The Los Angeles Galaxy have a chance to earn their first-ever victory against Atlanta United when the two sides meet in Major League Soccer action on Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
LA are clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with two more victories than the Portland Timbers, while the Five Stripes are three points back of the final postseason place in the East after coming back to draw Orlando City, 1-1 at home last Sunday.
Match preview
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This stage of the 2022 MLS campaign has an eerily similar feeling to the inaugural one for Greg Vanney and his Galaxy a year ago, with LA having dropped three matches in a row.
In 2021 a solid beginning to their campaign could not be sustained long term, as they went winless from Matchday 20 to 28, and another tough stretch like that this time out could mean another season without playoff soccer for the former five-time MLS Cup champs.
It appeared as though Vanney had found the solution to their defensive woes from a year ago when they conceded a goal or fewer in nine of their opening 10 games of 2022, however, lately, they have looked unorganised and timid on the back end, conceding multiple strikes in three of their last four domestic affairs, while failing to tally in the first-half since a 4-0 win over CF Montreal to kick off the month of July.
Last year they were able to remain in contention and above the playoff line for quite a while because of their quality in the attacking third, but the Galaxy have not managed to be as potent when facing the Five Stripes, losing all three of their previous MLS meetings against them by a combined score of 9-0.
They have been reasonably sharp in the final third this season, as more individuals are chipping in with tallies, with six players having scored multiple times, and 13 contributing at least one assist.
Besides an impressive display at home to Montreal at the beginning of this month, LA have been poor starters throughout the campaign, tallying only once in the opening 45 minutes in their previous 10 domestic affairs.
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Sitting in 11th place with 14 matches left to play does not sound like an encouraging sign for Gonzalo Pineda and his Atlanta unit.
The Five Stripes boss will feel better, however, about how his team have responded following a poor effort at home to Austin FC when they lost 3-0, going unbeaten in back-to-back matches since then.
The public bashing that Josef Martinez did to his team following that defeat can either demoralize a group or bring them together.
For the moment, it appears like the latter has occurred as Atlanta look much more energized and committed than they often have this season.
Atlanta have only missed the playoffs once since entering the league, and it was around this point of the 2021 campaign when they managed to revitalize a season that looked like it was going south early on.
They showed a lot of resilience last weekend at home to the Lions and were rewarded with an equalising goal to collect a well-deserved single point.
Their ball movements and technical ability continues to shine as they have had possession for long stretches with some solid build-up play, and there is reason for cautious optimism among this group because of how well-organised and composed they have looked when defending counter-attacks in recent outings.
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Team News
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Dejan Joveljic has tallied in five straight home fixtures for the Galaxy, joining Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robbie Keane, Carlos Ruiz, Welton and Eduardo Hurtado as the only other players in franchise history to achieve such a feat.
Julian Araujo and Chicharito will be attending the MLS all-star game next month in Minnesota, while Samuel Grandsir and Raheem Edwards are tied for the team lead in assists with three each.
Nick DePuy will miss this encounter due to yellow card accumulation, Jorge Villafana is out with a left knee issue, while Mark Delgado and Chicharito will be questionable due to health and safety protocols.
Juan Sanchez Purata notched his first career goal in MLS a week ago to help Atlanta earn a point at home inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Thiago Almada picked up his team-leading fifth assist of the 2022 campaign on that goal, while Ronaldo Cisneros continues to lead them in tallies this season with six.
The club recently announced the signing of midfielder Ajani Fortune as a homegrown player, while Dylan Castanheira, Brad Guzan and Miles Robinson are done for the year with Achilles injuries.
Osvaldo Alonso is also unlikely to play again this year with a torn ACL, Ronald Hernandez and Brooks Lennon have MCL issues, while Emerson Hyndman and Andrew Gutman are out with quad injuries.
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Gasper, Coulibaly, Williams, J. Araujo; Edwards, Kljestan, Vazquez; Alvarez; Joveljic, Costa
Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Rios Novo; Purata, Franco, Campbell; Almada, Rossetto; L. Araujo, Sosa, Moreno, Dwyer; Martinez
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 1-1 Atlanta United
The Galaxy are trending downward right now, and it is difficult to feel a lot of confidence in their defensive set-up given how they have fared in recent games.
Fortunately for them, Atlanta are not looking consistently potent in the attacking third when you consider the high-priced talent on the roster.
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