Riqui Puig and Dejan Joveljic scored second-half goals to help the Los Angeles Galaxy gain a 2-2 tie with host Nashville SC on Sunday.
Teal Bunbury and Dru Anthony Yearwood earlier scored two goals in a five-minute stretch for Nashville (0-0-3, 3 points), which is 0-2-2 all-time against Los Angeles.
John McCarthy made two saves for the Galaxy (1-0-2, 5 points).
Elliot Joseph Panicco made six saves for Nashville, including a stellar penalty-kick save on Joveljic in the 18th minute.
The Galaxy had a 20-13 edge in shots and placed eight on target to Nashville’s four.
Bunbury’s penalty was set up by Joseph Paintsil fouling Yearwood in the box.
Bunbury stood at the spot in the 54th minute and sent a right-footed shot into the right corner of the net.
Just four minutes later, the Galaxy failed to clear a cross out of the box. Yearwood took advantage by ripping a hard, high right-footed shot past McCarthy to make it 2-0.
The Galaxy pulled within one in the 67th after a Nashville misplay in its defensive end. Puig got the ball and sent a right-footer past two defenders and into the right corner of the net.
Los Angeles knotted the score 15 minutes later. The sequence began with Mark Delgado’s hard right-footed shot that was saved by Panicco. The rebound squirted to the side of the net and Julian Aude threaded a pass to the wide-open Joveljic, who sent a left-footer into the net to make it 2-2.
In the first minute of second-half stoppage time, McCarthy was able to tip Hany Mukhtar’s high shot over the net.
In the ninth minute of stoppage time, Panicco made the save of Puig’s left-footed shot.
Earlier, Joveljic was tripped in the box by Jack Maher to earn the Galaxy penalty.
But his strong boot in the 18th minute was saved by Panicco, who deflected the ball with his left foot after diving in the other direction.
Three minutes later, off a corner kick, Puig put the ball in the net but it was nullified as Puig was ruled offside.
Seven minutes into the second half, Paintsil’s shot deflected off the left goalpost, keeping the game scoreless just before Nashville broke loose.
–Field Level Media
