Paintsil’s goal lifts Galaxy over Earthquakes

Joseph Paintsil scored a shorthanded goal in the 79th minute to help the Los Angeles Galaxy defeat the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 on Wednesday night. The Galaxy midfielder utilized assists from rookie defender Harbor Miller and Marco Reus to find the back of the net for the fifth time this season. Miller contributed his second assist, while Reus collected his seventh.

The Galaxy (6-8-7) fielded a man down from the 45th minute following midfielder Lucas Sanabria's accumulation of two yellow cards in the first half. JT Marcinkowski kept five shots from San Jose goalkeepers Angus Gunn at bay for his third clean sheet in 16 starts this season. Hirving "Chucky" Lozano made his first home appearance for the Galaxy in this match, coming on as a substitute for his previous debut.

San Jose goalkeeper Angus Gunn registered his fifth MLS start in the match and conceded 12 goals in his initial four outings. The victory lifted Los Angeles out of a 0-3-3 winless streak and marked their first triumph since defeating Seattle 2-0 on May 16. San Jose has slumped to three consecutive losses and is currently 0-4-1 since July 1. The teams had previously drawn 1-1 in a match earlier this season in San Jose.