Ghana winger Joseph Paintsil reached double figures in goals for the season with a well-taken finish on Sunday night as LA Galaxy defeated Vancouver Whitecaps 4-2 at Dignity Health Park.
After a disappointing loss to Portland Timbers in their previous match, Galaxy started strong with Gabriel Pec scoring in the first half.
Vancouver’s Sebastian Berhalter then scored an own goal shortly after halftime, but Brian White pulled one back for the visitors.
Paintsil restored Galaxy’s two-goal lead, receiving a brilliant setup from Pec and Riqui Puig for his 10th league goal of the season.
Puig added a final touch in stoppage time, though Sam Adekugbe scored another for Vancouver.
With this win, LA Galaxy now holds a seven-point lead at the top of the Western Conference over second-place Real Salt Lake, who have a game in hand.
Paintsil’s performance also includes nine assists, marking his best scoring season since his time at Genk, where he scored 17 goals and provided 12 assists.
Meanwhile, Osman Bukari’s Austin FC suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Houston Dynamo, placing them 11th in the Western Conference.
