CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy enter Saturday’s match against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas (6 p.m., Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Time Warner Cable Deportes) with a palpable sense of optimism.
They’re not only coming off a 3-1 victory over Western Conference rival Seattle last Sunday at StubHub Center but also on the heels of their first road triumph in almost a year, a come-from-behind, 3-1 decision over the Colorado Rapids on Aug. 6. Steven Gerrard and Giovani Dos Santos, who scored in his MLS debut last weekend, have been fully integrated into the lineup and the Galaxy (11-7-7, 40 points, second in the West behind Vancouver) appear ready to put together a strong run to finish the regular season.
But head coach Bruce Arena and defender Omar Gonzalez chose to take a much more cautionary approach.
“Our goal is to try and get our team better as we move forward,” Arena said. “If we get better the wins will take care of themselves.”
Added Gonzalez, “We’re feeling good but we’re not over-confident. We know that every game is going to be tough and we have to show up with the right mentality. If we don’t we’ll lose.
“There’s a fine balance of being confident but not cocky. Everyone’s feeling good right now, we’re healthy and we’re ready to get on the road and hopefully come back with three points.”
Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 90’s at game time Saturday in Frisco, Texas where the Galaxy will be facing a team that had a five-game winning streak snapped in a 2-0 loss at Chicago on Aug. 2 that marked FC Dallas’ first setback since June 13 (a 3-0 defeat at Seattle). Dallas (11-6-5, 38 points, third in the West) had gone 5-0-1 and outscored opponents 14-3 during that impressive run.
FC Dallas, a 2-1 winner in the season’s first meeting with the Galaxy on May 9 at Toyota Stadium on goals by Mauro Diaz and Tesho Akindele, is led by Fabian Castillo’s eight goals and five each from Diaz and Blas Perez. Robbie Keane tops the Galaxy with 11 goals, including eight in his last five league matches.
Keane said he has been pleased with the Galaxy’s growing optimism, but he also wanted to temper it a bit.
“The reason why we’ve been champions the last few years is because we’ve had that winning mentality,” he said. “At the same time you can’t get too carried away with yourself and think that you’re going to win every game or win the championship because it’s not that easy.
“When you work hard and you give everything you have for the team I think with the ability we have on the team everything will take care of itself. Nothing comes on a plate for anybody; it hasn’t been since I’ve been here.
“You have to earn it.”
FC Dallas vs. LA Galaxy
TOYOTA STADIUM, Frisco, Texas
August 15, 2015 (MLS Game #239)
9 pm ET (MLS LIVE)
A massive match in the Western Conference is ahead when FC Dallas play host to the LA Galaxy on Saturday evening at Toyota Stadium. The clubs sit in second and third place in the division, with the Galaxy just two points ahead of FC Dallas, just two points behind conference leaders Vancouver Whitecaps FC. FCD returns to action after a weekend off, seeing their five-game winning streak put to an end in a 2-0 loss at the Chicago Fire, while the Galaxy hit the road off a second consecutive win, a 3-1 defeat of Seattle Sounders FC at StubHub Center.
- FC Dallas return to action after seeing their five-game winning streak put to an end last time out, falling 2-0 at the Chicago Fire on Aug. 2. It was their first defeat since June 13.
- Giovani dos Santos scored a goal and added an assist in his MLS debut, and Robbie Keane scored his eighth league goal over the last five matches, as the Galaxy cruised to a 3-1 win against Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday afternoon at StubHub Center.
- The Galaxy have now won five consecutive league games at StubHub Center, scoring 22 goals; over their last eight home games in all competitions, they have netted 33 goals.
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Mauro Diaz and Tesho Akindele scored goals late in the second half to pull FC Dallas back from a deficit for a 2-1 win May 9 at Toyota Stadium.
- FCD has won the last two games in Frisco, their first victories at home vs. the Galaxy since 2011. The Galaxy are undefeated in Carson over the last seven meetings vs. FC Dallas in league play, dating back to the start of the 2010 season, going 6-0-1 in that time.
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REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar
MLS Career: 207 games; FC/gm: 26.7; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 58; pens: 70
AR1 (bench): C.J. Morgante; AR2 (opposite): Michael Kampmeinert; 4th: Armando Villarreal
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DAL: Atiba Harris, Ryan Hollingshead … LA: Baggio Husidic
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DAL: Matt Hedges, Victor Ulloa, Dan Kennedy, Kellyn Acosta … LA: Juninho, Mika Vayrynen, Omar Gonzalez
DISABLED LIST: LA: Brian Perk (season-ending injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (64 meetings): FC Dallas 22 wins (1 shootout), 86 goals …Galaxy 31 wins (1 shootout), 113 goals … Ties 11
AT DALLAS (32 meetings): FC Dallas 17 wins (0 shootout), 55 goals … Galaxy 8 wins (1 shootout), 47 goals … Ties 7
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