Starting XI

Brian Rowe; Bradley Diallo, Daniel Steres, Jelle Van Damme ©, Ashley Cole; João Pedro, Baggio Husidic; Romain Alessandrini, Jermaine Jones, Emmanuel Boateng; Giovani dos Santos.

Bench

Jon Kempin, Rafael Garcia, Dave Romney, Nathan Smith, Jose Villarreal, Jack McInerney, Jack McBean

Lineup notes

• It’s Wawa vs. In N’ Out. Cheesesteaks vs. tacos. The Liberty Bell vs. the Hollywood sign. Pale skin vs. tan skin. The LA Galaxy vs. Philadelphia Union. All these and more collide Saturday night when the Galaxy host the Union at StubHub Center live on Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum Deportes.
• Head Coach Curt Onalfo will roll out a 4-2-3-1 formation that will feature two changes to his starting lineup from last weekend’s match vs. Seattle as Baggio Husidic and Bradley Diallo will start in place of Gyasi Zardes and Nathan Smith.
• In net, goalkeeper Brian Rowe will make his second-straight start as Clement Diop recovers from a hip injury. Last year, he was among MLS’ best in net, going 12-5-14 with a 1.07 GAA.
• On the right, the steady defender Bradley Diallo gets the start at right back, filling in for Nathan Smith. Diallo has been one of LA Galaxy II’s best defenders in previous seasons before signing with the first team this offseason.
• In the center of defense, the incredibly consistent Daniel Steres will make his eight start of 2017 and his 37^th of his career. Currently, the Calabasas product has made 38 career MLS appearances, with 36 coming at starts.
• Big, bald, beautiful, Belgian. Jelle Van Damme, the LA Galaxy captain, will continue to lead the Galaxy from his spot in central defense. Van Damme is arguably the top central defender in Major League Soccer and inarguably the baldest.
• On the left, the young-at-heart-but-a-little-older-in-body Ashley Cole makes his fifth-straight start after missing the first few games of the year. Cole has picked up where he left off from last year and is in strong form.
• In the central midfielder, Baggio Husidic makes his second start of the season to bolder the midfield position. Husidic entered the match in the first half of last weekend’s game and helped balance the center of the field.
• Alongside Husidic is Portuguese midfielder João Pedro, who will have started in all eight of the Galaxy’s games this year. Pedro benefitted from the change in midfield last weekend playing alongside Husidic, and will look to carry that into Saturday.
• On the right side of the midfield, one of Major League Soccer’s best players through the first seven games of the season, the Frenchman Romain Alessandrini is set to make his eighth start. He has four goals and two assists in his last five games.
• Playing an attacking role in the center of the field, midfielder Jermaine Jones will make the start. Jones will push higher in the field Saturday as the Galaxy look to press Philly.
• On the left side, the quite-very-small-but-so-very-fast midfielder Emmanuel Boateng will run up and down the field at a very fast pace and look to create goals for LA on the evening.
• Up top, Giovani dos Santos slots into the role as a striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation to create offense. Gio is looking to get into gear for 2017; last year, he tallied 14 goals and 12 assists.

Additional notes

• Forward Gyasi Zardes will be out of the 18 for the match Saturday after suffering from illness throughout the week.
• Jack McInerney will be in the 18-man roster against his former team for the first time since joining the LA Galaxy.

Game notes

• All time, the Galaxy have gone 6-1-2 against the Union, including a 4-1-0 record in LA.
• Last time at StubHub Center, the Galaxy dominated the Union in a 5-1 victory on June 20, 2015.
• The two sides met last season at Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia and played to a 2-2 draw.
• The Galaxy are 1-3-0 at StubHub Center in 2017, scoring three goals.
• Over the past five years, the Galaxy have recorded the best record at home in Major League Soccer, going 44-10-19 at StubHub Center while scoring 153 goals and allowing just 64 for a +89 goal differential.
• Romain Alessandrini has scored four goals and recorded two assists in his last five contests, among the highest of any player in Major League Soccer.

Storylines

• How will the Galaxy respond to a home loss last weekend to Seattle?
• How will the Galaxy’s shuffled midfield fare with Jones higher up the field?
• Can Giovani dos Santos lead the Galaxy attack?
• Will Jack McInerney make his Galaxy debut vs. his former team?
• If you had to choose to only eat either cheesesteaks or tacos for the remainder of your life, what type of meat would you use for your tacos?

Quick Hits

• Match preview
• We celebrate Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as Community Partner of the Match tonight and Gio wants to play footgolf with you to benefit them
• King’s Night! LA Galaxy to celebrate Los Angeles neighbors during Saturday’s match
• Soccer and Hockey; not as different as you think
• As Ryan Gosling said, LA is a City of Stars Champions. Arrive early and get this dope Galaxy//Kings scarf

Martha and the Vandellas Lyrics – Dancing Soccer in the Street:

Calling out around the world,
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer's here and the time is right
For soccer in the street
They're soccering in StubHub Center,
Down in New Orleans,
In New York City.
All we need is soccer, sweet soccer.
There'll be Galaxy everywhere.
There'll be swinging and swaying and soccer playing,
Soccer in the street.
Oh, it doesn't matter what you wear,
Just as long as you are there.
So come on, every guy, grab a ball.
Everywhere around the world
They'll be soccer.
They're soccering in the street.
-Martha and the Vandellas (1964)