St. Louis City and the Los Angeles Galaxy played to a thrilling 3-3 draw on Saturday, with Joao Klauss stealing the show with a hat trick, his first in MLS. The Brazilian striker's heroics, which included a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer, ensured St. Louis salvaged a point at home.
Klauss opened the scoring in the 35th minute, demonstrating excellent interplay with Marcel Hartel. A short pass from Klauss to Hartel was quickly returned, allowing Klauss to slot the ball home, beating Galaxy goalkeeper Novak Micovic with a left-footed shot that slipped through his legs.
The Galaxy responded just six minutes later when Gabriel Pec finished off a cross from Marco Reus, leveling the score at 1-1. Pec's goal was a composed, left-footed strike that left St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki with no chance.
St. Louis regained the lead early in the second half, with Klauss again finding the net in the 47th minute. Célio Pompeu delivered an excellent long ball, and Klauss ran onto it, unleashing a powerful right-footed shot that soared into the top corner of the net.
However, the Galaxy refused to back down. Matheus Nascimento scored his first MLS goal in the 51st minute, bringing the score level once more. Nascimento's goal was a well-taken, one-touch finish from near the penalty spot, assisted by a clever back-heel pass from Reus.
As the game entered its final stages, it appeared the Galaxy had secured their first win in 17 matches, thanks to a late goal from Pec in the 87th minute. A misjudged pass by Joey Zalinsky, compounded by a slip from Jayden Reid, allowed Pec to capitalize and slot the ball into an empty net, giving the Galaxy a 3-2 lead.
But Klauss had the final say. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, a free kick from Bürki was flicked on by Timo Baumgartl into the path of Klauss, who coolly finished with a first-time shot into the back of the net, completing his hat trick and securing a point for St. Louis.
The draw sees St. Louis City's record under interim coach David Critchley improve to 2-1-0. St. Louis has had the upper hand in their matchups against the Galaxy, with two wins and four draws in their all-time encounters. The Galaxy, meanwhile, remain winless in their last two outings after enduring a 16-game winless streak to start the season.
