MacNaughton, Hartel score late 1st-half goals to send streaking St. Louis past Galaxy 3-1

Lukas MacNaughton and Marcel Hartel scored four minutes apart late in the first half to break open St. Louis City's 3-1 victory over the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night.

Simon Becher scored in the second half after Galaxy defender Emiro Garcés was sent off in the 49th minute with his second yellow card, and St. Louis cruised to its third straight win.

St. Louis, which is unbeaten in six straight since early May, also leapfrogged the Galaxy into the Western Conference's playoff positions with this victory.

Troy Elgersma scored his first MLS goal in the 86th minute for the Galaxy, who have lost two home matches by a combined 6-1 since selling top goal-scorer Gabriel Pec to Brazil's Cruzeiro for a club-record fee of at least $12 million during the World Cup break. Pec had 43 goals and 28 assists across 101 matches for the Galaxy.

MacNaughton opened the scoring in the 42nd minute when he glided through the box and headed Hartel's corner in off the Galaxy's back post.

With Galaxy captain Marco Reus down behind the play after a St. Louis player stepped on his foot in the first minute of stoppage time, Hartel dribbled outside the penalty area and looped in a shot that froze goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski, who made eight saves. The teams exchanged shoves after the goal, with Reus and Garcés receiving yellow cards.

Garcés was sent off shortly after the break for kicking the ball away after a foul.

Becher sneaked behind LA's back line and chipped home on the counter in the 68th minute.

Elgersma, a 22-year-old midfielder from Redlands, California, entered his second MLS match as a late substitute and ruined Roman Bürki's clean sheet.

Teenager Harbor Miller started in Pec's place on LA's front line for the Galaxy, whose fans chanted "We want better!" in the second half. The Galaxy are awaiting the arrival of Kyōgo Furuhashi after acquiring the Japanese striker from Birmingham City on Tuesday.

João Klauss, the longtime St. Louis forward acquired by the Galaxy in January, has been out since undergoing foot surgery in April.