Greg Vanney has his eyes on finishing top of the Western Conference with LA Galaxy this season, with Austin FC one of the teams in their way of the title.

The Galaxy are currently six points clear in the table with two games left and have won their last two matches against Vancouver Whitecaps and Colorado Rapids.

They are in fine form at home too, winning six in a row, with their last such 'home' defeat coming at the Rose Bowl against Los Angeles FC.

Vanney is enjoying life at the Galaxy this season and hopes they can extend their impressive recent run on Saturday.

"It's a great group of players and this whole season has been helping to read our guys and mould them into the group that can be the best they can be," Vanney said.

"We want them to be a contender for championships, and hopefully we can close this thing out in the West.

"When you're winning everything is better than when you're not, but things with this group are good. They're hungry and want to be successful, it's fun to coach them."

Meanwhile, Austin are mathematically still in with a chance of the playoffs, sitting six points behind Portland Timbers in ninth, though their chances are slim.

They snapped a five-match winless streak with a 1-0 victory over Portland last time out, and Josh Wolff is hopeful they can show the same mentality against the Galaxy.

"I talk to these guys about it all the time," Wolff said. "If there's a collective willingness, we've shown we can beat anybody.

"It has to be extremely committed by the group, and you've got to take care of your opportunities at the other end too."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec

Gabriel Pec (28) and Riqui Puig (27) each have recorded at least 27 goal contributions this season.

They are only the second pair of teammates to reach that mark in a single season in the last 20 years after Robbie Keane (33) and Landon Donovan (29), also for the Galaxy, in 2014.

Austin FC – Daniel Pereira

On Wednesday against Portland, Daniel Pereira scored his first goal for Austin since June 2022, giving him three goals for his MLS career.

All three of Pereira's MLS goals have come in one-goal victories.

MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN

Austin ended a four-match winless run against LA Galaxy on April 27 with a 2-0 home win. The Galaxy have won all three meetings between the sides in Carson, however, outscoring Austin 8-1 in those games.

Austin have kept a clean sheet on the road in six regular-season matches in 2024, including Wednesday's 1-0 win at Portland. Entering this season, the team had six road shutouts total in their three MLS seasons (two in 2021, four in 2022, none in 2023).

Meanwhile, the Galaxy have won 10 consecutive regular-season matches at Dignity Health Sports Park dating back to late May, scoring multiple goals in all of those matches. The Galaxy have lost only one of their last 25 regular-season matches in Carson, dating back to June 2023.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 55.2%

Draw – 23.1%

Austin FC – 21.7%

Colorado Rapids head coach Chris Armas is adamant his team will bounce back from defeat when they face LA Galaxy in MLS on Wednesday.

The Rapids suffered a 3-0 defeat to Minnesota United on Saturday, only managing one shot on target in an underwhelming performance.

They have already clinched a playoff spot, sitting fourth in the Western Conference, but have now lost two of their last three outings (winning the other one).

And Armas is confident his team will once again bounce back from defeat, based on their mentality throughout the season.

"I can tell you that our group responds, they respond when we have losses," Armas said. "We've done it all year in a big way.

"So, we'll look to do that again. We around here at the Rapids this year, from the very first game, we've not gotten too low, we've not gotten too high – this is another case of that.

"We rebound, take a hard look, we recover, and we get things ready for Wednesday."

Meanwhile, LA Galaxy bounced back from a 4-2 defeat to Portland Timbers with a 4-2 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps last time out.

They may have a six-point lead in the table, but head coach Greg Vanney is still looking to make improvements so they can finish the season strong.

"We have two on the road and one at home, and we'll take any advantage we can get to finish on top," Vanney said.

"Sometimes our unselfishness is that we're trying to make a more perfect moment to finish, but you want to try and just keep it as smooth as possible down the stretch."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Colorado Rapids – Djordje Mihailovic

Colorado's 3-0 loss at Minnesota United on Saturday was just the third time the club was shut out this season with only Inter Miami (twice) failing to score less often.

They were kept quiet in front of goal in that defeat, with only Djordje Mihailovic registering more than one shot (two), and he was the only one to hit the target.

LA Galaxy – Joseph Paintsil

Joseph Paintsil's goal against Vancouver Whitecaps on September 21 was his 10th of the regular season, joining teammates Dejan Joveljic (14), Gabriel Pec (13) and Riqui Puig (11) in double figures.

The Galaxy are the first team in MLS history with four double-digit goalscorers in a single season.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLORADO RAPIDS WIN

The Rapids are unbeaten in five straight home matches against the Galaxy (W3 D2). This is Colorado's longest home unbeaten run against LA in all competitions since a seven-match run (W6 D1) in 2006-09.

Indeed, Colorado are unbeaten in 10 straight regular-season home matches (W8 D2), including winning the last three in a row. The Rapids have had only three longer home unbeaten runs in a single season in club history, most recently a 16-match run in 2021.

The Galaxy have totaled 58 points this season, already their most in a single season since 2014 (61). The Galaxy are two points away from becoming the first team in MLS history to record four seasons with at least 60 points (1998, 2011, 2014).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Colorado Rapids – 42.1%

Draw – 26.7%

LA Galaxy – 31.2%

LA Galaxy’s defeat to Portland Timbers was not a reality check said head coach Greg Vanney, but he lamented his side being their own worst enemy in their seventh loss of the season.

The Galaxy were beaten 4-2 at Providence Park last time out, seeing their lead at the summit of the Western Conference table cut to five points by Real Salt Lake following their victory.

While Vanney’s side have already secured their place in the playoffs, the Galaxy head coach was keen to eradicate those recent mistakes during the final five games of the campaign.

"I don't know if it's a reality check. I think everybody understands the challenges of this league and competing on the road, and they're a good team,” Vanney said.

“We create our problems with how we lose the ball, in rushing and forcing attacks and things that need to be allowed. We need to allow ourselves to develop. We did such a good job of that the other night (vs. LAFC) specifically in the second half.

“Tonight, for sure through the first half of the game and some stretches in the second half when we were chasing the game, impatience is sometimes our biggest enemy. That's ourselves undoing ourselves.

“We have to recognise this again as we come to the end of the season and go to the playoffs, because it's these things that hurt ourselves.”

Vancouver, meanwhile, continued their impressive MLS form with a 1-1 draw against Houston Dynamo and have now lost just one of their last 10 league matches.

The Whitecaps also set a new club record of 25 points from their games away from home, leaving them in sixth place in the Western Conference standings.

Ahead of their trip to Dignity Health Sports Park, head coach Vanni Sartini is expecting a tough encounter, but is confident his players can keep their run of form going this weekend.

“I think that against the Galaxy, we need to be pressing in a way that is intelligent because if we put being relentless ahead of being organised, they can break our press and kill us,” Sartini said.

“We need to be willing to play a game where they may have more possession than us, but not defending in our final third because we have seen the quality that they have.

“The key for me is to try and have the ball as much as we can because we will be doing something that they hate. Maybe then we can sneak a victory – that would be fantastic.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Joseph Paintsil

Paintsil scored his ninth goal of the season for the Galaxy on Wednesday after Dejan Joveljic (14), Gabriel Pec (12) and Riqui Puig (10) have already reached the 10-goal mark for LA in 2024.

No team in MLS history has had four 10-goal scorers in a single regular season campaign.

Vancouver Whitecaps – Brian White

White came off the bench to score the equalising goal in Vancouver’s draw at Houston on Wednesday.

The goal was White’s fifth as a substitute for the Whitecaps, equalling Pedro Morales for the most in regular season play in club history.

MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN

The Galaxy won each of their first seven home matches against Vancouver from 2011 through the end of the 2014 season. Since 2015, however, the Galaxy have just four wins in 12 home matches against Vancouver in all competitions (D3 L5).

However, the hosts have won 11 of their last 12 matches at Dignity Health Sports Park (D1), including the last nine in a row. The Galaxy have lost only one of its last 23 league matches in Carson, dating back to June 2023.

But Vancouver are unbeaten in seven straight away matches in all competitions (W4 D3) dating back to the start of July, the longest road unbeaten run since the club joined MLS in 2011. The Whitecaps have allowed multiple goals in only one of those seven matches.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 46.9%

Draw – 26.4%

Vancouver Whitecaps – 26.7%

LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney has praised his attacking players' confidence and hopes they can build on it against Portland Timbers on Wednesday.

The Galaxy came from 2-0 down with a superb second-half comeback against rivals Los Angeles FC last time out, winning 4-2 to go seven points clear in the Western Conference.

They have lost just one of their last five MLS matches, but that did come in their last away match, a 2-1 defeat to St. Louis City.

However, Vanney insisted his team can find the balance they need at both ends of the field to get another win.

"This team is built to attack, especially if you look at the guys we have on the field," Vanney said.

"We have some high-quality attacking guys. Over the course of the year, we've grown a ton of confidence to score goals and finish chances, but it comes down to the balance of being able to do that and being able to defend by not giving up things."

They face a Portland team coming off the back of a disappointing 2-1 loss to Colorado Rapids at the weekend, leaving them eighth in the table.

The Timbers have won just one of their last four league outings, though that did come at home against Seattle Sounders.

Head coach Phil Neville was disappointed by the weekend's defeat but admitted it would be quickly put behind them.

"At this stage of the season, you can't dwell on [losses]," Neville said.

"We can be frustrated and disappointed, the players are as well, but the game plan was there [against Colorado], we didn't execute it.

"But now it's back to Providence Park on Wednesday which will be an amazing game in an amazing atmosphere."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Portland Timbers – Evander

Evander has recorded an assist in eight consecutive home matches, equalling the MLS record set by Eric Wynalda in 1996-97.

Evander's nine straight matches overall with a goal contribution equals the Timbers' club record set by Diego Valeri in 2017.

LA Galaxy – Riqui Puig

Riqui Puig starred for the Galaxy in the derby against LAFC, scoring once and getting two assists. He is the third player to reach double-figure goals for LA Galaxy in the 2024 regular season (10, behind Dejan Joveljic on 14 and Gabriel Pec on 11).

This is the fourth time the Galaxy have had three different players score 10 goals in a season (1998, 2014, 2018), tied for the most such seasons in MLS history (San Jose Earthquakes).

MATCH PREDICTION: PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN

Portland are unbeaten in 11 straight home matches in all competitions, winning nine of them (D2). This is the Timbers' longest home unbeaten run across all competitions since a 12-match stretch from April to July 2018.

However, the Galaxy are unbeaten in seven straight regular-season matches against Portland (W4 D3), including a 3-2 home win on July 20. The only longer unbeaten run against the Timbers in regular season play was an eight-match streak by Real Salt Lake from 2011-14.

The Galaxy have already won at Vancouver and drawn at Seattle this season. LA has avoided defeat in away matches against all three Cascadia clubs in a single season twice before, doing so in 2014 and 2016, but they are not the favourites to win here.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Portland Timbers – 45.2%

Draw – 26.9%

LA Galaxy – 28%

Greg Vanney hit out at a "purposeless" first-half display from his LA Galaxy side after their 2-0 loss to FC Dallas.

The Galaxy, who are third in the Western Conference, have now lost two of their last three games following that defeat to Dallas last time out.

They host the Colorado Rapids, who are one place and five points behind them in the West, next.

And Vanney wants a more aggressive performance.

"We were purposeless in the first half," Vanney said after the Dallas defeat, as reported by The Galactic Tribune.

"It's like we were going to win the game putting together ten thousand passes and going nowhere and that is what we said at half time.

"We were down 2-0 because we deserved to be down 2-0. We had three shots in the first half, all of them from 25 yards away.

"It just comes down to the overall aggressiveness of our group."

Wingers Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil could not wield their usual influence on proceedings in the first half against Dallas, though Vanney believes the Galaxy stumbled on a solution after the break.

He added: "In the second half, we were able to get [Pec and Paintsil] better looks.

"One-on-one situations or getting them on the run so they're attacking aggressively, and then they have an impact on the game. We've got to do more of that. I'm not interested in being a possession team for the sake of passing the ball around.

"We need to use possession to put the opposition on their heels to score goals to bury them and make them feel like we're relentlessly coming at them, not so they can set up and be comfortable and turn us over and go the other way."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy - Gabriel Pec

Pec has been involved in a goal in nine straight home matches (8 goals, 6 assists), equalling the longest single-season streak in Galaxy history (Landon Donovan in 2005, Robbie Keane in 2012).

Keane had a streak of 10 straight home matches with a goal contribution spanning the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Colorado Rapids - Jonathan Lewis

Lewis has scored four goals in nine career matches against the Galaxy while not scoring more than twice against any other opponent.

All four of those goals were scored at Dignity Health Sports Park, including one in Colorado's 3-1 win at the Galaxy last May.

MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN

Colorado have lost only one of their last seven matches (W5 D1) conceding three goals in that lone defeat (at Los Angeles FC) and conceding a total of four goals in the other six games, not allowing more than one in any of them.

The Galaxy have won seven of their last nine home matches (D1 L1) with the only loss in that time coming at the Rose Bowl against LAFC. LA have not lost at Dignity Health Sports Park since a 4-1 defeat to Dallas last October, avoiding defeat in 10 straight matches in Carson (W7 D3) since.

Colorado, however, have won seven of their last 11 matches against the Galaxy (D3 L1) dating back to 2018. The Rapids had won six of their previous 24 meetings with the Galaxy in all competitions dating back to April 2009.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy - 53.7%

Colorado Rapids - 22.6%

Draw - 23.8%

Greg Vanney is anticipating another draining week for his LA Galaxy players as they head to Texas to tackle FC Dallas.

The Galaxy played two home games in quick succession, losing to rivals Los Angeles FC and beating Minnesota United, before a break ahead of this match.

But the July heat means Vanney sees this next task being little easier for his side, with another home double-header quickly following as the Colorado Rapids and the Portland Timbers visit LA.

"We have a couple of days from a busy and emotional week, just to reset physically and mentally, and then you start to prepare for what's going to be another busy week after," he said.

"We start off in Dallas. Dallas is always tough, especially this time of year. It's a special kind of tough with the weather.

"Then we come back for two more at home. We'll road map out how we want to approach next week and prepare the group."

After the setback of the LAFC defeat, a win over Minnesota at least lifted spirits ahead of this stretch.

Vanney continued: "It's nice doing that coming off a win. It feels a lot better as you go into this week and everybody can kind of relax and enjoy a couple of days, and then we get right back to work."

The Galaxy have also had time to get back on the training pitch before playing Dallas, with Vanney acknowledging he was focusing solely on the result against Minnesota given the quick turnaround.

"I think sometimes in the third games you put away some of the stuff that you normally are really, really picky on," he said.

"You've just got to suffer through it a little bit, and we did enough to get the three points [against Minnesota].

"We'll take it, and we'll talk about how we want to keep improving and get better and attack the next week, so just I'm glad we managed to get the three points."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

FC Dallas – Petar Musa

Musa missed out on Croatia's squad for Euro 2024, but while his international team-mates were exiting at the group stage, he has been tearing it up in MLS.

The forward has scored in four of his past five matches for six total goals across that span.

He is only the eighth Dallas player to score six or more goals across a run of five matches in MLS history.

LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec

The Galaxy have their own in-form star in Pec, who scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Minnesota.

He is not just a goalscorer, however, adding seven assists to his nine MLS goals this season.

Indeed, Pec has either scored, assisted or provided a secondary assist in six straight games, the longest such streak from a Galaxy player since Javier Hernandez's eight across 2021 and 2022.

MATCH PREDICTION: DALLAS WIN

It is little wonder Vanney was not exactly relishing this trip, as Dallas have won seven in a row at home against the Galaxy. An eighth would make this the outright longest winning run for any team at home to the Galaxy in the MLS regular season.

And Dallas' home form is imperious right now, too. They have won six of their past eight at home.

The Galaxy are at least themselves in good shape, winning seven of nine for the first time in a single regular season since 2019, but only league leaders FC Cincinnati have won at Dallas since the start of April.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

FC Dallas – 38.8%

LA Galaxy – 34.7%

Draw – 26.5%

Minnesota United head coach Eric Ramsay believes they will bounce back from their recent disappointing run against LA Galaxy on Sunday.

The Loons have not won any of their last six matches in MLS, losing each of the last five on the bounce, and dropped to eighth in the Western Conference.

Minnesota have been without players due to injury and international duty, but with some of those starting to return, Ramsay is hopeful it will be the spark they need to snap their losing streak.

"In the grand scheme of this difficult run that we're on and the circumstances that surround it, there were elements of the last performance where we looked back at our best," Ramsay said.

"I think it's as simple as welcoming players back from injuries and internationals to get us back to the feeling before all of this took place.

"That's a very realistic take on the situation, though we will look back at this period with some real regret and disappointment that we haven't picked up the points we could and should've done."

Meanwhile, the Galaxy's four-game winning streak was ended by Los Angeles FC in Thursday’s El Trafico derby.

Now three points off top spot, having slipped to third, head coach Greg Vanney was left to bemoan LA's failure to create chances at the Rose Bowl.

"I'm not interested in being a possession team for the sake of passing the ball around," Vanney said.

"We need to use possession to put the opposition on their heels to score goals, to bury them and make them feel like we're relentlessly coming at them, not so they can set up and be comfortable and turn us over and go the other way."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec

Gabriel Pec scored against Los Angeles FC and has now been involved in a goal in five straight appearances, tied for the second-longest active streak in MLS.

The Brazilian is the second Galaxy player this season to record a streak of five games with a goal contribution, after Dejan Joveljic in February-March.

Minnesota United – Bongokuhle Hlongwane

Bongokuhle Hlongwane has recorded a goal and an assist in two consecutive away matches, one of two players (Lionel Messi) to do so in consecutive road games this season.

Only two players in MLS history have a goal and an assist in three straight road games – Junior Agogo in 2000 and Ante Razov in 1999.

MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN

The Galaxy won six of their first eight matches against Minnesota United (drawing two) from the Loons' MLS entry in 2017 through August 2021. Since then, LA have won just one of seven meetings with Minnesota (drawn three, lost three).

The Galaxy's 2-1 defeat to LAFC on Thursday was their fourth loss of the season, and the second against their derby rivals. They have not lost two straight matches since last October, with the second of those defeats coming against Minnesota.

However, Minnesota have lost five straight regular-season matches for the first time in club history.  The Loons had suffered only three defeats in 16 league matches this season prior to this run (won eight, drew five).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 49.9%

Draw – 25.3%

Minnesota United – 24.8%

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%

Real Salt Lake head coach Pablo Mastroeni says his team are aiming to be champions and are looking to continue their impressive form against LA Galaxy on Saturday.

RSL sit top of the Western Conference on 37 points, having lost just two matches so far this season while putting together an astounding 15-game unbeaten run in the league.

Mastroeni knows exactly where his side are in the table, and he has embraced the challenge that comes with being the leader.

"It's about connecting to the big picture - we want to be champs," said Mastroeni. "There's all these sayings in sport for a reason, the one I go by is offence will win you games, but defence will win you championships.

"It always goes back to what we want to achieve as a team. It's about fine-tuning some things and having a real understanding that we're now the hunted and need to get everyone's best game."

The Galaxy are one of those chasing Salt Lake down, sitting just three points below them in third, having lost just one of their last nine matches.

Having won their last two games, head coach Greg Vanney was particularly pleased with how his side defended in those two victories.

"When we're following through on our responsibilities and making the games as predictable as we possibly can, then it helps the group to deal with situations a lot easier and cleaner," Vanney said.

"We've done a nice job of that in the last two games, and it helps us to defend better. It gives the group a lot of confidence in understanding that if we stick to what we want to do, we can be a lot more efficient, especially in defence."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Real Salt Lake – Cristian Arango

Arango has scored six goals in six career MLS matches against the Galaxy (incl. playoffs), tied for his most against any opponent in MLS play (Austin, Dallas).

No player has scored more goals against the Galaxy since Arango joined MLS in August 2021.

LA Galaxy – Dejan Joveljic

Joveljic had both a goal and an assist in the Galaxy's win over New York City FC on Wednesday, his second straight game with one of each.

The only other Galaxy player to have three straight regular-season games with both a goal and an assist is Zlatan Ibrahimovic (September 2019).

MATCH PREDICTION: REAL SALT LAKE WIN

Salt Lake have lost only one of their last six regular-season matches against the Galaxy (W2 D3), though that defeat came in their last home league match against them in May 2023.

The Galaxy have won consecutive regular-season road games against RSL just once, doing so in 2012-13.

RSL are unbeaten in 15 straight regular-season matches (W9 D6), equaling the longest single-season streak since the Portland Timbers went 15 straight without defeat in 2018. There have only been three longer single-season streaks in MLS history, most recently a 16-match run by New York Red Bulls in 2016.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy have won four of their last five games (L1) with the last three of those wins coming by at least two goals. It is the first time the team have had three victories by multiple goals in a four-game span since doing so in September-October 2018.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Real Salt Lake – 53.7%

Draw – 23.8%

LA Galaxy – 22.6%

LA Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida says the team are not satisfied with their position at the halfway stage of the MLS season, with Sporting Kansas City next up on Saturday.

The Galaxy's six-match unbeaten streak ended before the mid-season break, with the Chicago Fire coming from behind to beat them 2-1.

They sit fourth in the Western Conference, five points behind leaders Real Salt Lake, but Yoshida believes they should be challenging for the top spot.

"It's a big improvement on last season, but I'm still not satisfied. I'm still not happy enough," Yoshida said.

"Maybe, generally, people say the Galaxy are doing well, but I feel like we could play better and get more points. We should be top of the league. I'll always stay hungry and greedy, and I want to do more and more and more."

Head coach Greg Vanney echoed his thoughts, saying: "I'm pretty happy with the point total that we have from the first half of the season.

"We let a couple of opportunities to be a little higher go. I think we learned a lot about ourselves that we need to clean up or keep using as we understand ourselves better."

Sporting snapped a 10-match winless run last weekend with a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders, leaving them in 12th.

Peter Vermes is confident his team can use that victory as a platform to push them forward for the second half of the season.

He said: "This is a good team. The issue last year, which was different, was for the longest time, I had to be the one to tell them that. Our win over [Colorado] should reinforce that message that they're good. When they want to play, they can play."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Riqui Puig

Puig has found the net in three consecutive appearances for the Galaxy for the first time in his MLS career. The Spaniard has been involved in seven goals since the beginning of May with only four players in MLS involved in more in that time.

Sporting Kansas City – Johnny Russell

Russell scored his seventh career regular-season goal against Seattle Sounders in the win on Saturday, his most against any opponent, breaking a tie with three other teams against whom he has scored six times, including the Galaxy.

MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN

The Galaxy ended a six-match winless run against Kansas City (D3 L3) with a 3-2 road win on March 24. The win was just the Galaxy's third in their last 17 matches against Sporting dating back to October 2015 (D7 L7).

LA have lost only one of their last 17 regular-season home matches (W8 D8), including winning four of their last five in Carson (D1). The 17 matches in that run have seen a total of 67 goals for an average of 3.9 per match.

Meanwhile, Kansas City ended a seven-match losing streak with a 2-1 victory over Seattle on Saturday. Sporting came from 1-0 down in the match as they have gone behind in 10 straight league matches dating back to mid-April.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 53.5%

Draw – 23.8%

Sporting Kansas City – 22.7%

Dejan Joveljic has his eyes on the Western Conference summit as LA Galaxy bid to make it a nine-point week on Saturday, when they face the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field.

The Galaxy have won back-to-back games against Houston Dynamo (2-1) and FC Dallas (3-1) and sit second in the West, just two points behind Real Salt Lake.

Greg Vanney's team have now lost just one of their last nine matches (four wins, four draws), but Joveljic wants even more, starting in Chicago. 

"We would like to win four or five games in a row," the forward said. "But first, we have to win three and then we will see. We are in second place, so it's good, but it could be better. 

"In the playoffs, I would like to start with the first game at home. So, that means we have to be in the top four teams but, of course, our top goal is to be first."

Chicago, meanwhile, are winless in nine MLS matches (four draws, five defeats) following their 1-1 draw with Orlando City on Wednesday. 

Only the New England Revolution, with seven points, sit below them in the Eastern Conference standings. However, boss Frank Klopas has seen signs of improvement.

"I think in these last two games, we've changed how we wanted to play. We haven't got the wins, but I feel we're improving as a team," he said.

"There's a big belief in the group, but there's also frustration, for sure. There are a lot of emotions because of where we are.

"We have to keep going. It's great that we're playing on Saturday again, it's going to be a great crowd, and we have to come out with the same attitude against Galaxy."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Chicago Fire – Hugo Cuypers 

Cuypers scored the Fire's goal in their draw with Orlando on Wednesday.

The Belgian forward has now either scored (four) or assisted (one) five of Chicago's last nine MLS goals.

LA Galaxy – Riqui Puig

While Gabriel Pec assisted Joveljic for Galaxy's first goal on Wednesday, Puig scored the third (Joveljic netted the second from the penalty spot). 

At least one of Pec or Puig have been involved in 12 of the Galaxy's last 13 non-penalty goals in MLS, including the last nine in a row.

MATCH PREDICTION – LA GALAXY

Galaxy are unbeaten in six straight MLS matches (two wins, four draws), including winning their last two in a row. 

This is LA's 18th two-match winning streak since the start of the 2021 season, but Galaxy have not won three straight matches in all competitions since a four-match streak between August and September 2020.

Galaxy have a great chance to achieve that feat this week, though, with Chicago winless in nine league games. They have gone 10 or more consecutive matches without a victory in a single regular season three times before, most recently between April and May 2022.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Chicago Fire – 32.9%

LA Galaxy – 41.5%

Draw – 25.6%

Greg Vanney is aiming to build some momentum for the LA Galaxy as they look to end a run of four draws against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.

The Galaxy are on a five-match winless run in MLS, with another goalless draw against Charlotte last weekend seeing them drop to fourth in the Western Conference.

After a run of four away games in their previous five outings, LA are now due to play four of their next five at Dignity Health Sports Park, which is also where they got their last win.

"This is a big phase for us to really build some momentum in all ways, being in front of our fans and being at home for this next stretch," said Vanney, as quoted in The Galactic Tribune.

"Obviously, we've got to go on the road once more, but hopefully build on the momentum and get some points."

Houston Dynamo have won just one of their last six MLS matches and dropped more points in a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas last Saturday as they sit eighth in the West.

Ben Olsen is upbeat about the Dynamo’s recent performances, though he admits they need to learn lessons from their recent results.

"The reality is the performances aren't necessarily resembling the points that we're getting," he said.

"We're actually in a nice rhythm of consistency. I know it's hard to say that when we're not maximising points, but the way we're going about the games is pretty good, and it's pretty consistent.

"We'll keep working at it. That's all you can do. What else are you going to do, quit?"

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Joseph Paintsil

Paintsil has contributed to at least one goal in four straight home matches (two goals, three assists), including recording an assist in the last three.

Only one Galaxy player in the last decade has recorded an assist in four straight home matches: Douglas Costa between June and August 2023.

Houston Dynamo – Ibrahim Aliyu

Amine Bassi scored his first goal of the season in Houston’s 1-1 draw with Dallas last weekend, becoming the ninth different Dynamo player to find the back of the net.

However, only one player has netted more than a single goal for them this campaign, with Aliyu netting four.

MATCH PREDICTION – LA GALAXY WIN

The Galaxy’s 0-0 draw with Charlotte on Saturday was their fourth consecutive draw and they’ve shared the points a joint-league high seven times this year. LA have drawn five consecutive regular-season matches only once before, doing so in May 2009.

The Dynamo have lost only one of their last six away matches against the Galaxy dating back to 2017 (two wins, three draws). Houston have kept clean sheets in each of their last two visits, and the only team to keep three straight clean sheets at the Galaxy in MLS play is the Columbus Crew, who did so between 2004 and 2006.

However, the Dynamo have alternated between wins and losses on the road this season, including a 1-0 defeat to Austin in their last away match. Houston have won four away matches in a single regular season just once since 2014, winning four times away from home in 2022, including at the Galaxy.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 42.4%

Draw – 25.6%

Houston Dynamo – 32%

Dean Smith is looking for his Charlotte FC side to build upon their 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire when they host the LA Galaxy this weekend.

Charlotte made it three wins in a row as they narrowly beat the Fire during midweek thanks to Ashley Westwood's 60th-minute winner.

The three-match win streak has taken Charlotte all the way up to fifth in the Eastern Conference, and though Smith was not enthralled by the manner of the victory over Chicago, he appreciated his side's mindset.

"I saw the mentality, but I didn’t see a game of football that I liked. It certainly won’t make the highlight reel," Smith told reporters.

"It wasn't a thriller of any sort. It was an untidy game from both teams but we showed real good mentality to limit them to few chances, and we took the one we had from a set piece."

The Galaxy, meanwhile, drew 2-2 at Minnesota United on Wednesday, leaving them fifth in the Western Conference and four points off leaders Real Salt Lake.

Minnesota equalised with just 10 minutes to play, but Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney still thought it was a solid point for his side.

"We've got to try to take this point and start to heal and start to recover and move on to the next one," Vanney said.

"[It is a] good, hard-earned point at the end of the day even though there was a chance for us to get three there at the tail end."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Charlotte FC – Ashley Westwood

Westwood scored the lone goal in Charlotte’s win over Chicago on Wednesday at the hour mark. Nine of Charlotte's 11 goals since March 23 have been scored after half-time, and Westwood will be hoping to spur his side on once more this Saturday by finding the net again.

LA Galaxy – Riqui Puig

Puig assisted both of the Galaxy's goals against Minnesota on Wednesday after also recording assists on both Galaxy goals on Saturday against Salt Lake. Puig is the first Galaxy player to record multiple assists in consecutive matches since Romain Alessandrini in 2018, and he will hope to make it three such games in a row this weekend.

MATCH PREDICTION – CHARLOTTE WIN

Charlotte and the Galaxy have each recorded a 1-0 away win against the other. Both goals were scored after the 70th minute.

The Galaxy have drawn each of their last three matches with the last two ending 2-2. In their last 22 matches, the Galaxy have scored two or more goals 15 times and allowed two or more goals 17 times.

Charlotte have won three straight matches, keeping clean sheets in all three. This is the first time Charlotte have kept clean sheets in three straight matches in club history, and with home advantage this weekend, they look the favourites to pick up the three points on Saturday.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Charlotte: 47.3%

Galaxy: 25.8%

Draw: 26.9%

Greg Vanney believes the LA Galaxy are in a good spot both physically and mentally ahead of Saturday's clash with fellow Western Conference high-fliers Real Salt Lake.

The Galaxy sit third in the West through 11 matches of the season, though they have failed to win back-to-back road games against Austin FC (0-2) and the Seattle Sounders (0-0).

They are, however, unbeaten in all four of their home league games this term (two wins, two draws), and Vanney is looking forward to returning to Dignity Health Sports Park next time out.

"Physically, first and foremost, we're in a pretty good spot. We have a few guys coming back from issues that were pretty minor," Vanney said.

"It's good. We've been able to stay in that space for a while and now we're going into a busy part of the schedule we can make some choices about how we want to attack the week.

"Where are we mentally? We're good. It's nice to be home, it's a challenge to play a lot of games on the road early doors.

"We like the spot we're in and we want to keep building, but we've got to get through this tough stretch of games."

Real Salt Lake are top of the Western standings with 21 points, only losing twice in 11 league games this year.

However, they were dumped out of the U.S. Open Cup by New Mexico United on Wednesday, Pablo Mastroeni shuffling his pack for a 4-2 road loss.

"We completely tuned out," Mastroeni said after watching his team go 2-0 down within 20 minutes.

"The emotion is like, 'poor me,' and when you operate from that space, you can never think reasonably."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec

The Galaxy (12 shots) and Seattle (19) combined for 31 shots in their scoreless draw last time out.

Pec – who has two goals in 10 league appearances since joining the Galaxy in the offseason – recorded six of his team's attempts, but only hit the target once. He will be targeting an improvement here.

Real Salt Lake – Cristian Arango 

Arango is the first Real Salt Lake player to contribute to at least one goal in five straight regular-season away matches, recording four goals and five assists during his streak.

He is just the second player since the start of last season to record a goal contribution in five straight MLS away matches, after the Columbus Crew's Cucho Hernandez.

MATCH PREDICTION – LA GALAXY WIN

The Galaxy have lost only one of their last 13 home matches against Real Salt Lake (nine wins, three draws) including going unbeaten through the last seven in a row. 

The last two meetings in Carson have both ended level, though, after the Galaxy won nine of the previous 11 (one draw, one defeat).

However, Vanney's team have only lost one of their last 14 regular-season home matches dating back to last June, winning six and drawing six while averaging 2.2 goals per game throughout this run.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 44.8%

Real Salt Lake – 27.8%

Draw – 27.4%

LA Galaxy coach Greg Vanney has urged his team to start sharply when they take on the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.

The Galaxy went down 2-0 to Austin FC last time out, and will look to get back to winning ways when they head up the West Coast to face the Sounders, who they beat 1-0 in March.

Vanney’s side found themselves 2-0 down after just 19 minutes against Austin, though, and the Galaxy coach is growing increasingly frustrated with his team’s sloppy starts.

In quotes reported by The Galactic Tribune, Vanney said: “We've got to do a better job of not starting slow and getting ourselves behind the game one and two goals because then it certainly incentivises the opposition to sit a little bit lower and really kind of protect the face of the goal.”

Vanney also pointed out that sluggishness in the final third is proving equally as costly.

He added: “The speed of our final actions when we are in possession and we do find those moments that we need to break, with the timing of things, needs to be sharper. I feel like we weren't so sharp on that side of things so that we can get to the necessary spots.”

For experienced defender Maya Yoshida, there were few excuses after the Austin loss.

“We were not enough. I don't deserve anything for my performance,” he said. “We deserved to lose. We are very disappointed. We have to learn from this defeat.”

The Galaxy went into the weekend second in the Western Conference, 10 places and nine points above the Sounders.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Seattle Sounders – Raul Ruidiaz

Ruidiaz and team-mate Jordan Morris have each scored nine goals against the Galaxy in their MLS careers. Since 2016, the only players with more goals against a single opponent are Carlos Vela (10 vs. Galaxy), Jeremy Ebobisse (10 vs. Galaxy) and Kei Kamara (10 vs. Montreal).

LA Galaxy – Riqui Puig

Puig had a fine campaign last year and the former Barcelona midfielder has picked up where he left off, scoring three goals and creating two more so far this season.

MATCH PREDICTION: SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN

The Galaxy’s loss to Austin ended a run of 18 straight matches with at least one goal in all competitions, scoring 41 total times during that run (2.3 goals per match). It was the Galaxy’s longest run of games with a goal in all competitions since a 21-match run in 2014.

The Sounders won their second match of the season on Tuesday, a 3-2 victory in Philadelphia. Seattle have scored eight goals in their two wins this year (5-0 vs. CF Montreal in April) and six goals in their other eight matches (D3 L5).

The Galaxy beat Seattle at home on March 30, ending an 11-match MLS winless run against the Sounders (D4 L7). The Galaxy last won consecutive MLS matches against Seattle in April-August 2015.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Seattle Sounders – 53.9%

LA Galaxy – 20.1%

Draw – 26%

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