The L.A. Galaxy have a chance to close the gap between themselves and the Western Conference playoff line on Sunday when they take on St. Louis City at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The L.A. Galaxy extended their Major League Soccer (MLS) unbeaten streak to three games with a 0-0 draw against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. And despite St. Louis City's 2-1 loss to Kansas City in their last match, they remain atop the Western Conference standings.
In the final stretch of the season, Greg Vanney and the Galaxy have made a tremendous effort to get into the playoff discussion, however, you might not know it from where they sit in the standings. The L.A. Galaxy have only lost one of their last 11 league games, yet they are still five points behind the playoff line with four teams to catch.
They have at least a one-game advantage in every league match, and five of their remaining nine league games will be played at home, where the L.A. Galaxy have scored at least one point in five consecutive domestic matches.
And St. Louis City, a team that has consistently exceeded expectations in their inaugural USL season, has been an enigma in recent weeks, losing two of their final three league games. The consistency we've seen from this expansion club since the beginning of July hasn't been as evident, as they haven't won more than two games in the last two months, but they haven't lost consecutively either. However, it's hard to ignore what Bradley Carnell has accomplished leading this team in 2023, as St. Louis City currently sits in first place in the Western Conference, six points ahead of Los Angeles Football Club, even though they've played one more game.
In team news, the L.A. Galaxy's Jalen Neal missed the last game with a sore abdomen, Douglas Costa was sidelined with a strained shoulder, Martin Caceres has a torn and fractured bone in his left knee, Gaston B**man has a torn meniscus in his left knee, and Mexican forward Chacharito is out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. And St. Louis City's Nicolas Gioacchini was a substitute in the last game because of a shoulder injury.
All things considered, St. Louis City seems overly content with their lead atop the Western Conference standings, and the recent performances and rapport of Ricky Pouy and Tyler Boyd in the L.A. Galaxy should reveal their opponents' defensive weaknesses this weekend. So, our predicted match result is a 2-1 L.A. Galaxy victory over St. Louis City.
