LOS ANGELES (October 17, 2026) – The LA Galaxy (10-11-10, 40 points) drew 2-2 with San Diego FC (8-12-10, 34 points) in a back-and-forth contest at Dignity Health Sports Park tonight. João Klauss opened the scoring for the Galaxy inside the first five minutes with a goal from outside the box. A few minutes later, San Diego was awarded and capitalized on a penalty kick to bring the match level. The Galaxy responded almost immediately with a header from Klauss that appeared to be his second score of the evening, but it was called back for offside. Erik Thommy ultimately recaptured the lead for LA with a first-time finish in the 17th minute, but San Diego would once again equalize just before the half, and the points were shared on the night.
Goalscoring Plays
LA – João Klauss (Sergi Roberto), 4th minute: Roberto slipped a ball into Klauss in the middle of the park and the Brazilian charged through the San Diego half before curling a shot into the bottom right corner from the outside of the box.
SD – Andres Dreyer (Penalty), 10th minute: San Diego was awarded a penalty that Dreyer stepped up and scored to equalize for the visitors.
LA – Erik Thommy (Harbor Miller, Maro Reus), 17th minute: Following a series of quick passes, the hosts engineered a transition chance down the right side that saw Miller cross a ball to the back post, and Thommy hit it first-time to reestablish the Galaxy lead.
SD – Gabriel Pirani, 39th minute: San Diego scored the equalizer after a deflection off a Galaxy defender sent the ball into the path of Pirani in the center of the penalty area.
Postgame Notes
- Sergi Roberto registered his first assist as a member of the LA Galaxy, setting up the opening score four minutes into the contest.
- João Klauss scored his ninth MLS goal of the season in just his 14th regular season appearance and has now scored four goals in just 374 minutes across his last five matches.
- Marco Reus secured his 12th MLS assist of the campaign tonight and has now recorded nine contributions in his last eight matches. Notably, Reus has been involved in 20 of the Galaxy’s 43 goals this season (46.5%).
- Forward Erik Thommy recorded his second goal of the campaign and his first in front of the home crowd at Dignity Health Sports Park.
- Following tonight’s draw and respective results across the league, the Galaxy are currently positioned in eighth place in the Western Conference, the first of two Wild Card playoff spots.
Next Up
The LA Galaxy head to BMO Stadium for the latest edition of El Tráfico next Sunday, October 25 (6:00 p.m. PT, Apple TV), the first of three matches left to play in the 2026 MLS Regular Season.
Match Information
Match: LA Galaxy vs San Diego FC
Date: October 17, 2026
Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park; Carson, California
Weather: Clear and 75°F
Scoring Summary
|
1
|
2
|
F
|
LA Galaxy
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
San Diego FC
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
LA: João Klauss (Sergi Roberto), 4’
SD: Andres Dreyer (PK), 10’
LA: Erik Thommy (Harbor Miller, Marco Reus), 17’
SD: Gabriel Pirani, 39’
Lineups
LA Galaxy: GK JT Marcinkowski; D Harbor Miller (Lucas Calegari, 81'), D Justin Haak, D Emiro Garcés (Jakob Glesnes, 66'), D John Nelson; M Pablo Ruiz, M Sergi Roberto (Lucas Sanabria, 73'), M Marco Reus; F Robert Taylor (Joseph Paintsil, 66'), F Erik Thommy, F João Klauss F
Substitutes not used: Novak Mićović, Maya Yoshida, Julián Aude, Elijah Wynder, Troy Elgersma
San Diego FC: GK Pablo Sisniega; D Oscar Verhoeven, D Manu Duah, D Christopher McVey, D Kieran Sargeant (Dagur Thorhallsson, 83'); M Gabriel Pirani (Onni Valakari, 78'), M Alejandro Alvarado (Jeppe Tverskov, 66'), M Anibal Godoy; F Anders Dreyer, F Elias Achouri (Amahl Pellegrino, 83'), F Cedric Bakambu (Marcus Ingvartsen, 66')
Substitutes not used: CJ Dos Santos, Ian Pilcher, David Mimbang, Bryan Zamble
Stats Summary
|
LA
|
SD
|
Shots
|
12
|
15
|
Shots on Goal
|
9
|
8
|
Saves
|
5
|
7
|
Corner Kicks
|
5
|
3
|
Fouls
|
11
|
10
|
Offsides
|
2
|
4
|
Possession
|
35.4%
|
64.60%
|
Misconduct Summary
SD: Aníbal Godoy (caution) 35’
LA: João Klauss (caution) 45+1’
LA: Marco Reus (caution) 90+3’
Officials
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez
Assistant Referees: Jose Da Silva, Meghan Mullen
Fourth Official: Brandon Stevis
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero, Tom Supple
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
LA Galaxy Postgame Top Quotes
LA Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney
On what tonight's result means for the three remaining games of the regular season:
“Probably, I think they all need to be big right now because we're in playoff time, and whether it's to get into the playoffs or to see yourself as best as possible in the playoffs, and to have yourself in the right mentality to compete in the playoffs, all of them have to feel big. And so, certainly, each one of these, I think, is going to feel bigger. Every single game is going to feel bigger. I would love to be able to say we're really safely in it, but I actually want our mentality to be that we are fighting for every moment because I think you're better off going into the playoffs with that mentality. I had a team in the past, not here, which is only one other team, that we won. We got into the playoffs two games before the final, and then the next two games there's just a subtle letdown because you're in the playoffs, and then we lost in the first round of the playoffs. So for me, keeping tension in our body, feeling like every game is important is okay. But yeah, we gotta make sure that we're taking points from these games.”
On if he saw what he wanted from the team in a game he was focused on:
“This week, I think it paid off in the end. Again, context matters. I think if everybody in the league was winning these games that were around us, then I would be a little more disappointed in the week. But I think when you go three in six days, and you know, in certain positions, you don't necessarily have a ton of depth; you have some other pieces that you can't really duplicate all the time. I felt like we just had to be mindful of what we were trying to do. So we had to prioritize in my view, and you can prioritize on the road against the hottest team in the league, or you can prioritize the two home games. And so our priority was to take as many points as we could from the two home games. Be as fresh as you can, and of course we wanted six, but I think the four are really important. So for that, I am proud of the group for just battling, and also when you go and you play the first game and you take six goals, the mentality for the group to bounce back was really important because that's never what you expect when you rotate a team. To show the mentality to come back the next game and get a shutout and win two zero. And I thought the mentality tonight was really good. We started beautifully, and then the game started to get heavy on us as it got going.”
On his message to fans heading into the last home match of the regular season:
“We've got four wins, one loss, and a draw in the last six. The team is in a good place. Like that's a decent run for me. If you're playing well in the last ten, which means we still have three more. But if you're playing well in the last ten, you're in good momentum to try to take yourself into the playoffs. I think this group has a chance to do something interesting. I don't think too many teams are going to want to play us. I think especially healthy when Chucky [Hirving Lozano] can get back, and we get Kyogo and Joao [Klauss] sharing some of that load over the course of time. This is a team that can hurt people. So I think it's an exciting moment. I hope the fans are feeling the energy and the momentum is shifting a bit in our favor. This was a tough ask this week for three and six. I felt at the beginning of the game we were bringing loads of energy for everybody to get excited about. I felt like down the stretch we were battling, we were grinding a little bit, which isn't always exciting. But this is a team that can be exciting, I think, and I hope people are feeling that. And I hope they come back out, and I trust they will, to drive us one more time at home, and then hopefully through the playoffs, because I think this group can do something special. And I think the momentum is starting to show some of that.”
LA Galaxy Midfielder Pablo Ruiz
On settling into the team and working with head coach Greg Vanney:
“First of all, thank you very much. The truth is that I feel very good. I think the confidence the coach has given me is important, especially when it was being said that I wasn't getting minutes in Salt Lake. I think that at all times I was always prepared, I always worked physically and mentally, knowing that at some point one of these opportunities could arrive. I appreciate the opportunity that the Galaxy gives me to be here, to be able to contribute what I know. I feel that I have adapted very well, very quickly. I understand the coach's ideas, trying to associate with my teammates. I think that for the moment, even though I just arrived, I feel that all the new reinforcements who have arrived have been able to help the Galaxy and be in a playoff position.”
On playing in a midfield trio with Marco Reus and Sergi Roberto:
“Well, the truth is very good. You named two world-class teammates who have played on great teams, and being able to associate with them, I think, is something that the coach always asks of us in training, and it is very important to have that connection, to be able to contribute and help the group. I think it is important, and I think that between the three of us, we have that connection, that dynamic in which, when we get together, we do important things, and obviously, that is then reflected on the field.”
On how he feels this last week went for the team:
“Yes, as I was saying, it has been a very intense week where we lost away, then we got the victory this past Wednesday. Today, we wanted to win—that was our goal—it didn't happen, but we didn't lose. The important thing now is to rest well and think about LAFC and the remaining games we have left, which will be extremely decisive for us to be in the playoffs.”
LA Galaxy Midfielder Erik Thommy
On how this busy week went for the team:
“Having played three games in six days, that's tough. Also, you need to travel. It's not an excuse; that's fact. St. Louis was, result-wise, tough. Travel-wise, tough. The way we came back against Portland was good, clean sheet, scored two goals, and today was also all about the mentality, because we know San Diego are going to have a lot of possession. They want to play around, and we knew that, and we tried to find also an answer and try to counterattack them. I think in the first half we did it really, really good. Second half we could do it better. You could see the last 20 minutes tired legs. Some players were trying to survive, I would say. And at the end of the day, I think if you look at the standing, and I think we are right in it. [We] have everything in our own hand. Playing next week, a big game. First of all, we want to recover, and LAFC is going to be fun as well.”
On playing with Marco Reus and his influence in the locker room:
“I can see it from three different perspectives. So, I was growing up watching him; I was playing against him in Germany, and now I play with him. The day I started to play with him, train with him, and the quality he has is unbelievable. So, he doesn't need to say a lot. He just shows it every day, and that's massive for us as a team. Besides that, he's a great guy, totally calm, always good for a joke, and that's super important. And he fits into the group, but not only him. The entire team is. It's great when you look into our locker [room], we have great guys there. We have always fun, but on the other side, we are super competitive. Everybody wants to win. It doesn't matter if it's in training, practice, or games like this. Never, I would say satisfied, and we're good. We always want more. We reach for more. So that's a really good thing when it comes to the end of the season because now it's crunch time. A few games left, and this team ... Hopefully, we can have a great season at the end of the year.”
On his leadership style:
“It's the same as Marco. You don't need to say a lot. I think the most important thing is coming to the locker with a good energy, showing it on the field, not only with jokes but also with the quality you have. And I mean, if you look at the season, if I played several positions, and I think that's a big strength of myself, being able to fit in a lot of styles of play. And that's my job, and I think everybody knows that. Some games in the past, but also on the other side, it doesn't matter. You cannot change the past. You need to change the future. What you do now, and that's my goal. Always, also if I'm not the youngest anymore, trying to get better every day, to help the team wherever I can, help the young players, and I think they can feel it.”
