Gabriel Pec Scores Twice Late as LA Galaxy Rally Past Atlanta United 2-1

Mercedes-Benz Stadium was still shaking from Jay Fortune's 69th-minute rocket when Gabriel Pec decided to turn the volume all the way down.

The LA Galaxy attacker scored twice in five minutes, both on the break, as the Galaxy came from behind to beat Atlanta United 2-1 on Saturday night in front of 40,392. Fortune had given Atlanta the lead off the bench after nearly 70 scoreless minutes. Ten minutes later, the hosts were losing, and the AP noted it was the Galaxy's first win in Atlanta.

A Scrap Before the Storm

Nobody could find the net for most of the night, but it was not for lack of edge. Atlanta's own recap called the match a scrap full of flying tackles, and the bookings backed that up: Stian Gregersen, Cooper Sanchez and Juan Berrocal were all shown yellow cards between the 26th and 30th minutes.

Atlanta had the better of the first half. Emmanuel Latte Lath missed from the middle of the box in the fifth minute, and Saba Lobjanidze was a constant menace, with a shot saved by JT Marcinkowski in the 20th and another blocked in the 23rd. The club said Berrocal had a header ruled out for a foul late in the half. Lucas Sanabria's header in the 17th minute, saved by Lucas Hoyos, was the Galaxy's only shot of the half, which Atlanta said equaled the fewest it had allowed in any half this regular season.

The second half got wilder. Berrocal headed just wide off a corner in the 48th minute, Pec had a shot blocked in the 56th and pulled another wide in the 59th, and Tomás Jacob smacked the left post from the right side of the box in the 61st. Atlanta kept knocking. The door kept holding.

Fortune Favors the Bold, Briefly

Atlanta's breakthrough came from the bench. Fortune replaced Matías Galarza in the 60th minute, and nine minutes later, after Latte Lath headed wide and Marcinkowski saved from Lobjanidze, Fortune ripped a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom right corner. ESPN's match data credits Elías Báez with the assist; the AP and the club treated it as a solo strike. The club said it was Fortune's first goal of the 2026 MLS regular season.

It lasted five minutes. Galaxy substitute Marco Reus, on since the 65th, sprang a fast break in the 74th, and Pec finished with his left foot from the center of the box into the bottom left corner. In the 79th, Pec broke again. Hoyos saved his first shot from the middle of the box, but Atlanta's recap said the ball deflected off Jacob and back into Pec's path, and he poked home the rebound from very close range for 2-1.

Pec nearly completed a hat trick in the 86th minute, but Hoyos saved again. Joseph Paintsil headed wide and then forced another Hoyos stop in the 89th. Atlanta's last real look came in stoppage time, when substitute Sérgio Santos headed a Miranchuk cross wide.

Who Showed Up

Gabriel Pec was the whole story for LA: six shots, four on target, two goals. The AP said they were his first two goals of the season and gave him 24 goals in 73 career appearances with the Galaxy.

Marco Reus changed the game after coming off the bench, with the assist on the equalizer in ESPN's data and the pass for Pec's saved shot that led to the winner. The AP counted it as his fourth assist.

Lucas Hoyos made four saves and still lost, which is about as cruel as goalkeeping gets.

For Atlanta, Jay Fortune made the most of his time off the bench, and Tristan Muyumba ran the midfield. The club credited Muyumba with a match-high 61-of-70 passing, four tackles won, nine possessions won and two interceptions. Saba Lobjanidze led the hosts with four shots, two of them on target, and forced Marcinkowski into both of his saves before making way in the 71st minute.

The Counterpunch

The turning point was not Pec's first goal so much as the timing of it. Atlanta had finally gone ahead, and within five minutes the Galaxy's substitutes had found the space behind the home side. Both LA goals came on the break, and Atlanta's recap admitted the second goal left the hosts scrambling. When you finally score after nearly 70 minutes of trying, the next five minutes are the most dangerous of the night. Atlanta learned that the hard way.

Stats That Mattered

• Shots on target: LA Galaxy 6 of 10, Atlanta 3 of 14.
• Saves: Hoyos 4, Marcinkowski 2.
• Possession: Atlanta 53.1 percent, LA 46.9 percent.
• Clearances: LA made 32 to Atlanta's 16.
• Crosses: Atlanta completed 9 of 22; LA completed 3 of 10.
• Discipline: Atlanta took three yellow cards between the 26th and 30th minutes.

Where It Leaves Them

The Galaxy move to 4-4-4 with 16 points. The AP said the win evened the all-time series with Atlanta at three wins apiece and that the Galaxy have now scored in 21 straight matches, extending the league's longest current streak. Per the AP, the win opened a run of three straight road games, and LA visits Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday.

Atlanta falls to 3-1-8 with 10 points, ending a two-game league winning run that included a 2-1 win at Toronto FC and a 3-1 home win over CF Montréal. The 5-Stripes visit Orlando City SC on Saturday, May 16, and the club said the teams meet again in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday, May 19.

The Closer

Fortune's goal had the feel of a movie climax: the bench guy checks in, a crowd of more than 40,000 erupts, the home team finally breaks through. Then the Galaxy wrote a twist ending, and Pec walked off with the whole script. Atlanta did a lot right on Saturday. It just did not do the most important thing, which was keeping the ball out of its own net for the final 21 minutes.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match notes from Atlanta United (atlutd.com) and the AP recap via ESPN.