MLS champs Galaxy lose 4th straight to start year

Cedric Teuchert scored a goal with an assist as St. Louis City SC picked up its first win of the season and extended the misery of the defending champion LA Galaxy with a 3-0 victory Sunday in Carson, California.

Marcel Hartel and Simon Becher also scored goals for St. Louis City (1-0-2, 5 points), who found the back of the net for the first time this season after opening with a pair of scoreless draws. Roman Burki made eight saves for his third clean sheet in three games.

St. Louis City is the 11th team in MLS history to not allow a goal over their first three league games in a season.

The Galaxy have not only lost all three MLS games this season, its four straight to begin 2025 when counting a Concacaf Champions Cup loss last week to Costa Rica's CS Herediano. The Galaxy are the first team in MLS history to start a title defense with three consecutive league losses.

Novak Micovic made two saves for the Galaxy (0-3-0, 0 points), who have given up seven total goals in their three MLS defeats so far this season, while scoring once.

The Galaxy offense went on the attack early as Marco Reus hit the right post after a deflection from Burki, with Harbor Miller's shot on the rebound going over the crossbar.

Christian Ramirez had a point-blank shot in the 34th minute for the home side that again was saved by Burki.

St. Louis City took a 1-0 lead just before half-time when Micovic failed to handle a corner kick from Hartel and Teuchert cleaned up a loose ball in front of the goal.

Just four minutes into the second half, Hartel delivered his own score in transition into the top left corner of the goal off an assist from Teuchert.

Again, the Galaxy just missed scoring a goal in the 83rd minute when Gabriel Pec's shot from well outside of the penalty area went just over the crossbar. St. Louis City countered immediately as Becher scored in transition less than a minute later off a lead pass from Kyle Hiebert.

The defending league champions have scored just one goal in their three losses this season without star playmaker Riqui Puig and rampaging forward Joseph Paintsil. Both key components of last year's team are out indefinitely with significant injuries, and LA has been unable to compensate even though healthy stars Gabriel Pec and Reus repeatedly created scoring chances against St. Louis.