First place in the Western Conference is within reach for the Los Angeles Galaxy this week, as they prepare to host the Colorado Rapids at Dignity Health Tennis Center on Tuesday.
LA moved into second place in the conference with a 1-0 win over Minnesota United this past weekend, while the Burgundy Boys beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1 in their previous match.
Match preview
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The second-highest scoring team out west at the moment have been getting it done lately in a way that we are not used to seeing, posting two clean sheets in their last three matches.
Greg Vanney has to be pleased that his side have been finding ways to earn points, though they allowed a lot of scoring opportunities on Saturday to the Loons but were rescued by some outstanding goalkeeping.
LA are unbeaten in their last four home fixtures, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 8-3 over that stretch and are only two points behind Sporting Kansas City for first place in the Western Conference.
No matter how they get it done, three points is three points, and more often than not, this team have found ways to earn three points, which has made a big difference in the table, as they are tied for the second-most wins in the league with 11.
As good as they have been in front of goal this season, they have had their struggles when facing the Rapids, as they have been held off the scoresheet in their last two home fixtures against them, losing their previous three matches to the Burgundy Boys and scoring only one goal over that time.
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This weekend, Colorado did what they have done for almost the entire season, answering a draw with a victory, as they took care of the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.
Robin Fraser saw his team strike after only five minutes of play, and even though they gave up the equaliser late in the first half, the Rapids came out very determined with two goals in the final half-hour to hand the Dynamo their first home defeat of this campaign.
The conditions in Houston were not ideal, and the humidity seemed to affect the Rapids' rhythm, as they had a 78% pass accuracy and conceded 10 shots on target.
They have been dynamic on set pieces lately, scoring off a corner kick early against the Dynamo and have been equally strong on the counter.
Fraser has seen his team develop a killer instinct, and they showed that in the second half versus Houston, catching them in transition and making the most of their opportunities, although they could have scored a lot more.
Saturday was not their finest display defensively, but William Yarbrough bailed them out with some splendid saves and has only conceded one goal in his last three starts.
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Team News
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The Galaxy are still missing Ethan Zubak because of health and safety protocols, while Chicharito is questionable with an undisclosed injury and Victor Vazquez came on as a substitute after seemingly recovering from an unknown issue.
Jonathan Klinsmann almost single-handedly gave the Galaxy three points on Saturday, making six splendid saved to earn his first clean sheet of the season in his first start of 2021, replacing Jonathan Bond.
Kevin Cabral has stepped up in the absence of Chicharito with a goal in each of his last two matches, while Dejan Joveljic and Niko Hamalainen made their Galaxy debuts on Saturday.
Younes Namli remains out for the Rapids with an undisclosed injury, while Dominique Badji made his first appearance for the club since being traded back to Colorado in late July, coming on as a late second-half substitute against Houston.
Jack Price earned his team-leading sixth assist of the year on Saturday, the 26th in his Rapids career, putting him into a tie for fifth all-time in club history with Dillon Powers.
Michael Barrios scored his team-leading fifth goal of this campaign, and Cole Bassett made his 15th start of the season, a career-high for the home-grown midfielder, who also set up the insurance goal by Braian Galvan in the 80th minute.
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Fisher, Williams, Coulibaly, Araujo; Lletget, Dos Santos; Cabral, Alvarez, Vazquez; Joveljic
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Yarbrough; Wilson, Abubakar, Rosenberry; Warner, Kaye, Price, Bassett; Lewis, Barrios; Rubio
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 1-2 Colorado Rapids
The Galaxy escaped with three points this past weekend in a match where they were thoroughly dominated, and even though they have had other players step up, they still lack some offensive potency without their top goalscorer.
The Rapids have been strong defensively all season, allowing the second-fewest goals in MLS, and they have been exceptionally sharp against some top sides, holding Sporting Kansas City to zero shots on target and allowing only one shot on goal to the Sounders last month.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Los Angeles Galaxy win with a probability of 45.09%. A win for Colorado Rapids had a probability of 30.35% and a draw had a probability of 24.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Los Angeles Galaxy win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.22%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (9.1%) and 2-0 (7.27%). The likeliest Colorado Rapids win was 1-2 (7.31%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.53%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.3% likelihood.
