The Seattle Sounders drew the LA Galaxy 1-1 on Saturday night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. Marco Reus gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot late in the first half before a late Paul Arriola equalizer split the points.
Nineteen-year-old Homegrown center back Stuart Hawkins made a crucial tackle in the sixth minute after an awkward ball over the top forced goalkeeper Andrew Thomas out of the box before Hawkins slid to quell the danger.
The Galaxy came up with a great defensive stop of their own in the 11th minute when Jordan Morris got to the right end line and cut a ball back across the box for Albert Rusnák, but the Slovakian’s effort was blocked by Lucas Calegari. Rusnák had a chance on the follow-up, but his shot rattled the outside of the net.
The Sounders knocked again in the 24th minute when Rusnák fired a left-footed shot from 15 yards out that Galaxy goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski did well to dive for and push away. Morris and Rusnák then had follow-up opportunities over the next minute with Morris’ header and Rusnák’s right-footed shot in the box both denied by Marcinkowski.
Thomas made back-to-back reaction saves in the 29th minute when he first kept out a header from Justin Haak from six yards out before thwarting a deflected shot from Kyōgo Furuhashi.
Thomas came up huge again in the 38th minute when he parried away a Reus effort from close range on the left side of the box.
The match tipped in LA’s favor in the 44th minute when Reus converted from the penalty spot after Paul Rothrock was whistled for a foul on Chucky Lozano.
Reus had a chance to double LA’s lead in the 50th minute when he ran onto a dropped pass from 12 yards out, but he fluffed his lines on his left-footed attempt and sailed it wide.
Morris thought he had leveled the match in the 61st minute when he was played through on a breakaway and beat Marcinkowski, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Seattle found its equalizer in the 81st minute when Peter Kingston made a darting run through the LA defense before dinking a through ball to Morris, who played a lovely ball across the face of goal for a wide-open Arriola to tap in on the doorstep. Arriola had entered as a substitute less than two minutes prior to his goal.
Kingston unleashed a powerful hit from outside the box in the 90th minute, which Marcinkowski did well to punch away.
The Sounders end the match 13th in the Western Conference with 28 points from 23 contests (7-9-7). Seattle sits two points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot with a game in hand.
Seattle will head to Commerce City, Colo., next Saturday for a clash against the Colorado Rapids (6:30 p.m. PT; Apple TV).
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Arriola opens Sounders MLS account
With several goals to his name in Concacaf Champions Cup for Seattle over the past two years, Arriola finally notched his first league goal for the Rave Green on Saturday night.
Tough to beat
Despite still searching for an elusive win, the Sounders are unbeaten in their last four contests, with all four of them ending in draws.
LA return
Saturday marked the return of forward Dejan Joveljić to Dignity Health Sports Park after scoring 34 goals in three-and-a-half years with the Galaxy, including helping LA lift the 2024 MLS Cup. The Sounders acquired the Serbian international from Sporting Kansas City this summer after he spent a year-and-a-half with SKC.
