Ghana international Joseph Paintsil delivered a match-turning performance on Saturday night as LA Galaxy fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Petar Musa struck first in just the seventh minute after capitalising on an errant pass from Galaxy centre-back Maya Yoshida, before adding his second in the 38th minute when Logan Farrington played the ball wide for Christian Cappis to cross, with Musa sliding it home to put Dallas firmly in control.
The 28-year-old Paintsil, making his first MLS start since returning from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him for several weeks, proved to be the catalyst for Galaxy’s resurgence. In the 43rd minute he set up Lucas Sanabria to halve the deficit, before completing the comeback in stoppage time of the first half, latching onto a through ball from Gabriel Pec and finishing emphatically to level at 2-2.
A scoreless second half followed, though Paintsil was inches away from a winning goal ten minutes after the restart, only to fire narrowly wide when through on goal. A Dallas strike was also ruled out for offside in the 73rd minute as both sides pushed for a winner that never came.
Speaking after the match, Paintsil reflected openly on his return from injury. “It’s been a rough journey for me with injuries,” he said. “But now just thank God for me coming back, me having an assist and a goal. It seems really wonderful.” He also acknowledged the difficulty of away fixtures, adding that the squad remained determined to push forward as the season progresses, with a fixture against Columbus Crew on the horizon.
Paintsil has now recorded 48 goal contributions across 72 career appearances in all competitions for LA Galaxy since joining the club from Belgian Pro League side K.R.C. Genk. Ghana qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by defeating Central African Republic and Comoros in October 2025, and Paintsil’s return to form comes at an ideal moment as the Black Stars prepare for football’s biggest stage.
