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Major League Soccer | Gameweek 34
Sep 27, 2021 at 2.30am UK
Austin FC Stadium
LG

Austin
2 - 0
LA Galaxy

Djitte (64'), Gaines (79')
Dominguez (48'), Driussi (84')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Preview: Austin FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Austin FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Monday's Major League Soccer clash between Austin FC and Los Angeles Galaxy, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

The Los Angeles Galaxy will pay their very first visit to Q2 Stadium on Sunday looking to snap a six-match winless run when they face Austin FC.

The Verde-and-Black have dropped to the bottom of the Western Conference on the back of five consecutive defeats, while LA remain in fourth as they have fallen out of the race for first place.


Match preview

When the season began, many experts out there had Austin finishing near the bottom of the standings for the sheer fact that they were an expansion franchise, with a lot of youngsters learning what it takes to play top flight football in North America.

Even though they are where we all expected them to be at the moment, they have not gone down quietly, dropping nine matches this year by a single goal.

Following a gut-wrenching 4-3 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday, goalkeeper Brad Stuver penned an emotional letter to the Verde-and-Black faithful asking them to stay behind this team while also vowing to battle hard for one another through the final stretch of the regular season.

With nine games to go and 15 points to make up, qualifying for the postseason may soon be out of sight for Josh Wolff and his team, but there are still plenty of opportunities for them to grow, while also playing the role of spoilers.

Their goalscoring has improved slightly from earlier this year as they are now second-last in that category behind FC Cincinnati, but the players have struggled to give their adoring fans a lot to cheer about at Q2 Stadium, losing three of their last four games played there.

A pair of summer signings has given them a significant boost offensively, but at the same time you are not going to win a lot of matches when you allow your opponents the kind of chances that Austin have lately, conceding 19 shots on target in their last three games along with nine goals.

A season that began with so much promise for Greg Vanney and the Galaxy has gone south for them lately as they are stuck in fourth place in the Conference.

What is perhaps the most surprising part about where they currently sit in the standings is the fact that LA are in a position to host a playoff game, and yet they have an inferior goal difference, which currently stands at -3.

Last weekend the Galaxy conceded three goals to a side in Minnesota United who are currently the second-lowest scoring team in the Conference, the sixth straight game in which LA have allowed at least one goal.

While we should expect to see them in the postseason, they have not made it easy on themselves, currently only five points above the playoff line.

Losing some key players through injury has definitely played a big factor in their recent struggles, as they have shown a real lack of depth in the final third.

It is not just the losses that have been frustrating for Vanney and his staff to watch but also the manner in which they have been losing, particularly on the road, where they have dropped four matches by a margin of three or more goals.

Austin FC Major League Soccer form:
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L

Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer form:
  • L
  • L
  • D
  • D
  • D
  • L



Team News

Austin continue to be without Ulises Segura and Aaron Schoenfeld, who both have left knee injuries, Ben Sweat has an ACL problem, Danny Hoesen has a left hip issue, Matt Besler is still dealing with a concussion and Alexander Ring will not be available for this one following his expulsion versus the Quakes.

Since signing Sebastian Driussi and Moussa Djitte Austin have been a lot sharper in front of goal, averaging 1.5 goals a game since the pair arrived, with 12 goals in eight matches since Druissi made his first start for his new team on August 14.

Jon Gallagher notched his third of the season in the loss to San Jose, while Cecilio Dominguez is without a goal in his last five games, currently just one behind Diego Fagundez for the team lead and tied for most assists this season with his teammates Jared Stroud and Druissi.

The goalscoring that made LA so exciting to watch in the early stages of this campaign has gone stale largely due to the absence of Chicharito, who has missed a significant amount of time with a calf injury, only appearing last week as a second half substitute.

Defender Derrick Williams and starting keeper Jonathan Bond remain questionable with undisclosed injuries, so we could see Jonathan Klinsmann make his third successive start in goal.

The last time these sides faced each other in May, which was also their first ever meeting, Sebastian Lletget was the hero, scoring the winner in the 35th minute to help LA to a 2-0 victory, his only goal to date this season.

Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Jimenez, Cascante, Romana, Kolmanic; Pereira, Gallagher, Pochettino; Stroud, Druissi, Dominguez

Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Klinsmann; Hamalainen, Steres, Coulibaly, Villafana; Lletget, dos Santos, Vazquez, Grandsir; Chicharito, Joveljic


We say: Austin FC 3-2 Los Angeles Galaxy

Both teams have to be frustrated with their play of late, but the spirits of the Verde-and-Black will likely be higher, as they have not exactly underachieved in recent games when you consider where many expected them to finish in their inaugural campaign.

Morale is very low for LA right now, and the Galaxy have been very poor defensively on the road this season, conceding 25 goals.


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Premier League Table

Eastern Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Inter MiamiInter Miami34228479493074
2Columbus Crew34199672403266
3FC CincinnatiCincinnati341851158481059
4Orlando City34157125950952
5Charlotte FCCharlotte FC34149114637951
6New York City FCNY City34148125449550
7New York Red BullsNY Red Bulls34111495550547
8CF MontrealMontreal341110134864-1643
9Atlanta UnitedAtlanta341010144649-340
10DC United341010145270-1840
11Philadelphia UnionPhiladelphia34910156255737
12Toronto34114194061-2137
13Nashville SCNashville3499163854-1636
14New England RevolutionNew England3494213774-3731
15Chicago Fire3479184062-2230

Western Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Los Angeles FCLos Angeles34197863432064
2Los Angeles GalaxyLA Galaxy34197869501964
3Real Salt LakeSalt Lake341611765481759
4Seattle SoundersSeattle34169951351657
5Houston DynamoHouston34159104739854
6Minnesota UnitedMinnesota Utd34157125849952
7Colorado RapidsColorado34155146160150
8Portland TimbersPortland341211116556947
9Vancouver WhitecapsVancouver34138135249347
10Austin FCAustin34119143948-942
11Dallas34118155456-241
12St Louis City34813135063-1337
13Sporting Kansas CityKansas3487195166-1531
14San Jose EarthquakesEarthquakes3463254178-3721
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