Ramirez and LA Galaxy secure a 1–1 draw on the road

The LA Galaxy traveled to Panama on Thursday and secured a 1–1 draw against Sporting San Miguelito in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup Round One series.

Match recap

The hosts struck first late in the opening half. In the 37th minute, Rodrigo Tello connected on a cross and headed it in at the far post to give Sporting San Miguelito a 1–0 lead.

The Galaxy pushed back in the second half and found their equalizer in the 68th minute. Joseph Paintsil pounced on a deflected ball inside the penalty area and finished it to level the score at 1–1. LA Galaxy survived a late scare when a long cross hit the crossbar in the final 10 minutes, allowing them to return to California with a crucial away goal and the aggregate score tied.

Ramirez's performance

The veteran forward earned a spot in the starting XI for the Galaxy as they kicked off their continental campaign.

• The shift: Christian Ramirez started the match and played 58 minutes up top for the Galaxy before being substituted.
• The impact: He registered 17 touches during his time on the pitch, including two touches inside the opposition box. He recorded one shot that was off target, generating 0.02 expected goals and 0.02 expected assists without creating a chance.
• The distribution: He completed 10 of his 13 pass attempts for a 77 percent completion rate. He actively pushed the attack forward, making six passes into the final third and successfully completing his only long ball attempt. He was dispossessed once and caught offside once.
• The battles: Defensively, he recorded one recovery but was unable to win either of his two ground duels. He did not record any aerial duels and committed one foul during his shift.

Up next

The Galaxy will head back to California to host Sporting San Miguelito in the decisive second leg next week.