Alan Pulido's late PK gives Sporting KC draw with Galaxy

Alan Pulido converted from the penalty spot in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to complete his second multi-goal performance in three games and rescue a 2-2 draw for visiting Sporting Kansas City against the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night.

Pulido's penalty, earned when Remi Walter's shot struck Galaxy defender Daniel Aguirre's arm, was good for the 32-year-old striker's seventh goal of the season.

The last six of those have come during a blistering four-match run for the Mexican target man who missed all of 2022 recovering from knee surgery.

Pulido's late heroics canceled Preston Judd's second career MLS goal for the Galaxy (3-9-5, 14 points). Martin Caceres also scored his second goal of the season for LA, which has drawn both its matches since losing Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez for the season to an ACL tear.

Sporting Kansas City (5-9-6, 21 points) avoided their first back-to-back defeats since April, in a game where they created a majority of the chances. The visitors outshot the Galaxy 21-10 overall and 5-2 in efforts on target.

But Judd put the Galaxy in front on a powerful 64th-minute header after he ran onto a perfect ball over the top from Riqui Puig.

The goal came in just his second MLS start and 11th appearance. The 24-year-old had spent the previous two seasons with the LA Galaxy II in the second-tier USL Championship.

That appeared to be holding as a match winner until SKC benefitted from the good fortune of Aguirre's handball.

Pulido stepped forward and hammered his second penalty of the season into the top left corner. Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond guessed in the correct direction but couldn't get enough of a hand on the effort to keep it out.

Much earlier, in the 12th minute, Pulido opened the scoring when he headed Erik Thommy's cross past Bond from about 8 yards out.

Caceres leveled in the 24th minute when he headed home Douglas Costa's free kick service.

--Field Level Media