Los Angeles FC and Minnesota United will meet in the Western Conference of the MLS on Thursday at the Banc of California Stadium where the two will battle in one of the biggest games of the season so far.
LAFC have been nowhere near the threat they have posed since joining the league in 2018, which largely comes down to the change in form of superstar, Carlos Vela, who has just four goals from 10 games this campaign.
The Mexican has been dispossessed by his compatriot and state rival, Javier Hernandez, towards the top of the goalscoring charts this season, with the ex-Manchester United man bagging 10 goals for their El Tráfico opponents, LA Galaxy.
Despite Vela’s change in gear, LAFC still can’t say they have been that impressive anywhere else. A draw with 12th-placed Vancouver Whitecaps last time out after a defeat to Portland Timbers just about sums up their inconsistencies so far.
Prior to this, the California side were on an excellent run of a three-game win streak, where joint top scorer Diego Rossi catapulted his side to nine points from nine. This has now meant they sit inside the playoffs still, but with three points and a game in hand separating them and those outside the top seven, a defeat to Minnesota would be disastrous.
The Loons, however, are far from the great threat they want to be. In fact, they are the lowest scorers in the whole Western table, other than Austin FC, who have 10 compared to Minnesota’s 15. On the other hand, this is Austin’s inaugural season, and this only emphasises the lack of quality running throughout the Loons’ attack.
With this said, we do expect goals from LAFC. Vela, Rossi and joint top scorer, Jose Cifuentes, have all contributed goals across the seasons to a decent degree and we think one of them is bound to get on the scoresheet here.
On the other hand, a defeat for Minnesota would shock their playoff hopes greatly, as if Portland Timbers beat the Galaxy on Saturday, they could jump right into the top seven.
LAFC have also managed to concede 17 goals from the 15 played so far, which the Loons can also match with 17 from 14, so although a draw looks likely, so does a goal or two from one side or the other.
Either way, Bob Bradley cannot afford to lose here, with a defeat potentially causing a serious worry to their playoff hopes, should the teams below them win their game in hand.