Sporting Kansas City 2–1 LA Galaxy: Player ratings and tactical analysis from a counter-attacking victory

Sporting Kansas City are still riding a high from their 2–1 win over the LA Galaxy on Saturday night. Despite being under pressure for large parts of the match and giving up 18 shots to the Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City executed a disciplined game plan and scored twice from counter-attacks.

The Wizards have now taken four points from four MLS regular season matches. The win over the LA Galaxy lifted Sporting Kansas City off the foot of the Western Conference table. Sporting are now level on points with three other Western Conference rivals and sit just one point off the final playoff place.

The performance was far from dominant, but it was effective. Sporting KC absorbed pressure, defended in numbers, and capitalized on moments in transition. In the wake of MLS Week 4, let’s take a closer look at how Fotmob rated Sporting Kansas City’s players in their 2–1 victory.

Goalkeeper

John Pulskamp — 7.5

John Pulskamp was immense in goal for Sporting Kansas City and played an important role in securing all three points. With LA Galaxy firing 18 shots during the match, Pulskamp was forced into action repeatedly and delivered when his team needed him.

The goalkeeper finished the match with four saves. His biggest contribution came in the 82nd minute when he produced multiple acrobatic saves to prevent the Galaxy from equalizing. While Marco Reus eventually found the back of the net, Pulskamp’s overall performance ensured that Sporting maintained their lead long enough to secure the win.

Defenders

Right-back

Jake Davis — 6.7

Jake Davis started at right-back for the first time this season. With Justin Reynolds still injured and the arrival of Lasse Berg Johnsen strengthening the midfield, Davis slid into the No. 2 position.

Davis’s most important contributions came defensively, which was expected given how much of the match Sporting spent without possession. He recorded three tackles and completed 86% of his passes during the match. However, he twice gave away the ball, leading to shots from Joao Klauss that could have led to goals.

Center-back

Ethan Bartlow — 6.6

Ethan Bartlow’s inclusion in the starting XI has added experience and composure to Sporting Kansas City’s back line. Against the Galaxy, Bartlow delivered a steady performance that focused more on positioning and organization than standout defensive moments.

Bartlow finished the match with 45 touches while recording one block, three clearances, one interception, and three recoveries. While those numbers are not particularly eye-catching, they reflect a defender who quietly did his job during a match where Sporting spent much of the night absorbing pressure.

Center-back

Wyatt Meyer — 7.6

I’ve been critical of Wyatt Meyer since MLS Week 1 for his positioning, but the defender delivered his best performance of the 2026 season against the Galaxy.

Meyer recorded 12 defensive contributions during the match, including four tackles and seven clearances. His willingness to step into challenges and clear danger was essential as LA Galaxy pushed forward in search of an equalizer.

Bartlow’s presence alongside him appears to be helping stabilize Meyer. The young defender still has relatively limited MLS experience, having made just eight appearances before being released by Nashville during the offseason. With just one full MLS season under his belt, Meyer continues to develop, and this performance suggested he may be beginning to settle into the role.

Left-back

Jayden Reid — 6.5

Jayden Reid’s heat map from the match showed just how much ground he covered up and down the left flank. Reid has effectively made the left-back position his own while Zorhan Bassong remains injured, and it is difficult to imagine Bassong reclaiming the role once he returns to fitness.

Reid finished the match with 66 touches and completed 81% of his passes. Defensively, he did enough against Erik Thommy and Reuben Ramos on the Galaxy’s right side.

Galaxy right wing Gabriel Pec missed the game due to suspension, which worked in Reid’s favor. Facing Pec would have presented a more difficult challenge. One area where Reid could still improve is his attacking delivery, particularly with early diagonal crosses. However, Sporting Kansas City are not generating enough attacking sequences for that aspect of his game to consistently appear.

Midfield

Center midfielder

Jacob Bartlett — 6.9

I’ve been hard on Jacob Bartlett this season for his performances, but his display against the Galaxy showed clear improvement.

It is remarkable how much more effective Bartlett looked with an experienced midfielder like Lasse Berg Johnsen playing alongside him. Bartlett still did not see a great deal of the ball, finishing with just 39 touches, but he completed 21 of his 25 passes and recorded seven defensive contributions.

While the performance was solid, Bartlett still appears better suited to a supporting role rather than being the primary defensive presence in midfield. For now, he looks like a valuable squad option behind more experienced players.

Center midfielder

Lasse Berg Johnsen — 8.6

You could hardly ask for a better debut than the one delivered by Johnsen. The Norwegian midfielder was named man of the match thanks to his game-winning goal, but his impact went far beyond scoring.

Johnsen stabilized what had previously been a chaotic midfield. His presence allowed Manu Garcia to push higher up the pitch and become more involved in attacking play. Johnsen finished the match with 81 touches, the most of any Sporting Kansas City player, while completing 89% of his passes.

Center midfielder

Manu Garcia — 8.3

With Johnsen handling the dirty work in midfield, Garcia was able to operate much closer to goal.

Garcia frequently positioned himself near Dejan Joveljic, operating at times as an attacking midfielder, a second striker, or left wing. That positional freedom allowed him to influence the attack more than in previous games.

He finished the match with an assist after delivering a brilliant diagonal long pass to Joveljic for the opening goal. Garcia also completed 85% of his passes, created four chances, and played six passes into the final third.

The numbers highlight just how dangerous Garcia can be when he is given the freedom to focus on creativity rather than defensive responsibilities.

Attack

Right wing

Calvin Harris — 6.0

It was not a particularly impactful night for Calvin Harris. The forward has been one of Sporting Kansas City’s more promising attacking players this season, but his involvement against the Galaxy was extremely limited.

Harris recorded just 17 touches, the fewest of any Sporting Kansas City starter. That low number was not necessarily a reflection of Harris’s performance, but rather the result of Sporting’s tactical approach.

Because the team spent long stretches defending and relied on counter-attacks, the ball rarely reached the right wing when in possession. Even so, one concerning statistic was that Harris failed to complete a single dribble past a defender during the match.

Left wing

Shapi Suleymanov — 7.7

Something appears to have changed in Kansas City, because Shapi Suleymanov is suddenly delivering strong performances and receiving high ratings.

The winger was a constant runner up and down the left flank, working tirelessly both in attack and defense. Shapi completed 30 of his 37 passes while finishing the match with 54 touches. He also recorded five touches inside the opposition penalty area, demonstrating his willingness to attack dangerous spaces.

Perhaps most impressively, Shapi maintained a 100% success rate on his dribbles during the match, showing the kind of direct attacking play Sporting KC have been searching for on the wing.

Striker

Dejan Joveljic — 7.5

Joveljic continues to make something out of very little for Sporting Kansas City. He opened the scoring with a counter-attacking goal. It was a classic sucker punch against a team that had been controlling possession.

Joveljic finished the match with just 29 touches and recorded an expected goals value of 0.55. Despite limited involvement in the build-up, he still managed to deliver the opening goal.

Just as important was his contribution to the winning goal. Joveljic’s intelligent dummy from Stephen Afrifa’s pass allowed the ball to reach Johnsen, who finished to score the game-winner.

Substitutes

Stephen Afrifa — 7.4

Afrifa looks increasingly likely to play a major role for Sporting Kansas City this season, particularly in matches where the team relies on pace during counter-attacks.

The Canadian winger provided the outlet that led to the second goal. Afrifa delivered a pull-back pass that Johnsen converted, giving the winger an assist.

Afrifa recorded just 13 touches in his 19 minutes on the pitch, but one of those touches resulted directly in the winning goal. He also completed four accurate passes during his cameo appearance, making his limited time on the field highly effective.

Janse Miller — No rating

Janse Miller played just two minutes of the 90-minute match. He came on for Davis at right-back in the closing moments as Sporting Kansas City looked to shore up the defense and protect their lead.

Despite the short appearance, Miller managed to make two defensive contributions and completed two passes. His role was simple but important as Sporting KC closed out the final moments of a hard-fought victory.

Sporting Kansas City’s 2–1 win over the LA Galaxy was not a dominant performance, but it was disciplined. The Galaxy finished with 18 shots and controlled large portions of possession (61%), yet Sporting KC remained organized defensively and took their chances when they appeared. The team’s willingness to absorb pressure and strike quickly on the counter proved decisive.

Remarkably, LA Galaxy had a final xG of 2.03 compared to Sporting Kansas City’s 0.73. Performances from players like Johnsen, Garcia, and Joveljic showed how dangerous Sporting can be when the midfield functions properly.