CARSON — Gabriel Pec’s 2024 has seen him join a new club in a new country and get married.
Saturday, the Brazilian forward opened his scoring account as a member of the Galaxy, leading the club to a wet and wild 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders in front of 22,736 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Pec joined the Galaxy (3-0-3, 12 points) from Vasco da Gama in Brazil, signing as a young Designated Player on Jan. 30.
In the fourth minute, Pec beat Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei for the game’s opening and only goal.
On the field, the Galaxy slowly let Pec work his way into the group. He earned his first start last week in the 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City and he assisted on the game-winning goal. Previously, he had only seen action as a second-half substitute. He also missed a game due to his marriage.
The adjustments he’s had to make are not only on the attacking side, but on the defensive end.
“Defensively, I think he’s still working through his tendencies before he got here and finding the rhythm of what we’re asking him to do,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said Thursday. “Before he got here, he would just defend the outside back and that was his responsibility, but now we have more weakside responsibility when the ball is on the other side of the field for him to have to fulfill.
“On the attacking side, we have to play better, to help him too. Some of this is just him going through the growing pains of not having a preseason, not having as much time with the group.”
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Pec’s fourth minute goal, should have given the Galaxy a 2-0 lead, but in the second minute, Joseph Paintsil got behind the defense, but his shot hit the post.
Both teams had to splash their way up and down the field as rains left the field soaked. Hours before the game, members of the grounds crew and even some of the Galaxy technical staff were out with brooms and squeegees trying to move of the excess water from the field.
By the second half, the Sounders tried to push for the equalizing goal. As much water as the field took, the Galaxy took just about the same amount of pressure, but surviving thanks same amount of pressure, but managing to defend their way to safety.
The win, not only kept the Galaxy’s unbeaten streak to start the season alive, but also gave the Galaxy their first MLS regular-season win over Seattle since 2018.
The Galaxy will return to the field Saturday in the first El Trafico against rival LAFC at BMO Stadium.
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