Paintsil, Fagúndez spark Galaxy to victory over Whitecaps
LA Galaxy’s Riqui Puig (10) evades Vancouver Whitecaps’ Ryan Raposo, back, and Andres Cubas (20) during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Whitecaps’ Andres Cubas, left, and LA Galaxy’s Joseph Paintsil vie for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Miki Yamane, left, and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Alessandro Schopf collide while vying for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Mark Delgado, right, slides to take the ball away from Vancouver Whitecaps’ Ali Ahmed during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Miki Yamane, left, and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Alessandro Schopf collide while vying for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Gabriel Pec leaps to receive a pass during the first half of the team’s MLS soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Mark Delgado, left, and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Ali Ahmed vie for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Joseph Paintsil, left, and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Andres Cubas vie for the ball as Galaxy’s Mark Delgado, back, watches during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Whitecaps’ Fafa Picault, left, leaves the pitch after being injured during the first half of the team’s MLS soccer match against the LA Galaxy on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Whitecaps’ Fafa Picault leaves the pitch after being injured during the first half of the team’s MLS soccer match against the LA Galaxy on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Mauricio Cuevas, left, and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Brian White vie for the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Joseph Paintsil, front right, celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Dejan Joveljic (9) celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Dejan Joveljic celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy allows a goal to Vancouver Whitecaps’ Brian White during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, back, allows a goal to LA Galaxy’s Dejan Joveljic, not seen, as Vancouver’s Mathias Laborda (2) and Ranko Veselinovic (4) watch during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy allows a goal to Vancouver Whitecaps’ Brian White during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
LA Galaxy’s Dejan Joveljic, front, and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Mathias Laborda go up for a head ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Whitecaps’ Andres Cubas, left, and LA Galaxy’s Gaston Brugman vie for the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Whitecaps’ Brian White takes a shot on goal against the LA Galaxy during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Joseph Paintsil and Diego Fagúndez scored two minutes apart late in the second half to spark the Galaxy to a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night in a match that featured three Japanese born starters for the first time in league history.
Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka as well as Galaxy defenders Miki Yamane and Maya Yoshida all started and accomplished a feat not seen in the league’s 31 years of existence.
Neither team scored in the battle between the top two teams in the Western Conference in the early season until Dejan Joveljic used an assist from Gabriel Pec — the first of the 23-year-old rookie’s career — to find the net in the 56th minute for the Galaxy (4-1-3). Joveljic has six goals this season, leaving him in a five-way tie for the league lead.
The Whitecaps (4-2-1) netted the equalizer in the 77th minute when Brian White scored with an assist from Ryan Gauld off a corner kick. White’s third goal of the season is the 42nd of his career, one away from tying the club record. Gauld became the first Whitecaps player to total 25 goals and 25 assists in a career last week.
Paintsil took a through ball from Riqui Puig in the 80th minute and scored the go-ahead goal for the Galaxy and then notched an assist in the 82nd on a fast-break insurance goal by Fagúndez. Paintsil, a 26-year-old rookie forward has three goals and three assists in his first eight matches, all starts. Puig also assisted on Fagúndez’s first goal of the campaign.
Takaoka had one save for Vancouver and the Galaxy’s John McCarthy wasn’t tested in a scoreless first half. McCarthy finished with six saves, while Takaoka saved two shots.
Vancouver leads the all-time series 14-12-7 but falls to 7-5-4 at home. The Galaxy earned its first win at BC Place since April of 2019.
A win or a draw would have had the Whitecaps off to their best start through seven matches.
The Galaxy move into the top spot in the West with the victory, two points ahead of the Whitecaps and Houston Dynamo.
Vancouver travels to play the Seattle Sounders on Saturday. The Galaxy return home to play the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday.