LA Galaxy and LAFC will face off in a special edition of El Trafico at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Two of Major League Soccer’s most popular sides will renew their rivalry out West, in a record-breaking match. The confrontation is set to break MLS history, with the most attendance for a match between two league teams.
It’s the second straight in-state opponent for the Galaxy, as Greg Vanney’s side comes off of a draw against the San Jose Earthquakes given Cristian Espinoza’s a late equalizer to level the game at two a piece. Despite the point, the Gs still sit in 13th place in the Western Conference with 16 points from 19 games.
The Black and Gold, on the other hand, have began to turn heads, and not in a good way. After falling short in the Concacaf Champions League (now the Champions Cup), LAFC have seen a dip in their results, winning just twice since June 4, the day of the CCL final. They fell to the Jesus Ferreira-less FC Dallas in their most recent outing, 2-0, and are hoping to bounce back against their rivals.
LAFC have collected 32 points from 19 games and are second in the West.
The most recent result between the two was a US Open Cup clash where the Galaxy triumphed 2-0. LA Galaxy still lead the series, with eight wins to LAFC’s six, with five draws taking place since their first ever meeting in 2018.
Will the Galaxy get a huge result as they aim to turn their season around, or will LAFC win their fourth straight over the Gs in league play?
When is kick-off? 10:30 PM EST
Where is the game being played? Rose Bowl
TV channel/live stream? MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
What time does TV coverage start? 10:15 PM EST
The Galaxy made the decision to waive center back Serge Coulibaly, just shortly after it was announced Martin Caceres, also a center back, is out for the rest of the season after suffering a broken knee cap. Things are looking grim in the defense department for LA, especially without the young Jalen Neal as he’s on international duty at the Gold Cup with the US men’s national team.
Dejan Joveljic, Douglas Costa, and Tyler Boyd will shoulder goal-scoring duties in the absence of Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, after he suffered an ACL tear to miss the rest of the 2023 season.
Memo Rodriguez’s thigh injury will keep him out of action until later this month, with Efrain Alvarez and Gino Vivi filling in for him in the wider areas of the field.
The Galaxy’s last five games has been the story for them all season: a long winless streak. The Gs have only lost once in their last five outings, but the other four games were all draws against San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids, Sporting Kansas City, and St. Louis City. The sole defeat came at the hands Real Salt Lake, 3-2.
Defender Aaron Long is unavailable for selection as he’s with the USMNT at the Gold Cup. Fellow defender Jesus Murillo also misses out due to a lower extremity injury and is expected to be back later this month.
Fullback Sergi Palencia also has a lower extremity injury that has him sidelined until the middle of the month.
LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo will lean on Diego Palacio, Giorgio Chiellini, and Denil Maldonado to shore up the backline for the time being.
The Black and Gold can’t catch a break at the back. Goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who’s been second choice this season behind John McCarthy, sustained a leg injury that keeps him out of action until the middle of July. Eldin Jakupovic will more than likely take his place as the backup, making two appearances this season.
LAFC’s last five games have gone better than their rivals’, but it still isn’t up to their standards. They’ve been victorious twice, dropping the other three games. The wins came against Seattle Sounders,1-0, and Sporting KC, 2-1. The three losses were against the abovementiond FC Dallas (2-0), Vancouver Whitecaps (3-2), and Houston Dynamo (1-0).
Since the game is being played at a different venue and is sold out with 80,000 fans expected to attend, the contest should have a great atmosphere surrounding it. Despite both clubs being in not-so-great form as of late, everyone knows that form goes out of the window when it comes to rivalry games.
Both sides still have figures that can create magic going forward; for the Galaxy, they have the experienced Douglas Costa and Tyler Boyd, while LAFC have the electrifying Denis Boaunga as well as the veteran Carlos Vela. Both sides should have plenty of chances to score with their defensive woes.
Prediction: LA Galaxy 2 – LAFC 2
