Los Angeles FC head coach Steve Cherundolo is anticipating an "exciting" battle against derby rivals LA Galaxy on Thursday.
The two teams are locked in at the top of the Western Conference, both on 40 points, though LAFC have the slight advantage of a game in hand.
Cherundolo's side are unbeaten in nine MLS matches, winning eight of those, and have won their last two outings by an aggregate score of 9-2.
Asked how LAFC would cope with the threat the Galaxy pose, Cherundolo praised the improvement of their neighbours.
"It's our rivals. They're a team that scores a lot of goals," Cherundolo said.
"They have weapons, and they've added to the transitions and got some defensive stability, so they're really a complete team this year.
"They're top of the table with us, so they're a team that has found a way to get results while playing well, so it should be an exciting match."
Meanwhile, the Galaxy are on a four-match winning run of their own and have only lost one of their last 11 matches in MLS.
Head coach Greg Vanney is pleased with his side's defensive stability, and was quick to pick out goalkeeper, John McCarthy.
"His maturity back there and his capacity to come up because he did come up with a couple big saves [against San Jose], but his capacity to come up with a save when we need it has been really strong for us," Vanney said.
"You can't say too much about that, especially when you're on the road. The opposition is going to get something. There's going to be a moment here or there and when there has been, John has been there. Three shutouts is big for us."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
LA Galaxy – John McCarthy
The Galaxy have won four straight matches, keeping clean sheets in each of the last three.
It marks the first time LA has posted three straight shutout wins in all competitions since a four-match run in 2016, and McCarthy will be keen to equal that record in the derby.
LAFC – Mateusz Boguesz
Mateusz Bogusz has contributed to three goals in each of his last two matches (two goals and one assist versus San Jose Earthquakes on June 21 and a hat-trick against Colorado Rapids on Saturday).
The Pole is one of five players to do so this year after no more than three players had done so in any previous MLS season.
MATCH PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES FC WIN
Los Angeles FC have won five of their last six MLS matches against the Galaxy (L1, incl. playoffs), including a 2-1 victory on April 6. The Galaxy lost only three of the first 14 editions of El Trafico from LAFC's debut in MLS in 2018 through April 2022.
LAFC have won 10 of their last 11 matches in all competitions (D1), including a 3-0 win over Colorado on Saturday. They are the first MLS team since Sporting Kansas City in 2011-12 to win 10 times in the span of 11 matches in all competitions.
Meanwhile, this will be the Galaxy's 28th home match on the Fourth of July in 29 MLS seasons, only not doing so in 2020 (no game). LA have scored at least twice in nine of their last 10 Independence Day games dating back to 2013, only failing to do so in a 2-0 loss to Kansas City in 2021.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
LA Galaxy – 34%
Draw – 25.8%
LAFC – 40.2%
Sporting Kansas City v FC Dallas: Luccin demands more than just resilience
Peter Luccin was thrilled with FC Dallas' comeback against the Portland Timbers, but still sees plenty of ways they can improve.
Dallas came out on top from a topsy-turvy match in midweek, winning 3-2.
It saw Dallas bounce back from successive defeats, and they sit 11th in the Western Conference ahead of Sunday's clash with Sporting Kansas City, who are six points behind in 13th.
Asked what he liked about his team's performance against the Timbers, Dallas interim boss Luccin said: "Resilience, resilience from the team. That was huge.
"After the first half, we were very passive with nothing offensively. The only thing about the first half that I liked was the compactness of the team. We were compact, but no one making runs, no one even putting more pressure on the ball or playing with the ball.
"The half-time talk, maybe it's better for me to not say anything. It was a hard talk, but at the same time, we told them to believe.
"We felt that we could score in the second half. The second half we showed character.
"We are in a very hard situation right now in the club and with the team, with so many injuries to very important players."
Petar Musa got on the scoresheet for Dallas to move into double-figures for the season.
"I am happy with my goals but for me, it's not about just the goals," said the striker.
"We want to win every single game and I want to help the team. I'm more focused on winning every game. So if I score I'm happy, but it's more important that we won."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sporting Kansas City - Daniel Salloi
Salloi has scored eight goals in 15 career regular-season matches against Dallas, three more than he has scored against any other opponent. Salloi has six goals in his last six matches against Dallas.
FC Dallas - Petar Musa
Musa has scored five goals in his last three matches, taking his total to 10 in his first 20 MLS games for Dallas. The last player to reach 10 goals faster for Dallas was Carlos Ruiz in 2005 (16 games).
MATCH PREDICTION: SKC WIN
Dallas are winless on the road in the 2024 regular season (D3 L7) with its three road points being the fewest in MLS this season. It is the second time the club has been winless through at least 10 away matches of a season as they failed to win any of their first 11 on the road in 2000.
SKC beat Austin FC 2-0 in their last home game. The win ended a streak of 14 straight home regular-season games of SKC conceding, the second-longest such streak in team history (22 straight from June 2002 to October 2003).
The home side has won each of the last four meetings between Kansas City and Dallas in all competitions. There have been at least three goals scored in each of the last six meetings with both teams scoring in all six.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
SKC - 41.3%
Dallas - 32%
Draw - 26.7%
Columbus Crew v Toronto FC: Herdman lays down the gauntlet for the Reds following ‘turning point’ fixture
John Herdman insists that Toronto FC’s defeat to Orlando City must be a turning point in their MLS campaign ahead of facing in-form Columbus Crew this weekend.
Toronto had taken an early lead through Derrick Etienne but were compounded to a fifth straight defeat that leaves them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Nashville SC.
Head coach Herdman acknowledged his side’s poor recent form, and ensured conversations would be had with his players and staff to ensure they return to winning ways sooner, rather than later.
“This has to be a turning point for the club tonight,” Herdman said. “I said that to the players after the game, ‘It has to be the turning point.’
“There's going to be some hard conversations in the next two days starting with all of us looking at ourselves in the mirror for that 20-minute period.
“What happened there? And why is it happening? Why do we fall into that trap game after game after game?”
However, they will have to do so against a Columbus side in a rich vein of form having earned a third straight triumph with their 2-0 win over Nashville last time out.
The Crew currently occupy third place in the Eastern Conference and are one of three sides chasing runaway leaders FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami.
Head coach Wilfried Nancy commended his team’s recent displays and said he intends to do everything possible to keep that feel-good feeling in the camp before welcoming Toronto to the Lower.com Field.
“I'm going to talk about the present moment because it's a fact: They are really good,” Nancy said of his side.
“They are really good. We are going to try to do everything to help them to stay like this because
for me, it's a key point. It's a key point about the way we want to play.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez
There is arguably no one better in the MLS right now than Cucho Hernandez as he kept up his impressive recent form for the Crew.
Since returning from injury, the Colombian has registered six goals and four assists in his last five matches, with his most recent coming in their 2-0 win over Nashville as he set up Christian Ramirez to open the scoring at the Lower.com Field.
Toronto FC – Federico Bernardeschi
Federico Bernardeschi continues to be an attacking force for Toronto, and he will be needed on top form if his side are to halt their current five-game winless run.
The Italian has been involved in 14 goals in his last 10 MLS matches (eight goals, six assists), including an assist against Orlando City last time out.
MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN
Columbus are expected to emerge victorious, with Nancy’s side winning 76.7% of Opta’s data-led simulations heading into the encounter.
The Crew have an impressive home record, losing one of their last 30 home matches in all competitions dating back to May 2023 (W20 D9). In that streak, 12 of those victories have been by a margin of two or more goals.
Columbus also boast an impressive record over their opponents and are unbeaten in their last five league matches against Toronto. Before this run, Columbus had won just two of their previous 14 meetings with Toronto dating back to 2016.
Toronto, however, will be out to cause an upset. Their current five-game losing run is the seventh losing streak of five or more matches since the start of the 2021 season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Columbus Crew – 76.7%
Draw – 13.9%
Toronto FC – 9.4%
Philadelphia Union v New York Red Bulls: Schwarz expecting tough encounter against the Union despite their recent form
New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz believes his side must improve against a ‘tough’ Philadelphia Union side ahead of their encounter at Subaru Park.
The Red Bulls maintained their four-match unbeaten run with a 2-2 draw against DC United last time out, aided by Cristian Dajome’s early dismissal for the visitors.
Schwarz’s side sit fifth in the Eastern Conference and are among a cluster of teams tightly packed in the middle of the division, with every victory important at the halfway stage of the season.
The Red Bulls head coach praised his side’s mentality to gain a point against the Black and Red’s last time out but expects a difficult match against the Union.
“I think what we have to improve, especially with our ball position is the structure which we have lost in some moments which we will analyse ahead of the game,” Schwarz said.
“But the mentality to come back was good to not lose the last game and to get this important point at home. We analysed this and it is very clear how we want to play, and we want to create these situations and these moments.
“They are a very good team with a good structure, they are aggressive in their pressing and have that individual quality as well.
“They have the quality to build-up with the centre-backs and have good deep runs, and it will be a tough game for us.”
For Philadelphia, their winless run continued against fellow strugglers Chicago Fire as they were edged out of a seven-goal and are now without a win since their 3-0 win against New England Revolution back in May.
The Union had led 3-1 entering the final 10 minutes of play before conceding three goals in nine minutes to lose 4-3, marking the first time in the club’s history that they had lost a match in which they led by multiple goals entering the 80th minute.
Their latest defeat was their fifth in a row and leaves them second-bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, level on points with DC United at the foot of the table.
Curtin was left hurt by the loss and highlighted their inability to defend set-pieces as something to work on before facing the Red Bulls.
“The guys did well to get themselves from 3-1 up, from there it was pretty comfortable until about the 82nd minute, and we started conceding corners that we didn’t need to concede,” Curtin said.
“The little things then became big issues. The thing that we have been pretty good at over the years which has been defending set-pieces, we have come up really small and we get punished.
“It hurts, but again, I sound like a broken record, but the group will have to regroup quickly and go again against New York.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Philadelphia Union – Daniel Gazdag
Following his return from international duty with Hungary at Euro 2024, Daniel Gazdag found himself on the scoresheet once again in the Union’s 4-3 defeat to Chicago Fire last time out.
Gazdag’s goal and assist at Soldier Field took his tally 12 goal involvements in 17 MLS appearances, and his influence in attack will be needed if Philadelphia are to return to winning ways.
NYRB – Cameron Harper
After scoring in three consecutive MLS matches in May, Cameron Harper has rediscovered his goal-scoring touch for Schwarz’s side.
The American has scored two goals in his last two games against Toronto FC and DC United and should he find the back of the net again, he will become the first player since Bradley Wright-Phillips in 2016 to have multiple streaks of three or more games with a goal in a single season.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
Despite Philadelphia slightly edging Opta’s data-led simulations, their recent form suggests that the encounter at Subaru Park will be an evenly contested affair.
The Union have lost their last five league matches for the first time in the club’s history following a 4-3 defeat to Chicago Fire on Wednesday.
However, Curtin’s side can take confidence from their recent record against their opponents. Philadelphia are unbeaten in their previous 12 meetings with the Red Bulls in all competitions (W8 D4) dating back to 2019.
But New York will take confidence from their 2-2 draw with DC United. It marked the 12th time this season the Red Bulls have scored multiple goals in a match after doing so just eight times during the entire 2023 season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Philadelphia Union – 38.9%
Draw – 26.5%
NYRB – 34.5%
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