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MONTREAL — Daniel Ríos scored his first goal in MLS and Prince Owusu also scored a goal for CF Montreal in a 2-2 tie with the Galaxy on Saturday night.

Goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski, shown a red card in the 68th minute, was replaced by Novak Micovic and the Galaxy played a man down the rest of the way. The Galaxy have drawn red cards in three consecutive games.

Owusu scored his career-high tying 13th goal this season to make it 2-2 in the 79th minute. The 29-year-old forward, who also scored 13 goals for Montreal last season, has a goal in four consecutive games and scored seven goals in the past seven.

Montreal (6-10-5) has a season-long four-game unbeaten streak.

Rubén Ramos Jr. and Maya Yoshida each scored a goal for the Galaxy (6-9-7), who beat San José 1-0 on Wednesday to snap a six-game winless streak.

Ríos made his debut for Montreal and opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Matty Longstaff played a low ball into the area from the right side that was parried by Marcinkowski at the front post before Ríos tapped in the rebound from point-blank range.

Ramos scored his first career MLS goal in the 20th. On the counter-attack, Kyōgo Furuhashi played a first-touch shot off a cross from Robert Taylor that was stopped by goalkeeper Thomas Gillier, but Ramos slammed home the putback to make it 1-1.

Yoshida back-heeled a shot from the center of the area into the net to give the Galaxy a 2-1 lead in the 48th minute.

Joseph Paintsil scored a short-handed goal in the 79th minute to lead the Galaxy to a 1-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night.

Paintsil used assists from rookie defender Harbor Miller and Marco Reus to find the net for the fifth time this season. Miller’s helper was his second, while Reus collected his seventh.

The Galaxy (6-8-7) were forced to play a man down from the 45th minute on after midfielder Lucas Sanabria was tagged with a pair of yellow cards in the final nine minutes of the first half.

JT Marcinkowski saved five shots for the Galaxy for his third clean sheet in 16 starts this season.

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano started in his first home match for the Galaxy after coming off the bench last time out in his debut.

Angus Gunn totaled six saves for San Jose (10-7-3) in his fifth MLS start. The 30-year-old surrendered 12 goals in his first four outings.

The Galaxy ended an 0-3-3 winless skid and won for the first time since beating the Sounders 2-0 in Seattle on May 16.

San Jose has dropped three in a row and is 0-4-1 since July 1.

The two clubs played to a 1-1 draw in San Jose earlier this season.

HOUSTON — Guilherme Santos scored on a first-half penalty kick and Jonathan Bond posted his fourth clean sheet in a row to help the Houston Dynamo beat the Galaxy 1-0 on Saturday night.

Bond did not need to make a save in running his scoreless streak to 372 minutes as Houston upped its unbeaten run to seven at 5-0-2. The 33-year-old notched his seventh shutout this season, matching his total from last year — his first with the Dynamo. Bond had four clean sheets in 89 starts with the Galaxy from 2021-23.

The Dynamo (11-6-2) are the hottest team in the Western Conference with a 9-2-2 record over their last 13 matches.

Santos scored his 12th goal this season — in the 21st minute — to put Houston in front for good. The PK was awarded after Galaxy defender John Nelson fouled Lawrence Ennali.

Defender Emiro Garces subbed in for Maya Yoshida to begin the second half and was tagged with a red card in the 58th minute, leaving the Galaxy a man down.

JT Marcinkowski had one save for the Galaxy (5-8-7), who dropped to 0-3-2 in their past five matches.

Houston’s Ibrahim Aliyu picked up two yellow cards in second-half stoppage time, leading to a red-card exit.

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano subbed into the match in the second half in his first appearance with the Galaxy after posting nine goals and 10 assists in 27 appearances with San Diego FC last season.

Galaxy midfielder Elijah Wynder left with an injury in the 54th minute and was replaced by Isaiah Parente.

Up next for the Galaxy: vs. San José Earthquakes at Dignity Health Sports Park on Wednesday.

Spanish midfielder Sergi Roberto has joined the Galaxy to a contract that runs through 2028.

The Galaxy announced the deal Saturday with the 34-year-old Roberto, who spent the past two seasons at Serie A’s Como following the conclusion of his 18-year career at Barcelona in 2024. His Galaxy contract contains an option for the 2028-29 season.

“Sergi brings a combination of leadership, technical quality, tactical intelligence and championship experience that few players have,” Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz said in a statement. “He has been a key member of some of the greatest teams of his generation and understands not only what it takes to win, but what it means to be a winning team. Sergi’s character, positional versatility, and leadership will be invaluable.”

Roberto was a resourceful central midfielder for Barcelona’s dominant teams built around Lionel Messi throughout the 2010s, earning 25 trophies in all competitions with the Blaugrana.

After making his first-team debut at 18 years old, he recorded 19 goals and 43 assists in 373 appearances, culminating in a year as Barca’s captain in 2023-24. The club won seven La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions League crowns during his tenure.

Roberto then moved to Como to play two seasons under former teammate Cesc Fabregas, playing a role in the club’s first qualification for the Champions League.

Roberto will join German star Marco Reus in the Galaxy midfield. He will also be reunited with former Barcelona teammate Riqui Puig, who is expected to return for the Galaxy in 2027 after missing two straight seasons because of injury.

The Galaxy are sitting 12th in the Western Conference standings during another disappointing season, but they are making moves in an attempt to finish strong and make the MLS playoffs before moving into 2027 with a revamped roster. Since winning their record sixth MLS Cup title in 2024, the Galaxy have won just 12 of their 53 subsequent MLS matches.

The Galaxy acquired Roberto one day after agreeing to a loan deal for Mexican forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano from San Diego FC.

While Roberto was a key contributor at Barcelona for over a decade, he has made only 11 international appearances for Spain, which had many of soccer’s greatest midfielders during his prime, including Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets.

Beacham writes for the Associated Press.

The Galaxy announced on Friday Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is joining its roster, making one of the most significant moves of the MLS transfer window in an attempt to turn around a disappointing season while the team still has a chance to make the playoffs.

The Mexican forward arrives on loan from San Diego FC through December with an option to buy. Lozano will occupy a designated player spot, becoming the new offensive leader of the team coached by Greg Vanney for the final stretch of the season.

Although his time with San Diego FC began in June 2024 with high expectations as the first designated player signed in the club’s history, the relationship between Lozano and the club deteriorated.

The Mexican forward suffered several muscle injuries that limited his playing time last season and toward the end of Lozano’s tenure, coach Mikey Varas opted not to feature Lozano because he didn’t fit with the club’s sporting vision.

The combination of physical problems and internal disagreements ultimately paved the way for his departure even though he made a strong offensive impact.

“Hirving is a player whom we tried to acquire three years ago, so this feels like something of a full-circle moment. He is a fierce competitor with an excellent track record of performing on teams that have competed for titles in multiple leagues, including his debut season in MLS,” Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz said.

Kuntz said after evaluating various options to strengthen the roster, the club concluded that Lozano was the ideal fit to help them tackle the final 15 games of the season.

“We have a talented group, a strong locker room, and a clear objective over these final 15 games of the season, and we are thrilled that Hirving and his family are joining the Galaxy,” Kuntz said.

In 33 matches with San Diego FC, Lozano recorded 20 goal contributions, including goals and assists.

Before arriving in MLS, Lozano made his professional debut with Pachuca, where he won the 2016 Clausura and the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League, a tournament in which he finished as the top scorer.

He later moved to PSV Eindhoven, where he won the Eredivisie title in the 2017–18 season before signing with Napoli in Italy. With the Neapolitan club, he played in 155 matches, scored 30 goals and was part of the historic squad that won the Scudetto in the 2022–23 season, ending a wait of more than three decades for the club.

He returned to PSV in 2023 and added two more consecutive Dutch league titles before embarking on his MLS adventure.

With the Mexican national team, he has accumulated more than 70 international appearances, 18 goals, and 12 assists.

He etched his name into Mexican soccer history by scoring the goal that gave El Tri a 1-0 victory over Germany at the 2018 World Cup in Russia — one of the national team’s most important World Cup victories.

He also represented Mexico at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, in addition to competing in the Copa América, the Confederations Cup, the Gold Cup and the CONCACAF Nations League. In 2018, he was named CONCACAF Player of the Year.

At 31, Lozano joins the Galaxy —which no longer has Gabriel Pec — as the team seeks to strengthen its attack to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.

The Galaxy hope to capitalize on his speed, ability to play on both wings and experience in high-pressure situations.

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 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 L.A.’s back line and chipped home on the counter in the 68th minute.

Elgersma, a 22-year-old midfielder who starred at Redlands High, entered his second MLS match as a late substitute and ruined Roman Bürki’s clean sheet.

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.

The Son, as they say, will come out tomorrow.

Bet your bottom dollar that Son Heung-min, LAFC’s $26 million man — the record MLS fee for an incoming player — would peel himself off the mat and clear away the cobwebs and sorrows of the past few weeks and months.

He did it with a sizzling, right-footed goal in the 57th minute of LAFC’s 3-0 victory Friday over the Galaxy in the 27th rendition of El Tráfico and the first this year. Also, the first crosstown showdown of Son’s so-far, so-so tenure in L.A.

His arrival last August from Tottenham Hotspur in England’s Premier League was met with uncommon fanfare. Here came another global soccer icon to Major League Soccer — and to L.A., where the South Korean sensation was welcomed enthusiastically by a Korean diaspora that’s about 250,000 strong.

LAFC forward Son Heung-Min celebrates after scoring a goal against the Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson on Friday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

The first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot, Mayor Karen Bass spoke at Son’s introductory news conference. The Dodgers invited him to throw out the first pitch on Shohei Ohtani’s bobblehead night (and turned around this season and produced a bobblehead of Son throwing that pitch).

His first LAFC goal — a free kick over the wall in a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas — was named the MLS’s goal of the year. After notching 173 goals across all competitions with Tottenham Hotspur, he finished with nine goals in his first 10 regular-season appearances for LAFC.

Then the scoring stopped. As if someone turned off the spigot.

Before Friday, Son recorded nine assists but no goals over 13 unlucky matches this season. He went 44 shots without striking a goal. And 237 days between goals, according to The Chosun Daily’s tally.

Yeah, just a bit of what his LAFC teammate Mark Delgado described as “a drought.”

Most painfully, Son also was shut out in South Korea’s disastrously short World Cup stay.

South Korea entered the tournament with the expectation that its “golden generation” – led by Son – would reach the knockout stage. But after it opened Group A with a 2-1 win over Czechia, the Koreans lost 1-0 to Mexico and 1-0 to South Africa and failed to qualify for the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-placed teams.

The uproar in South Korea that followed included the country’s president demanding an investigation.

Mexico’s Julián Quiñones and South Korea’s Son Heung-min vie for the ball during a World Cup match on June 18 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

(Ricardo Mazalan / Ap Photo/ricardo Mazalan)

For his part, a heartbroken Son shared a statement on Instagram: “I don’t dare to convey the disappointment and hurt of the fans with a single word ‘sorry.’ So even saying those words feels insufficient.”

It was impossible not to wonder: What the heck?

Where was the version of Son that everyone was celebrating a year ago?

How did the 34-year-old’s game decline so suddenly?

Was this a classic case of overpromising and underdelivering?

It still might be. LAFC — now 8-5-3 and third in MLS’s Western Conference — is going to face tougher competition in the days ahead than the work-in-progress Galaxy.

But on Friday, the center-forward was aggressive and in control. He took two shots in the first seven minutes, both blocked by defenders. He toyed with the Galaxy just before halftime, lining up to take a penalty before turning it over to Denis Bouanga, who scored to make it 2-0.

Then he and Delgado exchanged passes in the second half to set up Son’s first goal in darn near forever.

LAFC coach Marc Dos Santos gave Son 10 days off after the World Cup, but Son said he was eager to return to L.A., because he so enjoys the camaraderie of this club.

Those good vibes were on display when Son’s shot whizzed between two defenders and the outstretched arms of Galaxy goalkeeper Novak Micovic.

Son put his finger to his lips in the universal “shhh” sign and then did his patented camera celebration — click! — miming a snapshot. Because every goal is precious, and let’s be real, you never know when another will come.

LAFC’s Son Heung-Min celebrates after scoring what could be a breakthough goal against the rival Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson on Friday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

Around him, the crowd and his colleagues went wild.

Dos Santos did some vein-popping flexing on the sideline. Mathieu Choinière pumped his fists as though he were operating a handcrank. Jacob Shaffelburg and Ryan Hollingshead flanked him on either side as though posing for a family photo. Son’s hair got tousled and nobody wearing black and gold could stop smiling.

“He deserves it, coming back from an emotional World Cup, and joining us right away,” Dos Santos said.

“He’s a great guy,” Delgado said. “He’s been in a bit of a goal drought, and, you know, we all want him to score. We all, he’s always smiling, and in training, he’s always scoring.

“And we’re like, ‘yeah, we need that, we need that!’ Trying to give him confidence,” Delgado continued. “And in games, he finally is getting that confidence back. So to see him score and put the ball in the net and just see his face light up with a smile is awesome. We all want to see him succeed here. We all want him to lead this club like we know he can.”

Now the goal is to keep the goals coming.

“Scoring the first goal of this season, I think it [will] help me,” Son said. “I think, definitely, going forward through the second part of the season. So, let’s keep going, and hope Wednesday [against Salt Lake] I can score another goal.”

Son Heung-min scored his first goal of the season, Denis Bouanga continued his scoring streak in El Tráfico, and LAFC beat the Galaxy 3-0 on Friday night at Dignity Health Sports Park following an international break for the World Cup.

LAFC (8-5-3) evened the all-time series with the Galaxy at 10-10-7. The Galaxy (5-6-5) entered unbeaten in their last three meetings with LAFC.

Mark Delgado, who played for the Galaxy from 2022-24, opened the scoring in the 26th minute. Delgado’s initial header was blocked but it came right back to him for a shot past goalkeeper Novak Micovic.

Bouanga made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time on a penalty kick that Micovic got a hand on. Bouanga has scored 11 goals in 10 matches against the Galaxy across all competitions and has scored in the last seven meetings, the longest streak in the rivalry’s history.

LAFC forward Denis Bouanga does a flip after scoring on a penalty kick against the Galaxy in the first half Friday.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

Son scored in the 57th after getting a pass back from Delgado.

Up next for LAFC: Hosts Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Up next for the Galaxy: Host St. Louis on Wednesday.

July 13 (UPI) — Scientists have discovered erythrulose, a type of sugar also found in raspberries, in a gas cloud near the center of the Milky Way, the galaxy that also includes our solar system.

This is the first time that researchers have discovered this sugar outside our solar system, although they have found other sugars, including ribose and glucose, in meteorites and asteroids. The study was published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Along with water and carbon, sugars are a key ingredient in life as we know it. They help to provide energy and serve other important purposes, researchers said.

“We were able to achieve this detection thanks to the combination of exceptionally sensitive observations, extensive frequency coverage and highly accurate laboratory spectroscopic data,” said Dr. Izaskun Jiménez-Serra, study co-author and staff researcher at the Spanish National Research Council. “In addition, our astronomical target is one of the richest chemical inventories in the galaxy, which enhances the probabilities of detection.”

Jiménez-Serra said erythrulose is “particularly relevant for the field of origins of life.”

Erythrulose is made up of four carbon atoms. It was confirmed by use of the Yebes 40-meter telescope and IRAM 30-meter telescopes in Spain, the study said.

The discovery is notable in part because it shows researchers that erythrulose could be found in the interstellar medium before finding its way into rocky planets such as Earth when they first formed, rather than later developing on the young planet. Lab experiments had shown that not enough of the sugar could have formed on pre-life Earth.

“The findings suggest that erythrulose can be made from simpler molecules on dust grains in space, and may then become part of more complex chemical systems,” researchers said.

Erythrulose is important because it changes the makeup of threose, another sugar, which in turn may be part of the origin of the nucleic acids that became RNA and DNA.