Takeaways from LA Galaxy 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps
Joseph Paintsil's brace leads the G's to back-to-back home wins
The LA Galaxy snap a three-match winless run with a dominant 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in their return to Dignity Health Sports Park.
The home crowd wouldn’t have to wait long for the opener as Matheus Nacimento hopped on a spill from Vancouver’s Yohei Takaoka to make it 1-0 in the second minute. The Brazilian should’ve had a brace just two minutes later, but took one touch too many as he broke free once again inside the box.
The first half closed with a near disaster for LA as Emiro Garces’ clearance went just over Novak Mićović’s goal, who otherwise had a quiet first half with no shots on goal to defend.
The second half, however, wouldn’t be so tame for the Mićović, as an early free kick from Pedro Vite forced a tough save that would lead to a corner. Another chance for soon after would end with the ball in his hand and a boot to the face. The Serbian would get checked out but was good to play on.
Joseph Paintsil would make it 2-0 in the 60th minute off a gorgeous pass into open space in the box from Marco Reus to set him up with just the keeper to beat. A rough start to the night from the Ghanaian wiped away as he returns to the scoresheet.
A dangerous sequence in the 74th minute would end with Maya Yoshida getting taken down in the box and winning a penalty, definitely doing his part in selling the dive. Paintsil would step up from the spot and sent Takaoka the wrong way for his brace and the 3-0 on the night, securing back-to-back home wins for the Galaxy.
The Brazilian Hope
The emergence of Nascimento over the last five games has brought a beacon of light to the disappointing 2025 season.
The 21-year-old Brazilian scored his second goal of the season early in the match to give LA the lead at home. He showed bright moments in the combination play and was a threat on the night for the Vancouver backline.
The Galaxy needed to get a reliable striker in the mix, with Christian Ramirez failing to find the back of the net after a solid start to the season. It took a while for Nascimento to get quality starting minutes, but he’s starting to put up goal contributions and add a spark to the Galaxy attack.
“When I got here, the team was already in a place. I had to find my way through into the team. I was not having many opportunities based on the way the coach was setting the team up in the beginning of the season,” said Nascimento to reporters.
With more playing time, Nascimiento is building stronger connections with Reus, Pec, and Paintsil in the final third. There have been glimpses of potential, and now it's starting to turn into goals.
“He's reading games and combining with Marco and the others. So I think for a lot of it was just him settling into the league and into what we're asking from him. You know, gaining confidence, I think understanding tactically. All those things I think, again, for him are all kind of coming into a place where he's comfortable. And now he can just play the game instead of overthinking or trying to adapt or trying to do all these things. He's found a rhythm,” said Head Coach Greg Vanney postgame.
“With players like Marco, Gabriel, Joseph Paintsil, it's easy for me to adapt on the front with those regular players. They connect well, and I hope I can score more goals,” said Nascimento with a smile on his face.
Silence in the Stands
This was the first LA Galaxy home match since the June ICE raids in the city of Los Angeles, and the supporters of the club showed their disappointment with the Galaxy’s lack of acknowledgement of the situation.
LAFC and Angel City FC released statements about the situation to acknowledge and show solidarity with supporters about the situation. The LA Galaxy didn’t make any public statements despite having made so on previous occasions.
Fans in Victoria Block held up a tifo with the slogan “Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants” at the start of the match. At the 12th minute mark, many supporters walked out, and the atmosphere left the stadium as well.
The demonstration was something that both supporters groups and the LA Galaxy organization had discussed prior to the match. The club was aware of the walkout, as communication from both sides was present in order to get the pregame tifo into the stadium.
It was a great victory for the team on the night but empty stands and lack of noise in Victoria Block were extremely noticeable on the night.
Paintsil finds the scoring touch
After a lackluster first half, Paintsil’s goals in the 60th and 77th minute were a breakthrough moment for him at the LA Galaxy.
The criticism of his poor form in recent matches has grown louder with each passing game, as his finishing and decision-making in the final third have been a liability. The killer instinct that was present last season struggled to show in 2025.
After his first goal, the entire squad celebrated with him - a show of support and solidarity for the Ghanaian forward.
“They know what I've been through. They know the kind of emotions and a lot of ups and downs that we've been through as a team, especially me, especially the forward,” said Paintsil postgame.
His second goal came from the penalty spot, and he didn’t hesitate to take it. “I approached the ball first,” he said. “And I decided to just take it... everyone was okay with it.”
But beneath the joy of the moment was a raw honesty about the weight he’s been carrying. Paintsil opened up about missing chances in recent matches, fan backlash, and even receiving racist abuse online.
“There is always a backlash and a lot of comments calling me monkey and someone wants to kill my mom and all these kind of things,” he said. “But, you know, this is something that is always a footballer is going to go through, and I take it in hand, but, yeah, we just keep focusing.”
He credited his teammates, his faith, and his family – especially his mother, who was in attendance watching him live for the first time since 2014 – for helping him push through.
“She told me to just be myself and I’m gonna score,” he said. “So as you can see, I was also doing everything for my mom today... I knew that it’s gonna happen.”
It did – and now, so might the turnaround he’s been waiting for.