Ranko Veselinovic scored a second-half equalizer that allowed the Vancouver Whitecaps to take a 1-1 draw against the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday night.
Kevin Cabral put the Galaxy in the driver's seat with an opener just past the half-hour mark, but Greg Vanney's group couldn't preserve the three-point result thanks to Veselinovic's 50th-minute set-piece finish.
After finding themselves with the better early chances, the Galaxy created a breakthrough in the 32nd minute through Cabral. The French winger found space between Vancouver's center backs and collected a feed from Efrain Alvarez before slotting home his second goal of the season.
But the Whitecaps managed to claw back into it, finding a leveler from Veselinovic five minutes after the second-half restart. The Serbian center back rose up to meet a Déiber Caicedo corner kick and cashed home a glancing header.
The Galaxy had several looks at a potential game-winner in the second half, though none quite materialized. Rayan Raveloson had one in the 69th minute, but his shot from atop the area was denied by Maxime Crepeau. Samuel Grandsir had another just two minutes later off an open look set-up by a headed feed from Sacha Kljestan, but his laser shot was blocked.
Neither side earned a go-ahead goal down the stretch, forcing the Western Conference foes to split the points.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Credit to the Whitecaps for fighting back and getting a point after falling behind in a tough in-conference road matchup, although Vancouver really need to start stacking three-point results if they're to realistically get back into contention for a playoff berth. The Galaxy missed the services of the injured Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, as they generated enough chances to win, but didn't have the end product.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The hosts were out in front until Veselinovic came through with this clutch header that decided the final result.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Efrain Alvarez picked up the assist on Cabral's opener for the Galaxy as part of an all-around active shift. The talented 19-year-old homegrown gets the honors for this one.
Next Up
- LA: Saturday, August 14 at Minnesota United | 6 pm ET (FOX, FOX Deportes)
- VAN: Friday, August 13 at San Jose Earthquakes | 10:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
