A pair of struggling sides in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer will battle on Tuesday as Minnesota United host Los Angeles FC at Allianz Field.
Heading into this encounter, the Loons have lost three in a row, dropping a 1-0 decision to the Portland Timbers on Saturday, while LA have dropped five of their last six games, falling 2-1 against Dallas over the weekend.
Match preview
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Only a few weeks ago, the Loons were one of the hottest clubs in MLS, with points in 10 of their 11 domestic matches played between the end of June and August 27.
Since then, it has been a very different story for Adrian Heath and his men, who have failed to tally in three consecutive outings.
Their current slump has put some pressure on them in the Western Conference playoff battle as the gap between themselves and those chasing them is much tighter, with the Loons a mere four points above that postseason line with four matches remaining.
While their margin for error is much thinner, their schedule down the stretch is favourable, as three of their final four regular-season opponents are currently outside of the playoff picture.
Minnesota have only suffered one defeat at home in their last nine outings in all competitions, posting a pair of clean sheets over that span.
The Loons have never lost in three previous matches against the Black and Gold at Allianz Field, and they have outscored them 7-3 in those encounters.
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With a playoff berth already assured, LAFC seem to have taken their foot off the gas, earning points in only one encounter since August 20.
That slump has dropped them into second place in the Supporters' Shield standings, trailing the Philadelphia Union by three points.
Their defeat to the Toros over the weekend was the first time since October last year that the Black and Gold dropped points from a winning position, ending a run of 20 consecutive victories when leading an MLS encounter.
While their hopes of setting a new MLS record for points can no longer happen, Steve Cherundolo has them within a victory of clinching the top spot in the Western Conference.
It has been no secret this year that LAFC are pushing all of their chips into winning the MLS Cup this year, but despite all of the quality and experience they have acquired over the transfer windows, there seems to be a lack of continuity with them right now.
The joint highest scoring team in the Western Conference (60 goals) have only been able to find the back of the net once in each of their last four road fixtures, losing every one of those games.
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Team News
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Dayne St. Clair only faced one shot for Minnesota against Portland, but he could not prevent Dairon Asprilla from scoring, and the Canadian has conceded seven goals in his last three games.
An own goal from Fafa Picault and a late strike from Luis Amarilla helped them beat the Houston Dynamo 2-1, the last victory for the Loons, while Alan Benitez picked up his second assist of the season in that triumph.
Franco Fragapane will be suspended for this match, leading goalscorer Emanuel Reynoso sat out of their previous game with a sprained ankle, while Bongokuhle Hlongwane has a knee injury.
Bakaye Dibassy and Callum Montgomery are dealing with thigh issues, Jacori Hayes is still experiencing pain in his lower leg, while Hassani Dotson remains out with a knee injury.
Cristian Arango tallied his team-leading 16th of the season for LA on Saturday, Giorgio Chiellini collected his first career MLS assist and Carlos Vela made his 100th career MLS start.
Ryan Hollingshead and Jose Cifuentes had the only tallies in their 2-0 win over the Loons earlier this season, as Diego Palacios collected an assist and Maxime Crepeau made four saves to pick up the clean sheet.
Palacios will be suspended for this encounter following his caution versus Dallas, Hollingshead was dismissed after 13 minutes last weekend, while Cherundolo made one change to his starting 11 against the Toros as Vela replaced Kwadwo Opoku in the attack, with the Ghanaian beginning alongside Arango and Denis Bouanga.
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
St. Clair; Taylor, Lawrence, Kallman, Boxall, Fisher; Arriaga, Trapp; Lod; Amarilla, Danladi
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Segura, Chiellini, Murillo, Escobar; Cifuentes, Sanchez, Blessing; Bouanga, Arango, Vela
We say: Minnesota United 1-2 Los Angeles FC
Both teams have depth at virtually every position, but despite their recent slump, LA have been a little sharper in the attacking third, while the Loons are struggling to score once again.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
