxy's first goal in the 44th minute of Saturday's game in Seattle.
Full team (3-4-3, left to right)
Starters: Dayne St. Clair (MIN) - Bernard Kamungo (DAL), Miki Yamane (LA), Alex Freeman (ORL) - Emmanuel Sabbi (VAN), Evander (CIN), Nectarios Triantis (MIN), Diego Rossi (CLB) - Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Idan Toklomati (CLT), Thomas Müller (VAN)
Coach: Jesper Sørensen (VAN)
Bench: Kristijan Kahlina (CLT), Mathías Laborda (VAN), Conrad Wallem (STL), Sebastian Berhalter (VAN), Ali Ahmed (VAN), Dániel Gazdag (CLB), Zavier Gozo (RSL), Jamal Thiaré (ATL), Danny Musovski (SEA)
