Fastest Three‑Goal Start in Club History, Sixth Fastest in MLS
LOS ANGELES (Feb. 28, 2026) – The LA Galaxy (1-0-1, 4 points) earned a 3-0 win over Eastern Conference side Charlotte FC (0-1-1, 1 point) at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., presented by Maruchan. LA jumped out to an early 3-0 lead inside the first fifteen minutes and saw out that scoreline to remain unbeaten on the season. The LA Galaxy set a club record tonight with three goals in the first 12 minutes and 14 seconds of the match (Sanabria 8’, Klauss 11’, Klauss 13’), the fastest three-goal start in club history and sixth fastest in MLS.
To celebrate the Galaxy’s record-setting moment, the club is offering a $13 ticket flash sale for a limited time. Fans can score seats for $13 each with a minimum purchase of three before the clock runs out at 10am PT on Monday.
Goalscoring Plays
LAG – Lucas Sanabria, 8th minute: After Gabriel Pec cut inside and curled a shot off the left post, midfielder Lucas Sanabria pounced on the rebound to put the Galaxy ahead 1-0.
LAG – João Klauss (Gabriel Pec), 11th minute: Elijah Wynder’s through ball released Gabriel Pec down the right wing, and the Brazilian hit a low cross across the box to find his countryman João Klauss, who buried the finish to extend the Galaxy’s lead to 2–0.
LAG – João Klauss, 13th minute: João Klauss intercepted a back pass, cut inside, and curled a shot into the bottom‑right corner to give LA a 3–0 lead inside fifteen minutes, setting a new record for the club.
Postgame Notes
- The LA Galaxy set a club record tonight with three goals in the first 12 minutes and 14 seconds of the match (Sanabria 8’, Klauss 11’, Klauss 13’). It was the fastest such occurrence in LA Galaxy history, passing the previous mark of 16 minutes set on August 25, 2019 against LAFC (Ibrahimovic 2’, Ibrahimovic 15’, Pavon 16’). Tonight’s early goalscoring flurry was also the sixth fastest time to three goals in a match in MLS history.
- The Galaxy’s Brazilian connection was on full display on Brazilian Heritage Night at DHSP, with Gabriel Pec assisting João Klauss for his first goal of the night in the 11th minute. Klauss recorded his second of the evening just two minutes later. Matheus Nascimento later appeared to be the third Brazilian with a goal contribution on the night, but his goal was called back due to a narrow offside.
- With goals in the 11th and 13th minutes of the match, forward João Klauss scored his second and third goals of the campaign in just his second MLS regular season match with the Galaxy.
- Lucas Sanabria opened his 2026 goal scoring account in the 8th minute of the match, his third goal in 23 MLS appearances for LA since joining the club in 2025.
- Elijah Wynder earned his first start of the 2026 campaign and contributed to a second-consecutive shutout in all competitions for the Galaxy.
- Harbor Miller entered the match as a second-half substitute, his first MLS appearance of the 2026 regular season. The rising 18-year-old played 646 minutes across 10 appearances (nine starts) in league play during his first season with the club in 2025.
Next Up
The LA Galaxy will play away for the first time in the 2026 MLS Regular Season to take on the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, Mar. 7 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City (6:30 p.m. PT, Apple TV).
Match Information
Match: LA Galaxy vs Charlotte FC
Date: February 28, 2026
Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park; Carson, California
Weather: Clear and 67°F
Attendance: 20,205
Scoring Summary
|
1
|
2
|
F
|
LA Galaxy
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
Charlotte FC
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
LAG: Lucas Sanabria, 8’
LAG: João Klauss (Gabriel Pec), 11’
LAG: João Klauss, 13’
Lineups
LA Galaxy: GK Novak Mićović; D Julián Aude, D Maya Yoshida, D Jakob Glesnes, D Miki Yamane (Harbor Miller, 78’); M Edwin Cerrillo (Justin Haak, 78’), M Lucas Sanabria, M Elijah Wynder (Marco Reus, 66’); F Joseph Paintsil, F Gabriel Pec (Ruben Ramos Jr., 82’), F João Klauss (Matheus Nascimento, 66’)
Substitutes not used: JT Marcinkowski, Mauricio Cuevas, John Nelson
Charlotte FC: GK Kristijan Kahlina; D Tim Ream, D Andrew Privett (Morrison Agyemang, 46’), D Nathan Byrne, D Harry Toffolo; M Pep Biel (Tyger Smalls, 78’), M Luca De La Torre (Ashley Westwood, 46’), M Djibril Diani (Brandt Bronico, 46’); F Wilfried Zaha, F Kerwin Vargas, F Idan Toklomati (Archie Goodwin, 78’)
Substitutes not used: Tyler Miller, Liel Abada, David Schnegg, Jack Neeley
Stats Summary
|
LA
|
CLT
|
Shots
|
14
|
4
|
Shots on Goal
|
11
|
1
|
Saves
|
1
|
9
|
Corner Kicks
|
4
|
5
|
Fouls
|
9
|
14
|
Offsides
|
4
|
0
|
Possession
|
60.2%
|
39.9%
|
Misconduct Summary
CLT: Wilfred Zaha (caution) 30’
CLT: Idan Toklomati (caution) 43’
CLT: Ashley Westwood (caution) 80’
LA: Ruben Ramos Jr. (caution) 89’
LA: Lucas Sanabria (caution) 90+2’
Officials
Referee: Joe Dickerson
Assistant Referees: Ryan Graves, Logan Brown
Fourth Official: Malik Badaw
VAR: Younes Marrakchi
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
LA Galaxy Postgame Top Quotes
LA Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney
On the early stretch of the match:
“The message in the locker room going out was, let's win the first 15 minutes, just because it's the fourth game [in ten days] and you just want to start the game with energy and intensity. They certainly won the first 15 minutes. That's what we were just talking about. I thought it was two [goals], but it was three inside the 15, so that was great. I was pleased with the energy. Felt like we unlocked some things tonight that felt a little bit slow in some of the other games.”
On not getting complacent with a three-goal lead:
“The halftime conversation was ‘we're up 3-0, but this game is far from over’. To win in the first 15 minutes, we need to give them nothing to think about. The message was how we win the next 15 minutes is to keep the game at zero. If we score, we score. We're setting a mentality in this locker room that we have to be a good defending team. Everybody loves to attack in that locker room. I need to make sure they concentrated on the defending, because the attacking side, they all want to do that. I think you put teams away by making sure they get nothing, they build no momentum, they have nothing they can believe in as the game progresses. That's how you bury them ultimately.”
On Jakob Glesnes tonight:
“He's an excellent defender. The combination with him and Maya are very predictable in experienced, in a good game reading kind of way. They know what they're going to do in a situation. They're comfortable. Sometimes I think our back line doesn't cover enough ground and pick up enough guys, maybe in the past. Now I feel like they have their spacing right, they're getting across the line quicker, which helps our midfield.
But his individual defending, his timing, his reading of plays, his aggressiveness at the right moments. He brings another level of good solid defensive center back play for us, which is really important.”
On Klauss and what he has brought to the team:
“He sets the tone. When everybody behind looks to the guy in front who is working like he's working, you have no choice but to work with him. That's what I love. His mentality has been fantastic. He's a great guy for our locker room, and when he goes out there, he goes out there to work. He leads us on the defensive side. Never takes shortcuts. Obviously, he's big and he's strong and hard to deal with for center-backs. I like the work he's putting in.”
LA Galaxy Goalkeeper Novak Mićović
On the first four games of the season and what appears to be a heavier focus on defense than in 2025:
“I mean, in the pre-season we work a lot on offensive, and we learn about last year. We worked to know each other, to know where [we] need to be, Jakob [Glesnes] need to be, Maya [Yoshida], Emiro [Garces]. It doesn't matter who is playing, we want to make more relationship between each other defensively. You know, I think we did great job first four games defensively and offensively, also. We try to keep going like this, and it's not going to be a problem.”
On being a team that prioritizes its defense:
“I feel, [as a] first time goalkeeper I like to keep more clean sheets and be more defensive team. This year is going to be that year that we going to make more clean sheet than last year. Also we want to score the goals. We have one of the best wingers in the league, and we want to keep going like today. Score a lot of goals and keep clean sheet.”
On which of the wingers he believes to be ‘one of the best in the league’:
"Both.”
LA Galaxy Midfielder Elijah Wynder
On how he has grown from last season:
“I feel like I've definitely learned a lot and grown a lot. [At the] beginning of last year [there] was a big learning curve for me going from the way I used to play into Greg's system. I think towards the end of last season I picked it up, learned a lot, and then definitely going into this season definitely more comfortable.”
On how it felt to play tonight after his recent injury:
“It wasn't a typical start for the season for me personally. Picked up the injury last training of the pre-season. So I was looking forward to the start of the season and then find out that my calf was injured. Like you said, I've been jumping to get back out there since the third day in the gym. Adam [Waterson] is probably annoyed with me, dealing with me on the sideline. It was great to get back out there and like you said, play with Lucas, Eddie in the middle, get the first minutes back under my belt.”
On a kinship between him and Lucas Sanabria:
“There is definitely a kinship there. We can't always communicate with each other, but we speak in a Spanglish I guess. We do a lot of work together with Nick [Theslof] after training. We play the same position we do a lot of turning work or tactical work after training together.”
LA Galaxy Defender Maya Yoshida
On how the defense seems to have turned a corner from last year:
“I think for two reasons; one, the players who played with us last year already understand how we play and how we like to try to dominate the game. Like Elijah [Wynder], and Lucas [Sanabria]. Even the younger players understand how we want to play. Second is Justin [Haak] and Jakob [Glesnes] who already know MLS and already have more than good enough experience here, so they adapt very quickly. Still, we need to improve many things and it's too early to talk about these kinds of things after four games. I feel good so far. We’ve progressed since last season, that's my feeling.”
On João Klauss as a player and teammate:
“Klauss is a very good, experienced player and a very team player as well. That's helping Nasci [Matheus Nascimento] in the back a little bit. Same as like Brazilian vibes. But he's very global international and understand MLS so he can bring these two young players to the good side. So I really appreciate what he's trying and he's very good guy. Always every team for the strikers first goal is very difficult. He already score three, and this is good start. I hope he can continue like that. That's we missing last year a lot.”
On his individual progress since last season and in the offseason:
“Individually, offseason straight after the season finish last year, I try to change things, nutrition, training, recovery stuff. Especially like two days in between, like today since last game, so I need to perform well; I have to be sharp. So far it's working. But again, this is still February. MLS is very long season, especially including traveling and Concacaf, so the main object for me to go through the season is just keep my quality but the conditioning is more important, especially my age. We'll see. In the summer if I still sharp enough, then it works. We'll see."
