The Los Angeles Galaxy have a chance to claim their first playoff berth since 2019 when they host Real Salt Lake on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
LA are unbeaten in their last four MLS home fixtures, needing just a single point this weekend to officially claim a postseason berth, as they are currently fifth in the Western Conference, three points above Claret and Cobalt.
Match preview
Heading into their final two matches last month, the Galaxy looked to be on a downward trajectory, winless in four straight games, including a 3-0 defeat away to the Vancouver Whitecaps, which had them on the ropes.
Like a good fighter, though, Greg Vanney's men never went down for the count, winning back-to-back games, putting themselves in a solid position to qualify for the postseason.
Over their past two matches, LA have got off to a flying start, striking three times in the first half to beat the Colorado Rapids (4-1) and then going up by two after 45 minutes versus the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday, narrowly hanging onto a 3-2 triumph.
After missing the playoffs in 2021 by a single victory to RSL, they could potentially knock last year's Western Conference finalists out of the postseason with a victory this weekend, combined with a Minnesota United win or draw.
Los Angeles have shown to be a lot more resilient in 2022 than they were over the previous campaign, with only two losing streaks this season of two and three matches respectively, while they have also rescued five points this season when trailing in the second half.
There are still some defensive question marks surrounding this group, who along with the Loons have conceded the most goals among the top seven Western Conference teams (49), but they have managed to counter that with more balanced scoring and creativity in the middle of the field.
Above the playoff line for a large portion of the regular season, Salt Lake now need some help if they are to return to the postseason, trailing Minnesota by two points.
They needed a lot of magic to finish in the top seven last season, winning three matches down the stretch thanks to a goal in the 90th minute or later.
Finding that kind of magic at the moment has not been easy for Pablo Mastroeni and his men, who squandered a 1-0 lead in their last league fixture versus FC Cincinnati, while also missing a penalty in that match and ultimately losing 2-1, extending their winless run to four games.
In 2022, Salt Lake have only managed three victories away from home, and if Minnesota defeat last-place San Jose in their match, they would have to make it four to stay alive in the playoff battle and have something to play for on Decision Day.
Mastroeni has acknowledged that this group have been lacking confidence in front of goal, scoring only once in their last four games.
RSL have lost their last four visits to Dignity Health Sports Park, failing to score on two occasions, while they head into this encounter without a goal in consecutive away fixtures.
Team News
A brace from Chicharito, along with a goal from Gaston Brugman, was just enough to give the Galaxy all three points versus the Quakes, while Efrain Alvarez, Mark Delgado and Julian Araujo all collected assists, with the latter moving beyond Riqui Puig for first on the team in that category.
Jonathan Bond collected a clean sheet in this exact fixture last season, and the only goal of the game came courtesy of Alvarez, who was set up nicely by Sacha Kljestan.
Douglas Costa is eligible to return from his red card suspension, while Jonathan Perez and Jorge Villafana remain on the sidelines with knee injuries.
Maikel Chang scored the only goal for RSL in their defeat to Cincinnati, his second of the year, as Jefferson Savarino collected his fifth assist of 2022 on that play.
That assist moved him to within one of the team lead currently held by Justin Meram, while Zac MacMath has 10 clean sheets this season, which is third among MLS goalkeepers.
Marcelo Silva had the only goal in their previous victory against the Galaxy last season, a game which ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides in the playoff battle, with Pablo Ruiz assisting on that tally.
Bobby Wood continues to be out because of an adductor strain, while their top goalscorer from 2021, Damir Kreilach, has missed most of the campaign with a back injury.
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Edwards, Williams, Coulibaly, Araujo; Puig, Brugman, Delgado; Grandsir, Chicharito, Cabral
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
MacMath; Herrera, Silva, Glad, Brody; Chang, Julio, Ruiz; Rubin; Cordova, Savarino
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 3-2 Real Salt Lake
The Galaxy make it a little too easy for opposing teams to get clear-cut scoring opportunities, but they can counteract that with a strong attacking force that we believe is superior to RSL.
It might not be pretty, but the kind of individual quality on the LA side should be enough to book their place into the postseason.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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