The Los Angeles Galaxy and Austin FC will face each other for the second time this month in the 14th match of the Major League Soccer regular season for both clubs.
LA won the first game in the Texas capital, 1-0, and the Verde and Black will be seeking their first victory at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday.
Match preview
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A solid start to the month of May has turned stale for Greg Vanney and his side, who are winless in three straight domestic encounters, having dropped into sixth place in the Western Conference, just two points above the playoff line.
They looked vastly improved on the defensive side through the first 10 games of the season, conceding only seven times, however, LA have allowed that same amount of goals in their last three MLS affairs.
We have seen them look extremely vulnerable from open play on their current slump, conceding three goals in back-to-back home fixtures.
They did however get a big lift from their U.S. Open Cup clash on Wednesday, when they beat their arch rivals Los Angeles FC, 3-1 in El Traffico.
The Galaxy like to play on the front foot and maintain possession for long stretches, which they have been able to do often, though their link-up play has struggled this month, scoring only twice on their last 13 efforts on target in MLS.
Their ball movements have been sharp, and we are seeing improvements when it comes to defending set pieces, which are two positive steps for a team who are having a rough go of it domestically at the moment.
Los Angeles spent a lot of money on wingers before the start of the regular season in hopes of adding another dimension and more depth to an attack which has been inconsistent lately, scoring a goal or fewer in their last seven league contests.
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Austin made a big statement just over a week ago by upsetting Los Angeles FC 2-1 on the road, temporarily climbing into first place in the Western Conference.
Last Sunday, the Verde and Black showed a lot of character in the final 45 minutes, erasing a two-goal deficit versus Orlando City to earn a draw (2-2), as they have now picked up eight points in 2022 when conceding first.
Given the fact that they are only in their second MLS campaign, currently 10 places higher than they ended 2021, while also holding the second-best goal differential in the league right now (+13), it is a sign of how much growth Austin have gone through in a short amount of time.
Despite being near the top of the table all year long, currently second in the Western Conference, there are still plenty of questions about whether Josh Wolff's men are simply overachieving or a legitimate force in Major League Soccer.
They showed that they could play with composure and strength in the opening stages of their first six games, allowing just one first-half tally, but lately, Austin have looked asleep from the opening whistle, conceding six goals in the opening 45 minutes since then, half of which came before the 10-minute mark.
We have not seen them play a decisive 90 minutes of football yet this year, however, when you have the quality which Wolff can count on in the attacking third, it might only take one moment of magic for them to turn a game around.
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Team News
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In their first meeting against Austin earlier this month, Mark Delgado fired home the only goal, while Jonathan Bond only had to make two saves to collect the clean sheet.
Douglas Costa scored his first goal of the season in their last MLS match played at Dignity Health Sports Park, while Chicharito has not found the back of the net in seven straight domestic encounters, though he did score in their victory versus LAFC this week, with the winner coming courtesy of Kevin Cabral.
This season, Samuel Grandsir is tied with Raheem Edwards for the team lead in terms of assists for the Galaxy, as they both have three.
Adam Saldana remains sidelined with a left ankle problem, Jorge Villafana has an issue with his left knee, Sacha Kljestan is nursing a sore hip and Eriq Zavaleta remains questionable due to an upper leg injury.
Sebastian Driussi added to his goal tally for the season, with the Austin attacker notching his eighth of the campaign in their draw versus Orlando, as he is currently one back of Jesus Ferreira for the Golden Boot, while Moussa Djitte put home the equaliser deep into injury time, his first of the season.
Brad Stuver has started the last two games in goal for the Verde and Black after recovering from a right knee laceration, while Jon Gallagher and Daniel Pereira replaced Zan Kolmanic and Jhojan Valencia in the starting 11 versus the Lions.
After notching a brace in their 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in April, Maximiliano Urruti is without a goal in his last five games, while Diego Fagundez is tied with Carles Gil for the league lead in assists with seven.
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Leerdham, Coulibaly, DePuy, Edwards; Raveloson, Delgado; Alvarez, Grandsir, Costa; Chicharito
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Lima, Cascante, Gabrielsen, Jimenez; Ring, Pereira; Valencia, Driussi, Fagundez; Urruti
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 1-3 Austin FC
This encounter comes at a bad time for the Galaxy, who played their bitter rivals Los Angeles FC at the U.S. Open Cup in midweek, and given the emotional and physical toll that El Traffico can have, it could be difficult for them to maintain the intensity needed this weekend.
In their last three games, five different Austin players have got their name on the scoresheet, which shows that they are not a one-dimensional team, and we expect them to successfully exploit a Galaxy side who at the moment have left their share of gaps at the back.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
