Ghana forward Joseph Paintsil against delivered a significant impact for the Los Angeles Galaxy, scoring in the first half of their 4-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids to secure MLS Cup playoffs semifinal spot on Friday night.
Gabriel Pec opened the scoring just eight minutes into the match. He deftly redirected a clearance attempt by Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen into the net, giving the Galaxy an early lead.
The Rapids quickly responded, leveling the score in the 19th minute with an unassisted goal from Oliver Larraz, marking his first postseason goal.
However, the Galaxy regained their advantage just before halftime. In the third minute of stoppage time, Paintsil connected with a pass from Maya Yoshida to score his first playoff goal, sending LA into the break with a 2-1 lead.
Midfielder Riqui Puig, who had already dazzled fans with a brace in the Galaxy’s previous 5-0 win, capped off the victory with two goals in stoppage time, finding the net in both the first and third minutes of added time.
Throughout the 2024 MLS season, Paintsil has tallied 11 goals and seven assists in 31 appearances.
