Starting XI: David Bingham; Daniel Steres, Michael Ciani, Jorgen Skjelvik, Ashley Cole ©; Perry Kitchen, Jonathan dos Santos; Chris Pontius, Romain Alessandrini, Ola Kamara; Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Bench: Justin Vom Steeg, Emrah Klimenta, Dave Romney, Servando Carrasco, Baggio Husidic, Sebastian Lletget, Emmanuel Boateng.
Lineup Notes:
- Yee-haw! The LA Galaxy are back in Texas for the second straight weekend, this time with a contest against Western Conference FC Dallas on a scorching-hot day at Toyota Stadium.
- Head coach Sigi Schmid will make a few tweaks to the lineup on Saturday, with Daniel Steres, Jonathan dos Santos and Chris Pontius all making the start after beginning on the bench last weekend.
- LA’s guardian of the Galaxy, David Bingham will continue in what will mark his 10th start of the year – one of just three players to start in each game this season for LA.
- On the right side of the backline, Daniel Steres will earn his sixth start of the season, the 56th start of his MLS career. Steres has been one of the most utilized defenders for LA over the last few seasons.
- Jorgen Skjelvik, an athletic center back from Norway, will make his 10th start of the year as one of the three Galaxy players to start in each match this season.
- French defender Michael Ciani will continue starting in the center along the back line after a string of solid performances. Ciani boasts experience playing across Europe before he joined the Galaxy later last season.
- On the left, Ashley Cole continues to captain the side in his third season with the LA Galaxy. Cole, at age 37, has still displayed what has made him a world-class defender during his career.
- In the center of the pitch, the Galaxy welcome back midfielder Jonathan dos Santos into the starting XI after fully recovering from a calf (the muscle, not the baby cow) issue. Dos Santos has been one of the most influential players on the field this year for LA.
- Alongside Dos Santos is Perry Kitchen, whose skillset pairs extremely well with JDS in the central midfield. Kitchen is the other Galaxy player who has started in all contests this year for the Galaxy. All three were offseason additions.
- MLS veteran Chris Pontius will return to the starting XI for his third start of the season. With 46 MLS goals to his name, Pontius is the Galaxy’s leader in total MLS goals scored during his career.
- The playmaker on Saturday will be Romain Alessandrini, who is looking to regain his form that saw him tally 14 goals and 12 assists a season ago. Alessandrini will look to pull the strings on offense on Saturday for the Galaxy.
- Norwegian forward Ola Kamara will continue playing up top in a wider position after finding success there in the previous two weeks, scoring two-straight goals. Kamara has been one of the most lethal goalscorers in MLS since 2016, scoring 37 total.
- Up top is Zlatan Ibrahimović, a Swedish player who can play soccer well.
Additional lineup note:
- Giovani dos Santos did not travel with the team to Frisco after picking up a small knock late in training this week.
Game notes:
- All-time, the LA Galaxy are 33-25-12 against FC Dallas while going 9-19-7 against the team on the road.
- This year, the Galaxy are 1-2-1 on the road in 2018 while FC Dallas are 2-0-3 at home.
- The Galaxy lost both fixtures to Dallas last year at the beginning and end of the season.
- The Galaxy dropped their 2017 Home Opener in a 2-1 loss to Dallas on March 4 and ended the season with a 5-1 loss on Oct. 22, 2017.
- In their last road contest this weekend, the LA Galaxy suffered a 3-2 loss to Houston Dynamo. Ola Kamara and Giovani dos Santos both scored in the contest, with each now having scored in back-to-back games.
Storylines:
- Will the Galaxy bounce back from last weekend’s result vs. Houston?
- Can the Galaxy find a result on the road during a three-game road stretch?
- How will Saturday’s heat affect the contest in Frisco?
- Can Ola Kamara continue his two-game scoring streak?
- Per usual:
- How long will Zlatan play?
- Will Zlatan score a goal?
- Will another Zlatan goal go viral?
Quick hits:
- Preview:
- Zlatan, the best fortune teller in the universe:
- A look inside the mind of Ashley Cole:
- Zlatan on amending the Galaxy:
- Check out these highlights – two LA Galaxy Academy products went off earlier this week for Los Dos:
Blame it on the Boogie – The Jackson 5
My baby's always dancin'
And it wouldn't be a bad thing
But I don't get no lovin'
And that's no lie
We spent the night in Frisco
At every kind of disco
From that night I kissed our love goodbye
Don't blame it on the sunshine
Don't blame it on the moonlight
Don't blame it on good times
Blame it on the boogie
Don't you blame it on sunshine
Don't blame it on moonlight
Don't blame it on good time
Blame it on the boogie
That nasty boogie bugs me
But somehow it has drugged me
Spellbound rhythm gets me on my feet
I've changed my life completely
I've seen the lightening leave me
My baby just can't take her eyes off me
Don't blame it on the sunshine
Don't blame it on the moonlight
Don't blame it on good times
Blame it on the boogie
- The Jackson 5 (1978)
