Match Preview - LA Galaxy
Game Info
Kickoff: 9:40pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Dignity Health Sports Park - Carson, CA
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has an all-time record of 2W-4L-1D against LA Galaxy.
The last matchup between these two clubs brings us back to a much happier time in the 2024 campaign, back on April 27th when Austin FC smothered the Galaxy en route to a 2-0 clean sheet win, a result that was without a doubt one of the highlights of this dismal season.
Diego Rubio opened the scoring in the 7’ of the game after a beautiful passage of play from the Verde & Black. After a turnover in the Galaxy’s half, Sebastián Driussi picked his head up to find an open Alex Ring near the top of the box, who then dropped the ball off to Diego Rubio. The striker then delivered a quick touch to Jáder Obrian, who played a quick one-two back to Rubio to beat John McCarthy to open the scoring. ATX then put the game away with a second goal shortly thereafter on a tremendous individual effort by Alex Ring and a post-clanging finish by Obrian in behind the Galaxy back line.
Austin’s only other win in this head-to-head matchup came in September of 2021, another 2-0 victory behind goals from Moussa Djitte and McKinze Gaines.
LA Galaxy Recent Form
Thanks to an impressive 61 points from their 32 contests, the Galaxy find themselves atop the Western Conference standings with two games remaining in the regular season. After a disastrous 2023, LA reloaded last winter and formed one of the most dynamic offenses in the league that has racked up 66 goals on the year. This is the most impressive offensive roster in the Western Conference and one that has been crafted to suit the strengths of their best player – Riqui Puig. More on him later. Let’s take a look at how the Galaxy have bounced back and are making a run for the MLS Cup in 2024.
LA had a blazing hot start to the season and earned at least a point in each of their first six contests before losing to intrastate rival LAFC on April 6th. That early run has allowed them to hover around the top of the Western Conference standings for the majority of the season. Add in the fact that they have yet to lose back-to-back games all year and it becomes clear as to why Los Galacticos are six points clear of the field out West. No losing streaks all year? Must be nice.
The consistency this team has shown has been impressive to watch and is a testament to how efficient they were with their rebuild. Focused on providing elite weapons around wunderkind Riqui Puig has paid significant dividends. Offseason additions Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec (who cost the club around ~$20 million combined) have integrated seamlessly and continously find themselves on the receiving end of key passes from Puig.
Puig has also seen the benefits of the increased talent built up around him, as the Galaxy share the ball incredibly well and have three players (Puig, Pec, and Paintsll) with double-digit assists on the season. It’s a bit of a goal-scoring goulash as those three also have double-digit goals to go along with their impressive distribution numbers.
Let’s not forget Dejan Jovelic, who is tied with Pec for a team-leading 14 goals on the year, making the Galaxy the first team in league history to have four goalscorers reach double digits. It’s not difficult to see why it’s been a lot of fun to be a fan of the team from Carson this year. To top it all off, the Galaxy were not complacent during the summer transfer window and added legendary German midfielder Marco Reus (on a TAM deal no less).
Second in the league in xG, LA has ripped off 471 shots during the course of their 32 matches played, 201 of which have been on target. Compare that the basement-dwelling Austin who have just 314 total shots and only 106 on target and you can truly start to appreciate that 2-0 win Austin was able to pull off back in April.
The Galaxy also are the premier passing team in MLS, with an 89.7% pass completion percentage to go along with their 57.3% possession. Austin is going to have their hands full trying to replicate the result they got back in late April.
Austin FC Recent Form
It was a stressful, ugly, and sloppy three points on Wednesday night, but it was three points nonetheless. As fans of this iteration of Austin FC, we’ll take whatever bright spots we can get down the stretch in what has become a lost year.
Despite being out shot handily, thanks to a complete inability to generate shots on target in advantageous situations, there are a handful of things to take away from our matchup with Portland that we should be proud of. Let’s start with the team’s mentality. With next to nothing on the line to play for outside of pride, the boys have found a way to stay tight knit and play for the badge, one another, and the fan base. That’s not a guarantee when things go as poorly as they have for a team as they have in ATX over the last five weeks.
The emergence of Oleksandr Svatok had the fans buzzing after the win on Wednesday. Austin appears to have found their CB1. Bradley Scott Stuver remains one of the best keepers in the league and has tied a franchise record for clean sheets with eight. Guilherme Biro has solidified himself as one of the most exciting and capable players on the team, and makes me smile multiple times every time he’s out there. Despite some rather unnecessary antics on social media, Sebastián Driussi was able to bounce back and lead this team to victory. Jáder Obrian put in a ridiculous amount of effort and Pepe (Dani Pereira) notched his first goal of the MLS season.
Still, the things that have haunted Austin all year were on full display at Providence Park, most notably the decision making in the final third. This team is finding new and not-so-fun ways to bungle clear chances. Being out shot 26 to 7 and not clearing 0.5 expected goals is, of course, not a formula for success.
If you stayed up late to watch Austin get their first ever win in Portland, then you’re well aware of the stunning inability this team displayed in regard to not converting scoring opportunities. Let’s begin with Osman Bukari, who seemed to entirely lose his confidence as the match went on before being pulled in the 65’. Then there’s the free kick chance that bounces in front of three Austin players who are completely left alone in front of net, which ended with the ball bouncing harmlessly out of bounds for a goal kick. Add in Gyasi Zardes wide open attempt that sailed into damn near the 11th row and a 3v1 fast break where Austin could once again not get a shot attempt off and it’s easy to see why this team is near dead last in all the goal-scoring metrics.
Austin’s season, for all intents and purposes, is over. Mathematically they’re still alive, but even the relentless positivity of The North End was squashed weeks ago. Austin FC will not be able to make up an 18 goal differential to catch Portland for the 9th seed (not to mention two wins for ATX and two more L’s for the Timbers) and will miss the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. But we’re still watching this matchup closely, hoping to see the group build some positive momentum headed into the 2025 season. Playing for pride, for each other and for the names on the front and back of their jerseys are all reasons why this team has not given up. Playing spoiler, at least for a moment, to the Galaxy’s hopes of clinching the top seed in the Western Conference should be good motivation as well.
I hope the guys are still up for it, because I’ll be watching. Invested and, as usual, screaming at my TV as the unabashed “VHLM” degen I am. If you’re reading this, I’m pretty confident you’re of the same ilk.
Injury Report
ATX:
Mikkel Desler (Questionable - Lower Body)
LAG:
Martin Caceres (Out - Knee)
Marco Reus (Questionable - Thigh)
LA Galaxy Players to Watch
Riqui Puig - One of the most dynamic players in the league, Puig is a dime-dropping machine who consistently plays teammates into space and dangerous areas, creating advantageous situations and opportunities against opposing defenses. With 27 goal contributions (14G/13A), Puig is the engine that makes the Galaxy machine hum. He is incredibly difficult to win the ball from and will force the action forward. Limited in stature, a key to stopping him is being physical and making him take a seat on the turf. Austin did well to frustrate him back in April, but his confidence is sky-high heading into this one with eight goal contributions in his last five league matches.
Dejan Joveljić - Somewhat of the unsung hero for the Galaxy, Joveljić is a threat inside the box at all times. He puts himself in dangerous positions with timely runs and a nose for goal. He lives off of top tier distribution from the likes of Puig and Pec, but is more than capable of creating his own opportunities and finishing them off with a powerful right foot. He’s a top-tier striker in this league and a feisty competitor.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
I Put on For My City - Austin is all but eliminated from postseason soccer. Our hopes in The North End completely sunk after the Houston loss. Another terrible September has cost this team their chance to fight for a cup. It’s been an incredibly frustrating end to the season with many more lows than highs. But to their credit, the team showed up for the city in the midweek with their togetherness and unwillingness to quit. I can respect that and I certainly don’t forget that we’ve seen worse at this time of year in the past. We are heavy, heavy underdogs going into this game on Saturday and have nothing more to play for outside of badge and pride. After their display in Portland, I do not expect to see a team that rolls over and dies, but toppling the Galaxy (who have A LOT to play for), is a monumental task. Let’s play the role of spoiler and build some positive momentum heading into what should be a very active offseason in regard to roster (and managerial) turnover.
Predictions
ZG - 3-2 Austin FC
E - 3-1 LA Galaxy
