{"id":649840,"date":"2026-03-12T07:39:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:39:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/649840\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T07:39:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:39:19","slug":"match-report-gabriel-pec-hat-trick-leads-galaxy-to-3-0-win-over-mount-pleasant-fa-in-ccc-round-of-16-first-leg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/649840\/","title":{"rendered":"Match Report: Gabriel Pec\u00a0Hat\u00a0Trick Leads Galaxy to\u00a03\u20130\u00a0Win over Mount Pleasant\u00a0Fa\u00a0in CCC\u00a0Round of 16 First Leg\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>LOS ANGELES (March 11, 2026) \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0The LA Galaxy defeated Jamaican Premier League side Mount Pleasant FA 3\u20130 in the first leg of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.\u00a0Gabriel Pec led the way for LA with a hat\u00a0trick, scoring in the 6th, 89th, and 90+6th minutes\u00a0to give the Galaxy an advantage headed into the second leg in Kingston, Jamaica on March 19.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To celebrate Gabriel Pec&#8217;s first hat trick\u00a0of\u00a0his professional career, the LA Galaxy\u00a0are\u00a0running a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofevo.com\/group\/LAGFlashSale?ref=digital_LASOC_260311\" title=\"https:\/\/www.gofevo.com\/group\/LAGFlashSale?ref=digital_LASOC_260311\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">flash sale<\/a>\u00a0that celebrates the three goals by giving fans the next three\u00a0home\u00a0games for as low as $15 per ticket. The next three\u00a0home matches include the team&#8217;s Women&#8217;s History Month celebration against Sporting Kansas City this Saturday, March 14, the Landon Donovan celebration against Minnesota United FC on April 4, and the Cobi Jones Statue Unveil match against Real Salt Lake on April 26.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>LA\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Gabriel Pec\u00a0(Mauricio Cuevas),\u00a06th minute:<\/strong>\u00a0Cuevas burst down the right wing, slipped past a defender with a stepover, and pulled back a low cross to Pec, who took one touch before finishing with a left\u2011footed shot into the back of the net.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>LA \u2013 Gabriel Pec (Miki Yamane) 89th minute:<\/strong>\u00a0Isaiah\u00a0Parente\u00a0hit a long diagonal\u00a0ball in\u00a0behind the Mount\u00a0Pleasant\u00a0FA\u00a0back line, finding Yamane, who brought it down before laying it off to Pec. Pec struck his shot off the\u00a0bottom of the\u00a0crossbar and in, doubling the Galaxy\u2019s\u00a0lead\u00a0to 2\u20130.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>LA \u2013 Gabriel Pec\u00a0(Jo\u00e3o Klauss)\u00a090+6th minute:<\/strong>\u00a0Harbor\u00a0Miller worked the ball to the left side of the box for Klauss, who squared a pass into the middle, finding Pec for his hat\u2011trick finish to make it 3\u20130 for LA.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>LA Galaxy\u00a0players\u00a0wore black armbands in tonight\u2019s match\u00a0at\u00a0their own\u00a0request\u00a0in support of Eduard\u00a0L\u00f6wen\u00a0of St. Louis City SC.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>In the first match since his\u00a0newly-signed\u00a0contract extension, defender\u00a0<strong>Jakob\u00a0Glesnes<\/strong>\u00a0donned the\u00a0captain\u2019s\u00a0armband\u00a0for the first time in his LA Galaxy career.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>After making his season debut as a second half substitute over the weekend, midfielder\u00a0<strong>Erik\u00a0Thommy<\/strong>\u00a0earned\u00a0his\u00a0first\u00a0official\u00a0start\u00a0for the LA Galaxy\u00a0in his home debut at Dignity Health Sports Park.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Forward\u00a0<strong>Gabriel\u00a0Pec<\/strong>\u00a0recorded\u00a0the first hat trick of his professional career in the match with goals in the 6th\u00a0and 89th\u00a0minutes before adding an exclamation point on the night with a third in\u00a0final moments\u00a0of stoppage time.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mauricio\u00a0Cuevas<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Miki\u00a0Yamane<\/strong>\u00a0each\u00a0recorded\u00a0their\u00a0first assists\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a02026\u00a0campaign for the Galaxy, setting up\u00a0Gabriel Pec\u00a0for scores in the 6th\u00a0and 89th\u00a0minutes\u00a0respectively.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Jo\u00e3o<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Klauss<\/strong>\u00a0recorded his 6th\u00a0goal contribution of the season, setting up Pec for his third and final goal of the contest.\u00a0Now averaging one goal contribution per match,\u00a0Klauss has\u00a0found his way onto the score sheet in\u00a0five of the club\u2019s six games so far in the campaign (four goals, two assists).\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Isaiah\u00a0Parente<\/strong>\u00a0made his\u00a02026\u00a0debut\u00a0for the Galaxy\u00a0as a\u00a0substitute in the 88th\u00a0minute.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The LA Galaxy\u00a0remain\u00a0home\u00a0for a return to league play\u00a0at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday,\u00a0March\u00a014\u00a0against\u00a0Sporting Kansas City,\u00a0presented by\u00a0Sherwin-Williams\u00a0(6:30 p.m. PT, Apple TV).\u00a0The club will celebrate\u00a0Women\u2019s History Month at the match with all-women entertainers, up to 40% off discounts on select women\u2019s merchandise at the Team Store, and\u00a0additional\u00a0in-stadium\u00a0activations\u00a0highlighting women shaping the sport and\u00a0the\u00a0community.\u00a0In\u00a0addition, the Women\u2019s Coaching Alliance will be honored as the Community Partner of the Match.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Match:<\/strong>\u00a0LA Galaxy vs\u00a0Mount Pleasant FA\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Venue<\/strong>: Dignity Health Sports Park; Carson, California\u00a0<br \/><strong>Weather<\/strong>: Clear and\u00a068\u00b0F<\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0Gabriel Pec\u00a0(Mauricio Cuevas),\u00a06\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0Gabriel Pec\u00a0(Miki Yamane),\u00a089\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0Gabriel Pec\u00a0(Jo\u00e3o Klauss),\u00a090+6\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lineups<\/strong>\u00a0<br \/><strong>LA Galaxy:<\/strong>\u00a0GK\u00a0JT Marcinkowski; D\u00a0John Nelson, D\u00a0Justin Haak, D Jakob Glesnes, D\u00a0Mauricio Cuevas\u00a0(Miki Yamane, 88\u2019); M Edwin Cerrillo\u00a0(Isaiah Parente,\u00a088),\u00a0M\u00a0Elijah Wynder;\u00a0M\u00a0Gabriel Pec,\u00a0M Lucas Sanabria\u00a0(Ruben Ramos Jr.\u00a070\u2019),\u00a0M Erik Thommy\u00a0(Harbor Miller, 62\u2019);\u00a0F Jo\u00e3o Klauss\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>Substitutes not used:\u00a0Brady Scott,\u00a0Novak\u00a0Mi\u0107ovi\u0107,\u00a0Maya Yoshida,\u00a0Juli\u00e1n Aude, Tucker Lepley, Julian\u00a0Placias\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mount Pleasant FA<\/strong>:\u00a0GK Tafari Chambers;\u00a0D\u00a0Kimoni Bailey,\u00a0D Shaquille Dyer,\u00a0D\u00a0Kyle Ming,\u00a0D\u00a0Gadail\u00a0Irving;\u00a0M Demario\u00a0Phillips,\u00a0M\u00a0Owen Jumpp\u00a0(Shaqueil Bradford, 58\u2019),\u00a0M Jabarie Howell;\u00a0F Daniel Green\u00a0(Devonte Campbell, 76\u2019),\u00a0F Alex Marshall,\u00a0F Raheem Edwards\u00a0(Warner Brown, 75\u2019)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Substitutes\u00a0not used<strong\/>:\u00a0Shaquan Davis,\u00a0Earl Dennis,\u00a0Claver\u00a0Nugent, Jaheem Douglas<\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0John Nelson\u00a0(caution)\u00a026\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>MTP:\u00a0Demario Phillips\u00a0(caution)\u00a036\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0Jo\u00e3o\u00a0Klauss\u00a0(caution)\u00a053\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>MTP:\u00a0Tafari Chambers\u00a0(caution)\u00a064\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Assistant Referees:\u00a0Zachari\u00a0Zeegelaar, Clinton Hayward\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fourth Official:\u00a0Jose Torres\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>LA Galaxy Postgame\u00a0Top\u00a0Quotes<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>LA Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On having empathy for Mount Pleasant FA\u2019s circumstances:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of the nature of the competition, I think\u00a0I&#8217;m\u00a0not allowed to feel empathy for them yet; maybe after we\u00a0see\u00a0how it goes, but\u00a0yeah,\u00a0I think\u00a0it&#8217;s\u00a0just super difficult circumstances, and\u00a0I understand that from their perspective. I feel like they came and they put on, you know, however many guys are missing,\u00a0and\u00a0they\u00a0remained\u00a0disciplined. They were organized. They made it difficult for us to create many chances;\u00a0I was impressed again with some of the\u00a0individual\u00a0capability and some of the\u00a0duels and\u00a0their ability to protect the ball and get out of\u00a0spaces\u00a0and\u00a0just make things difficult there.\u00a0Their\u00a0discipline and the defensive side, so obviously\u00a0they&#8217;re\u00a0well coached and obviously they have good leadership over there on that side because those guys were doing what they were asked to do. They were a few minutes away from probably achieving something that they would have been pretty happy with going home and now I think, you know, I don&#8217;t know, maybe they&#8217;re happy or not, but I think they see a little more of an uphill battle just because the last few minutes we were able to grab those last two goals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On\u00a0how this result will shape the approach for the\u00a0second\u00a0leg:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI learned in Concacaf\u00a0again to not take anything too much for granted.\u00a0We&#8217;ve\u00a0got a group that\u00a0we&#8217;ve\u00a0been rotating a lot.\u00a0We&#8217;ve\u00a0been using a lot of guys, so I think\u00a0we&#8217;ll\u00a0stay within some version of our rotation. But again, seeing Harbor and Ruben and these guys come out tonight and be\u00a0impactful,\u00a0they obviously get in, put their names into the mix.\u00a0So,\u00a0I\u00a0think we\u00a0have\u00a0to\u00a0strongly\u00a0consider\u00a0what\u00a0the rotation will look like.\u00a0We have\u00a0a\u00a0busy\u00a05 games in\u00a016 days.\u00a0We&#8217;re\u00a0obviously missing some guys tonight, some of whom will be\u00a0back,\u00a0some\u00a0won&#8217;t, so\u00a0yeah, I think\u00a0we&#8217;ll\u00a0look\u00a0at it. I\u00a0haven&#8217;t\u00a0honestly\u00a0thought\u00a0about the next\u00a0game\u00a0just\u00a0yet.\u00a0We\u00a0have\u00a0to\u00a0play\u00a0on\u00a0Saturday,\u00a0and\u00a0I&#8217;ve\u00a0got\u00a0to figure out what that\u00a0group&#8217;s\u00a0going to\u00a0look\u00a0and then we can start to\u00a0approach\u00a0next week. The one thing about playing on Saturday and then not playing again\u00a0until\u00a0Thursday is\u00a0there&#8217;s\u00a0a reasonable amount of rest between those two games.\u00a0The\u00a0challenge becomes the game after Mount Pleasant as you have to travel all the way back to Portland to play a game.\u00a0So,\u00a0lots\u00a0of things to consider.\u00a0I\u00a0don&#8217;t\u00a0have\u00a0a specific plan in mind yet for sure.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On the LA Galaxy Brazilian\u00a0duo in\u00a0attack:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think\u00a0it&#8217;s\u00a0kind of coincided\u00a0here in the last few games when\u00a0we&#8217;ve\u00a0been able to get Gabe\u00a0[Pec}\u00a0on the move and working from outside,\u00a0inside,\u00a0and\u00a0Jo\u00e3o [Klauss]\u00a0being\u00a0the\u00a0strong\u00a0target post-up player that\u00a0he&#8217;s\u00a0able to be when Gabe gets moving.\u00a0He knows he can look into\u00a0him\u00a0and\u00a0play\u00a0off of\u00a0him,\u00a0and\u00a0keep moving.\u00a0I think as we get to the end lines,\u00a0Jo\u00e3o is just as\u00a0clever\u00a0at moving and finding spaces in the box so that they can\u00a0connect\u00a0and others can connect in\u00a0these little crossing situations.\u00a0Jo\u00e3o had a few chances in those situations over the course of the game. So, obviously they&#8217;ve developed a relationship and a rapport off the field and\u00a0they&#8217;ve got good chemistry and banter amongst them, and I think sometimes just those little things carry over onto the field too, and\u00a0I&#8217;m sure they talk with each other on the sides of how to find each other in the game and how to connect, and so those are how, you know, how relationships build, but I think again I think,\u00a0Jo\u00e3o is clever about his positioning and he&#8217;s\u00a0strong and\u00a0he&#8217;s\u00a0a nice target.\u00a0Gabe\u00a0is\u00a0continuing\u00a0to grow and find\u00a0those ways\u00a0to slip in and play off of a striker.\u00a0We\u00a0haven&#8217;t\u00a0always\u00a0had the striker that you could play\u00a0off of\u00a0in that\u00a0type\u00a0of way that that\u00a0Jo\u00e3o does it and so,\u00a0I\u00a0think it\u00a0gives us something a little different and gives Gabe a different piece to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES (March 11, 2026) \u2013\u00a0The LA Galaxy defeated Jamaican Premier League side Mount Pleasant FA 3\u20130 in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":649841,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,2961,224,5337,32154,50,10426],"class_list":{"0":"post-649840","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-la","11":"tag-los-angeles","12":"tag-losangeles","13":"tag-match-report","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-press-release"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116215071804029764","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=649840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/649841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=649840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=649840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=649840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}