Gabriel Pec scores as Galaxy end Real Salt Lake’s 15-match unbeaten streak
SANDY, Utah — Gabriel Pec scored the lone goal late in the second half and goalkeeper John McCarthy made it stand as the Galaxy ended Real Salt Lake’s single-season club-record 15-match unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory on Saturday night after RSL lost captain Cristian Arango to concussion protocol in the first half.
Arango was forced to leave for Real Salt Lake (10-3-7) in the 21st minute after he banged heads with Galaxy defender Martín Cáceres. Anderson Julio replaced Arango and Jalen Neal came in for Cáceres. Arango leads the league with 16 goals this season.
The Galaxy (10-3-7), Real Salt Lake and LAFC are tied for the top spot in the Western Conference with 37 points.
It has been 25 years since Brandi Chastain’s iconic World Cup moment. Now an owner of Bay FC, Chastain is representative of the progress that has been made.
Pec scored for the sixth time in 16 starts and 19 appearances. Pec took passes from Dejan Joveljic and Edwin Cerrillo in the 71st minute and scored to help the Galaxy win for the third consecutive time. It was Joveljic’s fifth assist.
McCarthy had four saves to earn his fifth shutout of the season and second in a row.
Zac MacMath saved two shots for Real Salt Lake. McCarthy had three saves and MacMath wasn’t tested in a scoreless first half.
Real Salt Lake went 9-0-6 during its unbeaten run. The club was playing at home for the first time since a 5-1 romp over Austin FC three weeks ago.
The Galaxy leads the all-time series 21-17-13. The Galaxy are 2-0-3 in their last five matchups with Real Salt Lake. In their last trip to town, the Galaxy rallied for a 3-2 victory on the final day of May last season.
The Galaxy will play at the San José Earthquakes on Saturday.
