LA Galaxy vs Sporting Kansas City: Preview, Prediction & Betting Picks

Both teams have struggled of late, though LA Galaxy have had a little more success. We expect this trend to continue, especially with Galaxy at home, with Sporting KC’s issues continuing – LA Galaxy 3-1 Sporting KC

Currently sitting fourth in the West, LA Galaxy are in the thick of the playoff race. With just five points separating them from first place, they can't afford any slip-ups. Their strong attack, led by Dejan Joveljic's nine goals and Riqui Puig's recent hot streak, is a key weapon.

Sporting KC finds themselves near the bottom of the conference with only three wins all season. While they secured a win last time out, consistency has been a major issue. They'll need a major turnaround to even think about playoffs.

These teams haven't been able to be separated in recent meetings, with each winning once and drawing three times in their last five encounters. Those games have also been exciting for fans, with both teams scoring at least twice in four out of five matchups. Back in March, LA Galaxy emerged victorious 3-2 after a dramatic comeback.

LA Galaxy

Joseph Paintsil and Gaston Brugman missed the last game with hamstring and knee injuries respectively. Their availabilities are in question, but there are no other fitness concerns in the squad.

Sporting Kansas City

A number of Sporting KC players were absent in the last game through injury, including Danny Flores, Logan Ndenbe, Kayden Pierre, Erik Thommy and Remi Walter. Therefore, it remains to be seen if they will be involved in this game.

LA Galaxy
In their last five games, LA Galaxy have won two, drawn two and lost one. It has been an inconsistent stretch for LA as they compete near the top of the standings in the Western Conference. This run started with a 2-2 draw at Minnesota. The hosts went ahead after half an hour through Bongokuhle Hlongwane. Galaxy turned it around in the second half with goals from Dejan Joveljic and Diego Fagundez, but conceded the equaliser to Kervin Arriago with 10 minutes to go.

They followed this with another draw, but were unable to find the back of the net as the game at Charlotte finished 0-0. Galaxy dominated in possession, and restricted their hosts to just two shots on target, but failed to take advantage of their opportunities. They responded well with their first win of the run, a 2-1 victory against Houston Dynamo. They actually went behind as Latif Blessing put Houston in front, but Gabriel Pec equalised on the stroke of half-time. Riqui Puig scored the winner with half an hour to go.

A second win in a row came against FC Dallas, as they beat them 3-1 at home. Joveljic bagged a brace, scoring either side of a Patrickson Delgado equaliser. With a slender lead, they were helped by a red card to Dallas’ Nkosi Tafari, before Puig put the game to bed in stoppage time. Their most recent game was a 2-1 loss at Chicago Fire. Puig opened the scoring from the spot early on, but Hugo Cuypers levelled it. Brian Gutierrez completed the comeback to condemn LA to defeat.

Sporting KC
In their last five games, Sporting Kansas City have won two and lost three. It has been a poor stretch for KC, as they struggle near the bottom of the table. However, this run began with US Open Cup action against USL side FC Tulsa in the Round of 16. They progressed to the next round with a 4-0 win at home. Felipe Hernandez opened the scoring, before Stephen Afrifa doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time. Tulsa had a man sent off shortly after the restart to make their task even harder, as Hernandez and Marinos Tzionis added to the lead.

They returned to league action with a 2-1 loss at Portland Timber. Felipe Mora broke the deadlock shortly into the second half for Portland, but Memo Rodriguez soon found the equaliser. They were not on level terms for long, however, as Evander scored the winner with just over 10 minutes to go. They were on the wrong end of the same scoreline once more the following week as they were defeated at home by the Vancouver Whitecaps. Ryan Gauld scored a brace with a goal in each half for Vancouver, whilst Tzionis pulled one back at the death.

Their woes continued as they lost a third game in a row, this time 3-1 at Minnesota. They fell 3-0 behind as Tani Oluwaseyi, Robin Lod and Kervin Arriaga got on the scoresheet. Johnny Russell pulled one back late, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation. Their most recent game was a home fixture against Seattle Sounders, in which they won 2-1. They fell behind to a Jordan Morris goal before Johnny Russell equalised. The visitors had a man sent off and KC took advantage of the extra player with Alenis Vargas scoring the winner.