LA Galaxy II edged past Tacoma Defiance 4:3 in a Group Stage encounter at Titan Stadium on Sunday evening. The result lifts the hosts to fifth in the table while the visitors drop further back in eighth. And here's the thing — three goals came in the opening half an hour, then the game settled into something else entirely.
Lambert opened the scoring at the 10-minute mark before Alvarez was brought on for the visitors just a minute later. Bronnik doubled the advantage at 25 minutes, only for Mihalic to pull one back for Tacoma at 30. Guerra and Kaplan both picked up yellow cards as the hosts held their nerve.
The second half belonged to Bronnik. He found the net at 53 and then again at 54, putting the game beyond doubt — or so it seemed. By then, he had already been substituted at 59, replaced by Hassan in a move that raised eyebrows. Bell pulled a goal back for the visitors at 68 minutes.
Tacoma refused to lie down. Aiyenero struck at 84 and then again in stoppage time at 90+2 to level the score. The match ended 4:3, though possession statistics tell a different story — 55 per cent for the visitors, 45 for the hosts. Shots on target were seven to six, but accuracy favoured Tacoma at 55 per cent against 37.
The hosts now sit on 41 points from 25 games with 13 wins and 12 defeats. Tacoma remain on 36 points with an identical record of 12 victories and 13 losses. Both sides have gone through 25 matches without a single draw — unusual in a tournament where results tend to cluster around the middle.