LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 35
StubHub Center — Carson
October 28 — 4:30 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)
The playoff picture couldn’t be clearer for the LA Galaxy: Beat the Houston Dynamo on Decision Day presented by AT&T and you’re in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The Galaxy, which defeated Minnesota United FC, 3-1, on Sunday, are one point below the line in the Western Conference and received a lifeline when sixth-place Real Salt Lake fell at Portland in their final regular season game. The Dynamo, meanwhile, would love to play spoilers and snap a three-game losing streak in their final game of the season.
This is the second meeting this season, with the Dynamo winning 3-2 at BBVA Compass Stadium on May 5. Twice the Galaxy leveled as goals by Giovani dos Santos and Ola Kamara canceled out strikes by Alejandro Fuenmayor and Romell Quioto. But Memo Rodriguez came up with the 90th-minute winner for Houston.
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· Agree with 538's Decision Day predictions?
· The Week 34 stock report: Lucho up, Josef down
· Decision Day cheat sheet: Shield, Zlatan and more
· Top 10 MLS jersey sellers revealed
· Zlatan after win: We made Loons fans enjoy it
· The 5 biggest happenings from Week 34
· Wiebe: How the 2019 CCL is shaping up for MLS
LA Galaxy
The Galaxy (13-11-9) kept their playoff hopes alive on Sunday, defeating the Loons, 3-1, in front of more than 50,000 fans at TCF Bank Stadium.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the Galaxy in front on the half-hour mark. Kamara doubled the advantage in the 50th minute and Romain Alessandrini put the game away a minute later. Angelo Rodriguez pulled the Loons a goal back in the 54th minute.
“The mood's good, they’re happy. They know it’s still not over," Galaxy interim head coach Dominic Kinnear said. "We accomplished a win on the road which puts us in a spot next week where we can maybe get into the playoffs. I think deep down inside that they’re happy, it’s been a good little run we’ve been on. I do think they do have an eye on the following week, but we’re not getting carried away that’s for sure.”
· Suspended: None
· Suspended after next caution: None
· International duty: None
· Injury Report: QUESTIONABLE: F - Giovani dos Santos (undisclosed injury)
Projected Starting XI
(4-4-2, right to left)
GK: David Bingham — Rolf Feltscher, Daniel Steres, Dave Romney, Ashley Cole — Ema Boateng, Sebastian Lletget, Jonathan dos Santos, Romain Alessandrini — Ola Kamara, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
· Notes: Ibrahimovic is averaging 1.40 goals+assists per 90 this season. Since 2010, only one other player has averaged more than 1.24 G+A/90 in a season (min. 1,000 minutes played). … The Galaxy haven’t lost at home since a 3-2 loss to FC Dallas on May 30 (5W-4D). Atlanta are the only other club without a home defeat in that time.
Houston Dynamo
The same problems that have plagued Houston (9-16-8) all season crept up again in a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Sounders in the final home match of the season.
The Sounders scored twice off set pieces, with Chad Marshall and Gustav Svensson heading in Nico Lodeiro corner kicks. Kevin Garcia scored his first MLS goal in similar fashion to give the Dynamo some hope, but Raul Ruidiaz struck three minutes from full time before a cosmetic Mauro Manotas goal two minutes later.
“How many goals did we give up last year in set pieces? Maybe four or five, all year,” Dynamo defender A.J. DeLaGarza said. “And this year it’s got to be in the 20s. And we’ve seen from the World Cup, and us this year, set pieces are an important part of winning games. That’s the problem we’ve had all year and it hampered us again this year.”
· Suspended: None
· Suspended after next caution: None
· International duty: None
· Injury Report: OUT: D - Jared Watts (right hip injury), M - Juan David Cabezas (hamstring injury), F - Mac Steeves (hip surgery); QUESTIONABLE: D - Philippe Senderos (hamstring injury)
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Tyler Deric — A.J. DeLaGarza, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Kevin Garcia, DaMarcus Beasley — Darwin Ceren, Boniek Garcia — Alberth Elis, Tomas Martinez, Romell Quioto — Mauro Manotas
· Notes: Romell Quioto has tallied 12 assists, tied for the second-most of any Dynamo player in a season since 2010. … Houston haven’t won on the road in 11 games (9L-2D). This is the Dynamo’s third straight season with a double-digit road winless streak.
All-Time Series
· Overall: LA Galaxy 10 wins, 33 goals … Houston Dynamo 10 wins, 34 goals … 7 draws
· At LA: Galaxy 5 wins, 15 goals … Dynamo 3 wins, 12 goals … 4 draws
· Last meeting at LA: LA Galaxy 2, Houston Dynamo 2 (June 17, 2017)
Officials
Referee: Kevin Stott
Assistant Referees: Apolinar Mariscal, Brian Poeschel
4th Official: Guido Gonzalez, Jr.
VAR: Drew Fisher
