Riqui Puig broke a tie in the second half to lift the LA Galaxy to a 2-1 win against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday in Carson, Calif.
Puig put the Galaxy ahead 2-1 in the 59th minute. Gabriel Pec sent a pass through the legs of Houston midfielder Hector Herrera, and it found Puig at the top of the box. Puig then quickly buried a shot into the right side of the net.
LA (6-2-7, 25 points) picked up its first win since April 21, snapping a five-match winless streak (0-1-4).
Meanwhile, the Dynamo (5-6-3, 18 points) have just one win in their past seven matches (1-4-2).
Latif Blessing capitalized on a turnover by LA goalkeeper John McCarthy to give Houston a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute. McCarthy came out of the goal area to make a pass, but his attempt was intercepted by Blessing, who took the ball to the middle of the 18-yard box before firing it into the back of the net.
The Dynamo came close to doubling their lead as the first half progressed. In the 20th minute, Amine Bassi received a cross in the box from Coco Carrasquilla, but his shot was stopped by McCarthy.
Seconds later, with McCarthy off his line, Galaxy defender Miki Yamane backed up his goalkeeper to deny an onrushing Blessing on the rebound.
In the 40th minute, Carrasquilla’s attempt from the box missed just over the crossbar.
The Galaxy leveled the match in the 44th minute. Yamane sent a short pass into the box, and Pec headed it past Houston goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell.
Pec had a chance to put the hosts ahead in the 49th minute from inside the box but was denied by a diving Tarbell.
A minute later, Ibrahim Aliyu came close to retaking the lead for the Dynamo, but his shot whisked over the crossbar.
Pec was looking for another tally in the 64th minute off a feed from Puig, but his shot rolled just wide of the right post.
–Field Level Media
