LA Galaxy defeated Mount Pleasant 3-0 after Gabriel Pec’s heroic hat-trick performance to secure a win in the first leg of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Before kickoff, the Galaxy held an advantage over the Jamaican club, as several of the visiting players had their visas denied by the United States, resulting in a short-handed MTP squad.
"Because of the nature of the competition, I think I'm not allowed to feel empathy for them yet,” Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney said.
MTP qualified for the tournament after winning the 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup. The match against LA marked the club’s first appearance in the Champions Cup.
“I feel like they came and they put on, however many guys are missing, and they remained disciplined," Vanney said. “I was impressed again with some of the individual capability and some of the duels and their ability to protect the ball and get out of spaces and just make things difficult there.”
Pec’s three-goal performance serves as the first hat trick of his professional career. The Brazilian forward now has five goal contributions in 2026 across all competitions.
The Galaxy had the best possible start to a knockout round after scoring in the 6th minute with Pec’s left‑footed touch-and-shoot shot to set up an early 1-0 lead.
Galaxy’s Mauricio Cuevas was a key contributor to LA’s ability to manage the majority of games and keep MTP’s defense on their heels. The American fullback stretched the field efficiently for the Galaxy, allowing the midfield to open up and set up a series of chances in front of goal off his well-placed crosses.
Cuevas and Galaxy’s Miki Yamane finished the match with their first assists of the 2026 season, setting up two of Pec’s goals.
Pec’s late burst of goals started in the 89th minute after sneaking a shot off the bottom of the crossbar to double the Galaxy’s lead.
Galaxy forward João Klauss had a frustrating night, with a series of misplaced headers after being left unmarked in front of the goal, which would’ve resulted in the Galaxy asserting its dominance earlier.
Despite the missed chances, Klauss finished the match with an assist that set up Pec’s last goal of the night. Klauss committed a handball violation that led to LA’s Harbor Miller’s goal in the 86th minute to be overturned.
The Brazilian dynamic duo up front already has a combined 11 goal contributions in all competitions.
“They've developed a relationship and a rapport off the field, and they've got good chemistry and banter amongst them,” Vanney said. “João is clever about his positioning, and he's a nice target. Gabe is continuing to grow and find those ways to slip in and play off of a striker. We haven't always had the striker that you could play off of in that type of way João does.”
The scoreline doesn’t demonstrate LA’s dominance over MTP truthfully. The short-handed Jamaican club kept up with the Galaxy for the majority of the match, far away from their home soil.
The first and last ten minutes of the match appeared to be the times of panic and a lack of focus for the club.
Aside from Pec’s goals, the Galaxy’s offensive momentum served them well, finishing the match with eleven shots on goal, eight corner kicks, and 75 percent of possession.
The Galaxy will stay in LA for MLS play and will play Sporting Kansas City on March 14 at Dignity Health Sports Park at 8:30 p.m. CST.
Before kickoff, the Galaxy held an advantage over the Jamaican club, as several of the visiting players had their visas denied by the United States, resulting in a short-handed MTP squad.
"Because of the nature of the competition, I think I'm not allowed to feel empathy for them yet,” Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney said.
MTP qualified for the tournament after winning the 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup. The match against LA marked the club’s first appearance in the Champions Cup.
“I feel like they came and they put on, however many guys are missing, and they remained disciplined," Vanney said. “I was impressed again with some of the individual capability and some of the duels and their ability to protect the ball and get out of spaces and just make things difficult there.”
Pec’s three-goal performance serves as the first hat trick of his professional career. The Brazilian forward now has five goal contributions in 2026 across all competitions.
The Galaxy had the best possible start to a knockout round after scoring in the 6th minute with Pec’s left‑footed touch-and-shoot shot to set up an early 1-0 lead.
Galaxy’s Mauricio Cuevas was a key contributor to LA’s ability to manage the majority of games and keep MTP’s defense on their heels. The American fullback stretched the field efficiently for the Galaxy, allowing the midfield to open up and set up a series of chances in front of goal off his well-placed crosses.
Cuevas and Galaxy’s Miki Yamane finished the match with their first assists of the 2026 season, setting up two of Pec’s goals.
Pec’s late burst of goals started in the 89th minute after sneaking a shot off the bottom of the crossbar to double the Galaxy’s lead.
Galaxy forward João Klauss had a frustrating night, with a series of misplaced headers after being left unmarked in front of the goal, which would’ve resulted in the Galaxy asserting its dominance earlier.
Despite the missed chances, Klauss finished the match with an assist that set up Pec’s last goal of the night. Klauss committed a handball violation that led to LA’s Harbor Miller’s goal in the 86th minute to be overturned.
The Brazilian dynamic duo up front already has a combined 11 goal contributions in all competitions.
“They've developed a relationship and a rapport off the field, and they've got good chemistry and banter amongst them,” Vanney said. “João is clever about his positioning, and he's a nice target. Gabe is continuing to grow and find those ways to slip in and play off of a striker. We haven't always had the striker that you could play off of in that type of way João does.”
The scoreline doesn’t demonstrate LA’s dominance over MTP truthfully. The short-handed Jamaican club kept up with the Galaxy for the majority of the match, far away from their home soil.
The first and last ten minutes of the match appeared to be the times of panic and a lack of focus for the club.
Aside from Pec’s goals, the Galaxy’s offensive momentum served them well, finishing the match with eleven shots on goal, eight corner kicks, and 75 percent of possession.
The Galaxy will stay in LA for MLS play and will play Sporting Kansas City on March 14 at Dignity Health Sports Park at 8:30 p.m. CST.
