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Starting XI

Clement Diop; Nathan Smith, Dave Romney, Hugo Arellano, Ashley Cole; João Pedro, Rafael Garcia; Gyasi Zardes, Romain Alessandrini, Emmanuel Boateng; Jack McInerney.

Bench

Jon Kempin, Jaime Villarreal, Jose Villarreal, Bradford Jamieson IV, Ariel Lassiter, Jack McBean.

Lineup notes

The LA Galaxy will return to StubHub Center Saturday night for a matchup between the LA Galaxy and the rootin’ tootin’ Houston Dynamo of Texas, where everything is bigger.
Head Coach Curt Onalfo will play again play a 4-2-3-1 formation on Saturday, making several changes to a lineup to account for injuries, Jelle yellow card suspension and international duty, as Clement Diop returns to the lineup, Jack McInerney makes his LA Galaxy first start and Hugo Arellano makes his MLS debut. Woooo’ doggie!
In net, the young, the French and the handsome: Clement Diop returns to the lineup after a few weeks recovering from a hip injury suffered in Orlando. Clement has been one of the most talented players in USL over the past few seasons and will look to come back in net for LA with a strong performance.
On the right, the LA Galaxy Academy and LA Galaxy II product Nathan Smith makes his sixth start of his MLS career. Smith slides into the right back spot to fill in for Bradley Diallo, who suffered a hamstring knock late in training this week.
In the center of the defense, Dave Romney will make the start, marking his fifth of the season and the 15^th of his MLS career. Romney has appeared in nine games this season and has looked solid (and very, very handsome) in all of them. He is young, versatile and ready when called upon.
Next to Romney is fellow Los Dos product Hugo Arellano, who will make his debut in Major League Soccer. Arellano is one of the Galaxy’s most talented and promising prospects to come from the Academy before excelling for Galaxy II. He has captained various US Youth sides during his development.
On the left, the ageless competitor Ashley Cole makes his 11^th start of the year and the 36^th of his MLS career. Cole has proved the doubters wrong by remaining one of the top left backs in MLS.
In the center of the midfield, the always-reliable Rafael Garcia will again make the start in central midfield. Garcia has been with the Galaxy since 2012 and made 11 previous starts, including starts in the previous two games. He has quietly been a top performer in the previous three weeks for LA, since coming on for an injured Baggio Husidic.
The young and talented Portuguese midfielder João Pedro makes the start alongside Garcia, marking his 14^th of the season. In recent weeks, he has flashed his skill that made him one of the top young midfielders in Portugal’s top division. He’s just one of two Galaxy players to start every game this year.
On the right side of the midfield, Gyasi Zardes will slide out wide after playing up top to start the season. Zardes has been looking to find his form since returning to action two months ago from a preseason injury.
In the center of the midfield, pulling the strings on the offense is Frenchman Romain Alessandrini. He has six goals and six assist in his first season in MLS. He also has incredibly chiseled featured and a beautiful jaw line. Only Alessandrini and João Pedro have started each game this year.
On the left, he is oh-so-small-and-oh-so-fast, Emmanuel Boateng will make his 11^th start of the season. The Ghanaian has tallied three goals and seven assists and ran faster than a bunch of other players since joining LA last year.
Up top, in his first start for the LA Galaxy, Jack McInerney gets the nod. Despite being born in 1992, McInerney has made 170 MLS appearances and scored 43 goals during his time in MLS. Not bad.

Unavailable players

· Injury: Sebastian Lletget, Robbie Rogers, Daniel Steres, Jermaine Jones, Baggio Husidic, Raul Mendiola, Bradley Diallo, Brian Rowe

· International duty: Giovani dos Santos

· Yellow card accumulation: Jelle Van Damme

Game notes

On Saturday, after 42 days away from StubHub Center, the LA Galaxy (5-5-3, 18 points) return to MLS play when they line up against the Houston Dynamo (7-6-2, 23 points) for the first time of the season.
The LA Galaxy are unbeaten in their last six games, going 3-0-3 in that span.
Of the Galaxy’s back five, including goalkeeper Clement Diop, four of the five players are all products of LA Galaxy II in USL.
The Galaxy took all the points against Houston in 2016, outscoring them 6-1 across three wins. LA edged Houston with two 1-0 wins in both their trips to StubHub Center last year.
This year at StubHub Center, the Galaxy are 1-3-2 while scoring five goals.
All time against the Houston Dynamo, the Galaxy are 10-9-5.
Midfielder Romain Alessandrini has recorded six goals and six assists in 13 games this year, on pace for an MVP-worthy season.
Alessandrini and Pedro are the only players to have started each game of the 2017 season.

Storylines

Can the Galaxy remain unbeaten in seven-straight games?
How will the Galaxy respond to playing at home after over a month on the road?
How will an adjusted lineup fare for the Galaxy Saturday night?
What will Romain Alessandrini produce in the center of the field, away from his normal position out wide?
How will the Galaxy backline look featuring youngsters Hugo Arellano and Nathan Smith?
If everything is bigger in Texas, do the Houston Dynamo players shrink upon entrance to California?

Quick Hits:

Don Henley Lyrics – The (Galaxy) Boys of Summer

Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
The summer's out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets
The sun goes down alone
I'm driving by your house
Though I know you're not home

But I can see you-
StubHub Center still shinin' in the sun
You got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby
And I can tell you my love for LA will still be strong
After the (Galaxy) boys of summer have gone

I never will forget those nights
I wonder if it was a dream
Remember how LA made me crazy?
Remember how LA made me scream
Now I don't understand what happened to our love
But babe, I'm gonna get you back
I'm gonna show you what I'm made of

I can see you-
StubHub Center still shinin’ in the sun
I see you walking real slow and you're smilin' at everyone
I can tell you my love for LA will still be strong
After the (Galaxy) boys of summer have gone

-Don Henley

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@LAGalaxy

Starting XI: LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo | June 17, 2017

Starting XI

Bench

Lineup notes

Game notes

Storylines