ORLANDO, Fla. – The LA Galaxy (2-3-0) face a tough test on their hands when they take on red-hot Orlando City SC (3-1-0) on Saturday.
The Lions are unbeaten in their sparkling new Orlando City SC Stadium with a 3-0 record at home including a 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls last week. The trial is a difficult one for Los Angeles, but the Galaxy have been no slouches away from StubHub Center with a victory vs. Real Salt Lake as well as impressive flashes in their defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Tasked with stopping the in-form Lions, head coach Curt Onalfo says his squad must be wary of the home side on Saturday.
“They’re good. They’ve got a great home field advantage," Onalfo told reporters. "They’re really hard to break down defensively, and they’ve got some very talented attacking options. They’re a very good team, and we know it’s going to be an enormous challenge as it always is on the road.”
Added midfielder Jermaine Jones, “It’s a nice stadium and a good atmosphere. It’s what you want as a soccer player.
Leading the way for Orlando is striker Cyle Larin who has scored three goals in four appearances for the Lions this season. Fresh off notching back-to-back double-digit goal seasons, Larin seems primed for another strong campaign and will be a major point of emphasis for the Galaxy defense.
"We defended him well last year. I think that we just need to do what we did last season and stay switched on for 90 minutes," captain Jelle Van Damme said. "If we stay focused, we can get the result that we need."
