The race to secure a playoff position continues in the Western Conference on Sunday, in particular when Los Angeles FC travel to face Minnesota United, who are currently sixth in the table.
Los Angeles are only three points behind Vancouver Whitecaps, who occupy the final playoff spot at the moment, while Minnesota could open up a five-point gap between themselves and Real Salt Lake depending on other results also.
Match preview
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Minnesota enter Sunday's fixture in good spirits after recording back-to-back wins in the MLS, most recently defeating Eastern Conference outfit Philadelphia Union.
Adrien Hunou had given the Loons the lead in that game, but while the visitors did manage to turn the score around, another twist in the tale came just after the hour mark when Minnesota regained their lead thanks to goals from Robin Lod and Franco Fragapane.
Adrian Heath's side managed to hold onto their 3-2 lead, despite Romain Metanire being shown a straight red card 13 minutes from time, and they secured a vital three points.
With just four games left to play, and Salt Lake with the advantage of a game in hand on the top seven, every game from here on in will feel like a must-win game for Heath and his team.
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Los Angeles are no different in terms of having to win the majority of their remaining games to break into the playoff positions, and the visitors also go into this weekend's fixture on the back of two consecutive victories.
On Thursday, Bob Bradley's team were also on the right side of a five-goal thriller at the Toyota Stadium, where they faced Dallas, who went into half time with a 2-1 lead.
A second-half comeback was on the cards for LAFC, and Cristian Arango completed his hat-trick in the 79th minute to seal three points for the playoff chasing side.
That was the second game in a row that Los Angeles have scored a trio of goals, but following that up with another game scoring three times is unlikely given that Minnesota have only conceded 12 goals at home this season.
To add to that stat, Bradley's side have not been as prolific in their road games, scoring nearly half the amount of goals on their travels than they have managed in California.
Minnesota last faced LAFC at the end of July, when the two teams played out a 2-2 draw at the Banc of California Stadium, and that game produced late drama as Hassani Dotson scored the Loons' equaliser deep into stoppage time.
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Team News
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Metanire will have to serve his suspension this weekend after his red card on Thursday, and DJ Taylor will come into the starting 11 in the right-back position.
Lod could also come into the lineup having not started in midweek, joining an attacking midfield unit along with Emmanuel Reynoso and Fragapane, behind Hunou, who will lead the line.
Bradley has more issues in terms of player availability this weekend, as Alvaro Quezada, Carlos Vela, Eddie Segura, Eduard Atuesta, Erik Duenas, Julian Gaines and Kwadwo Opoku are all sidelined due to injury.
Arango has five goals to his name in the last two matches, and his form will be a key factor in helping LAFC surge for a playoff spot, along with strike partner Danny Musovski.
Marco Farfan and Daniel Crisostomo were substituted off in the first half last time out, and Raheem Edwards is expected to come into the starting lineup this weekend after starting on the bench on Thursday.
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
Miller; Gasper, Dibassy, Boxall, Taylor; Dotson, Trapp; Fragapane, Reynoso, Lod; Hunou
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Blackman; Farfan, Murillo, Fall; Palacios, Edwards, Blessing, Blackmon; Cifuentes; Arango, Musovski
We say: Minnesota United 2-1 Los Angeles FC
Both teams come into this fixture in similar form, but being on home soil Minnesota will need to use that to their advantage at this crucial part of the season.
LAFC did record a good result in their last away game against Dallas, but Sunday's match is against a side much higher up the table, and that will be a tougher test for Bradley's side.
Top tip
Sammy Wynne
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 Minnesota United win with a probability of 40.93%. A win for Los Angeles FC had a probability of 34.11% and a draw had a probability of 25%.
The most likely scoreline for a Minnesota United win was 2-1 with a probability of 8.79%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (8.7%) and 2-0 (6.52%). The likeliest Los Angeles FC win was 1-2 (7.9%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.72%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.7% likelihood.
