Joveljic Burns Old Club, Berg Johnsen Scores on MLS Debut as Sporting KC Beat Galaxy 2-1

Dejan Joveljic once scored the goal that won the LA Galaxy an MLS Cup. On Saturday night in Carson, he scored the goal that started their latest headache, and he barely celebrated it.

Sporting Kansas City beat the Galaxy 2-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park, with Joveljic opening the scoring in first-half stoppage time and debutant Lasse Berg Johnsen adding the winner in the 74th minute. It was Sporting's first win of the 2026 season and the first for new head coach Raphael Wicky, according to the club. The Galaxy had 60.8 percent of the ball, 18 shots and 10 corners. Sporting had the goals.

A Quiet Start, Then the Galaxy Knock

The first 20 minutes were cagey, and the Galaxy fired the first real warning in the 22nd. Erik Thommy, a former Sporting midfielder, crossed from the right and Marco Reus headed just over. Three minutes later, Harbor Miller tested John Pulskamp from outside the box.

LA kept pushing. In the 39th minute, João Klauss got loose on the left side of the box and forced Pulskamp into a save. Justin Haak headed a Reus corner high and wide in the 43rd. For a while it looked like the hosts would eventually break through on volume alone.

Sporting's response was sharp and sudden. In the 45th minute, Manu García played Joveljic in behind, and Novak Micovic saved his shot from a tight angle. Two minutes into stoppage time, the same duo connected again. García sent Joveljic through on a fast break, and the striker drove into the box and curled a right-footed finish into the bottom right corner. 1-0 at the half, completely against the run of play.

MLS described it as a slaloming run through the Galaxy defense and said it was his 55th goal in 142 regular-season matches. The club said it was his third of the season.

The Turning Point: A Dummy and a Debut

The Galaxy came out of halftime looking for an equalizer and got close. Klauss headed over from a Reus corner in the 56th minute, and Maya Yoshida got under a header from very close range in the 70th. A triple change in the 63rd minute brought on Mauricio Cuevas, Rubén Ramos and Matheus Nascimento for the chase.

Then Sporting landed the counterpunch. Micovic had just stopped Joveljic again in the 73rd, but a minute later substitute Stephen Afrifa broke down the right on another fast break and cut the ball back. Joveljic dummied it, per the club, and Berg Johnsen struck first time from outside the box into the bottom left corner. 2-0.

The club said Berg Johnsen, making his MLS debut, became the first Sporting player to score on his debut since Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda on Feb. 29, 2020, and the eighth in club history to score a game-winner in his first MLS start for the club. Not a bad first day at the office.

Chaos in the 82nd

The Galaxy did not go quietly. The 82nd minute was pure pinball: Pulskamp saved a Nascimento shot, Edwin Cerrillo hit the right post from outside the box, Pulskamp saved Nascimento again, and finally Reus headed in from very close range to make it 2-1.

LA threw everything at Sporting after that. Haak headed over from a corner in the 85th, Yoshida missed from another corner in the 87th, and Yoshida fired wide in the final moments of seven minutes of added time. Sporting's back line held.

Star Watch: Joveljic, Berg Johnsen and Pulskamp

Joveljic was the story. He had three shots, all on target, scored once and was in the middle of the second goal too. The club also credited him with a secondary assist on Berg Johnsen's goal; ESPN lists Afrifa alone. MLS noted he spent four seasons with LA from 2021 to 2024 and scored the Galaxy's game-winning goal in MLS Cup 2024 before Sporting acquired him ahead of 2025 in the first cash-for-player trade in league history.

He was respectful about the reunion and ruthless about the future. "It's always a special thing to come here and play in front of the LA fans," Joveljic said, per MLS. "Every time I come here, I have to be 120 percent ready. Unfortunately for them, I am going to keep scoring against them."

García set up the opener, and the club said that assist was his first of 2026 and his 50th as a professional. Pulskamp made four saves, including two in that frantic 82nd-minute sequence, and Sporting won 14 of its 20 tackles.

Reus did everything he could for LA. Beyond his goal, ESPN's play-by-play credits him with setting up six Galaxy attempts.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Galaxy 60.8 percent, Sporting 39.2 percent.
• Shots: Galaxy 18, Sporting 7. Sporting put 4 of its 7 on target and scored twice.
• Corners: Galaxy 10, Sporting 3.
• Saves: Pulskamp 4, Micovic 2.
• Clearances: Sporting made 28 to the Galaxy's 17.

What It Means

Sporting improves to 1-1-2 with 4 points after opening the season with a loss at San Jose, a draw with Columbus and a 1-0 home loss to San Diego FC. "Coming here to Galaxy, against a very good team, and to have a win is very, very big for us," Wicky said, per MLS. Sporting hosts the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

The Galaxy fall to 1-1-2 with 4 points and have lost two straight, after a 4-1 defeat at Colorado last weekend. Their attack had plenty of volume against Sporting but managed only 5 shots on target from 18 attempts.

Closing Take

There is a special kind of pain in watching a player you loved come back and beat you, and Galaxy fans got the full ex-at-the-wedding experience on Saturday. Joveljic was gracious about it, then promised to keep doing it. "From the first day with Raphael, we felt different," he said of his new coach. If Sporting keeps playing with that edge, LA will not be the last team to find out.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLS (mlssoccer.com); club notes from Sporting Kansas City (sportingkc.com).