Starting XI presented by Modelo: Sporting KC vs. LA Galaxy | October 6, 2018

StartingXI 2018
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Starting XI presented by Modelo: Sporting KC vs. LA Galaxy | October 6, 2018 -

Starting XI


David Bingham; Sheanon Williams, Daniel Steres, Dave Romney, Ashley Cole ©; Ema Boateng, Sebastian Lletget, Jonathan dos Santos; Romain Alessandrini; Ola Kamara, Zlatan Ibrahimović.


Bench


Justin Vom Steeg, Michael Ciani, Jorgen Skjelvik, Servando Carrasco, Perry Kitchen, Baggio Husidic, Ariel Lassiter.


Lineup Notes


  • Three games left and points are needed as LA Galaxy make their first trip of the season for a crucial match against Sporting KC.
  • Saturday’s meeting will mark the second of the season between the two teams, with Sporting KC winning the first contest by a score of 2-0 on April 8 at StubHub Center.
  • In his fourth game as Interim Head Coach, Dominic Kinnear will be forced to make one change to the lineup that earned consecutive 3-0 victories at home against Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Sheanon Williams will take the field for Rolf Feltscher, who was suspended from the match against KC for yellow card suspension. Feltscher will leave to join the Venezuelan National Team on Saturday, earning his second consecutive call-up with the team earlier this week.
  • In net, David Bingham will get his 32nd start of the MLS Regular Season, playing every single minute between the pipes this year for the Galaxy. Bingham has played all 34 games only twice in his eight-year MLS career, in 2015 and 2016 with the San Jose Earthquakes.
  • Sheanon Williams makes his first start for the LA Galaxy since joining the club in the summer. Williams has made six substitute appearances for the Galaxy this season. The Galaxy are 5-0-1 when he appears in a match.
  • Daniel Steres returns to anchor the back line in a third straight start. Steres’ only other stretch of consecutive starts was a stretch of five starts that stretched from March 24 to April 21.
  • Dave Romney makes his 22nd consecutive start of the season, one of Kinnear’s best utility defenseman available. The Galaxy are 10-7-8 when Dave Romney has played this season; that’s a PPG total higher than any other Galaxy defender.
  • Veteran Ashley Cole will captain the side from the left back position. Cole has recorded eight assists on the campaign this season, second only to Zlatan Ibrahimović.
  • On the right, the speedy and dangerous Emmanuel Boateng gets his 10th start of the season for the Galaxy. It’ll be Boateng’s third consecutive start, a mark he’s reached only once this season.
  • Three games left and points are needed as LA Galaxy make their first trip of the season for a crucial match against Sporting KC.
  • Saturday’s meeting will mark the second of the season between the two teams, with Sporting KC winning the first contest by a score of 2-0 on April 8 at StubHub Center.
  • In his fourth game as Interim Head Coach, Dominic Kinnear will be forced to make one change to the lineup that earned consecutive 3-0 victories at home against Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Sheanon Williams will take the field for Rolf Feltscher, who was suspended from the match against KC for yellow card suspension. Feltscher will leave to join the Venezuelan National Team on Saturday, earning his second consecutive call-up with the team earlier this week.
  • In net, David Bingham will get his 32nd start of the MLS Regular Season, playing every single minute between the pipes this year for the Galaxy. Bingham has played all 34 games only twice in his eight-year MLS career, in 2015 and 2016 with the San Jose Earthquakes.
  • Sheanon Williams makes his first start for the LA Galaxy since joining the club in the summer. Williams has made six substitute appearances for the Galaxy this season. The Galaxy are 5-0-1 when he appears in a match.
  • Daniel Steres returns to anchor the back line in a third straight start. Steres’ only other stretch of consecutive starts was a stretch of five starts that stretched from March 24 to April 21.
  • Dave Romney makes his 22nd consecutive start of the season, one of Kinnear’s best utility defenseman available. The Galaxy are 10-7-8 when Dave Romney has played this season; that’s a PPG total higher than any other Galaxy defender.
  • Veteran Ashley Cole will captain the side from the left back position. Cole has recorded eight assists on the campaign this season, second only to Zlatan Ibrahimović.
  • On the right, the speedy and dangerous Emmanuel Boateng gets his 10th start of the season for the Galaxy. It’ll be Boateng’s third consecutive start, a mark he’s reached only once this season.
  • In the middle is Sebastian Lletget, who is ready to make his 80th appearance in an LA Galaxy uniform. This will be the third consecutive game with Lletget and Dos Santos in central midfield. The previous two matches turned out really well.
  • Next to Lletget is Jonathan dos Santos, one of the biggest keys to the LA Galaxy’s success in their last two outings. The Galaxy are 10-7-3 with JDS on the field, the best PPG of any Galaxy player with over 10 appearances.
  • On the left is Romain Alessandrini, fresh off of reaching 10 goals for a second consecutive season in MLS. Alessandrini has scored or assisted in nine of his last 10 appearances.
  • Up top is Ola Kamara, who has scored in two of his last three appearances. The offseason addition has shown steady production up top, scoring 11 goals in 28 appearances this season. It’s his third consecutive season in MLS with 10 or more goals. He’s one of the hardest working players on the field for the LA Galaxy.
  • Leading the way is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Lion is leading the LA Galaxy’s playoff charge. With 20 goals and nine assists in 24 appearances, he’s been one of the most productive players in MLS this season. That’s 1.39 goals and assists per 90 minutes this season. MVP??????????


Game Notes


  • The Galaxy are 12-11-8 on the year, with 60 goals scored and 59 goals conceded.
  • The Galaxy are the highest scoring team in the Western Conference.
    • Sporting KC are one of the conference’s best defenses, ranking second in fewest goals allowed.
  • This year, the Galaxy are 4-7-4 on the road. SKC are 9-2-4.
  • The Galaxy haven’t beaten Sporting KC since 2015 (2-1 win on April 18, 2015 at StubHub Center). The Galaxy haven’t won in Kansas City since Sept. 27, 2007 at Arrowhead Stadium.
  • Zlatan Ibrahimović averages 1.39 goals or assists per 90 minutes this season.
  • Romain Alessandrini has recorded 7 goals and 6 assists in his last 10 appearances. In that stretch, he’s only gone one match without getting on the scoresheet.
  • The Galaxy are 5-1-5 when leading at halftime and 8-2-6 when scoring the first goal of the match.
  • Conversely, they are 4-8-1 when trailing at half and 4-9-1 when conceding first this year.
  • Heading into the weekend, LA Galaxy sit seventh in the Western Conference standings, two points off of 6th place Real Salt Lake.


Storylines


  • It’s one of the Galaxy’s toughest tests to finish the season. Can a result here propel them into playoff position?
  • Can the Galaxy turn their luck around in Kansas City?
  • Will Zlatan Ibrahimović bolster his MLS MVP campaign with another impressive performance?
  • How will Sheanon Williams fare in his first start for LA?
  • Can Zlatan continue to lead one of the league’s most productive attacking teams?


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