In a Major League Soccer match on Monday, LA Galaxy will host St. Louis City at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Key Takeaways
- In their last five games, LA Galaxy have scored seven goals
- In six games, St. Louis City has failed to record a clean sheet
- St. Louis City has failed to win a game in its previous five games on the road
Five straight defeats for St. Louis City's road games have highlighted the team's continued troubles, which the coach must promptly address. It is imperative that they enhance their away performance; to do this, careful study, tactical modifications, and mental preparation are needed.
LA Galaxy Form
LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo fought to a scoreless tie in their most recent MLS match.
Recently, LA Galaxy's home performance has been unreliable. They defeated the Chicago Fire 3-0, drew 0-0 with the Houston Dynamo, and fell to the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-2. They also defeated Philadelphia Union 3-1, although they dropped a 0-1 game against Leon.
LA Galaxy recorded two clean sheets while scoring seven goals overall and giving up four goals in their home games.
St. Louis City Form
St. Louis City lost to Sporting Kansas City 2-1 in their previous MLS match.
The recent road performance of St. Louis City seems to be difficult. They had a string of losses, falling to Columbus Crew 2-1, Los Angeles 3-0, America 4-0, Orlando City 2-1, and eventually Sporting Kansas City 2-1.
As a matter of fact, St. Louis City's performance in away games has been dismal, as they were only able to score three goals while giving up a worrying 13 goals. It has been a very frustrating and difficult stretch for the club, as their inability to keep a clean sheet in any of these games is a glaring sign of their road problems.
Head-to-Head
LA Galaxy and St. Louis City head-to-head record shows that they have only met each other once, with neither club coming out on top. Their lone meeting resulted in a draw (1-1).
Team News
Greg Vanney, the head coach of LA Galaxy, is dealing with a number of injuries at the club. A shattered knee cap has forced Martin Caceres to miss the whole season. Javier Hernandez has a torn cruciate ligament and won't be able to play until about the middle of February 2024. Jalen Neal is expected to make a comeback in early October 2023 after recovering from an abdominal injury. Sadly, Gaston Brugman's meniscus injury will prevent him from playing the full season. Douglas Costa is currently recovering from a shoulder injury and is anticipated to return to play by mid-October 2023.
St. Louis City's head coach, Bradley Carnell, will go into the game with no injury worries because his whole roster is available and prepared to play.
Key Players
Two prominent players for LA Galaxy have stood out throughout the 2023–2024 season. Tyler Dominic Boyd has been crucial, scoring six goals in 25 games for the Galaxy in all competitions. He has also made one crucial assist. With five goals in 24 games and four important assists in the same season, Riqui Puig has also had a huge influence. These players have been instrumental in the success of LA Galaxy.
St. Louis City has depended on important players to lead their success in the current 2023–2024 season. With 10 goals in 25 games across all competitions, Nicholas Selson Gioacchini has excelled in particular. In addition, he has made one crucial assist. Eduard Lowen, who has six goals in 22 games and has been a helpful playmaker with seven crucial assists, is another standout performer.
Final Thoughts
In this game, LA Galaxy does seem to be the favorite. The fact that St. Louis City has a dismal record away and has lost their previous five games on the road implies they may have a difficult time winning this game. Thoughts of upsets should never be discounted because anything may happen in sports.
Major League Soccer