CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Matheus Nascimento and Joseph Paintsil each scored a goal on Saturday night to help the LA Galaxy beat Minnesota United 2-1 in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Minnesota (16-8-10) is fourth in the Western Conference and will play fifth-seeded Seattle in the best-of-three first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.
Nascimento gave LA (7-18-9) the lead for good when he scored on first-touch shot from the center of the area in the 12th minute.
Paintsil, on the counter-attack, outraced the defense down the left sideline and then bounced a low shot off the far post and then slammed home his own rebound to make it 2-0 in the 52nd.
Joaquín Pereyra scored in the fifth minute stoppage time for Minnesota.
A couple minutes later, the Galaxy’s Edwin Cerrillo was shown a yellow card in the 67th and another, resulting in a red, in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
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