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Galaxy finally get their first MLS win of 2025, shutting out Real Salt Lake

Galaxy midfielder Lucas Sanabria celebrates with Maya Yoshida after scoring against Real Salt Lake.
Galaxy midfielder Lucas Sanabria (8) celebrates with Maya Yoshida after scoring against Real Salt Lake in a 2-0 Galaxy win at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday night.
(Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

Lucas Sanabria scored his first goal in MLS, Joseph Paintsil added his first goal of the season and the Galaxy beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 on Saturday night to snap the longest winless streak to start a season in MLS history.

The Galaxy (1-12-4) — the defending MLS Cup champions — were winless in 16 straight and had a minus-23 goal differential during that span.

Novak Micovic finished with four saves and the 23-year-old had his — as well as the Galaxy’s — first shutout of the season.

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Salt Lake (4-10-3) is winless in seven consecutive games dating to a 3-1 win at San Diego on April 26.

The 21-year-old Sanabria put away a one-touch finish — set up perfectly by Matheus Nascimento’s feed — into a wide-open net to open the scoring in the 17th minute. It was the first goal contribution in MLS for the Nascimento, a 21-year-old rookie.

Paintsil ran down the left side onto a long ball played ahead by Gabriel Pec, cut inside to evade a defender near the corner of the area and then slipped a shot inside the back post to make it 2-0 in the 55th.

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The Galaxy are unbeaten (5-0-4) in nine straight home matches against Real Salt Lake since 2017.

Salt Lake outshot the Galaxy 20-9.

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