Unbeaten in four MLS games, San Diego host miserable Los Angeles Galaxy at Snapdragon Stadium, bidding to extend their ongoing streak in Saturday’s gameweek 15 clash.
The Galaxy have endured a dismal season so far, failing to match the lofty heights of last season’s ultimate MLS Cup success, but hope to take encouragement from the previous round’s draw against Los Angeles FC.
Match preview
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It has been so far, so good for San Diego in their inaugural campaign in Major League Soccer, evidenced by Mikey Varas‘s team sitting third in the Western Conference and seventh in the overall table.
The team’s goalscoring efficiency has aided that start, with SDFC’s 25 goals also bettered by the San Jose Earthquakes’ 29 in their section heading into the forthcoming round of fixtures.
The California-based team are comfortably in the coveted top seven spots in their section on 24 points, which is six better than eighth-placed San Jose on 18, meaning they are guaranteed to end the imminent gameweek in the assured playoff places regardless of this weekend’s result.
Supporters can be confident in San Diego’s prospects before Saturday, as their team have claimed three wins and a draw in the previous four rounds, scoring nine and conceding just one.
Having already beaten the underwhelming Los Galacticos in the opening round of fixtures in LA, Varas’s men will back themselves to extend the Galaxy’s miserable start to the 2025 campaign.
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Few — possibly nobody — would have predicted Greg Vanney‘s team’s struggles after last season’s successful domestic and playoff run, which culminated in the LA-based outfit claiming the MLS Cup after a decade-long wait.
However, the six-time MLS Cup champions have been handed defeat after defeat this term, falling to 10 setbacks in 14 matches and remaining winless ahead of this weekend’s trip to San Diego.
The Galaxy’s 10 losses have surpassed last year’s eight, and 33 goals conceded after 14 matches this year are 17 lower than the 50 they let in after 34 games in 2024’s regular season.
Vanney’s team are yet to keep a clean sheet in 2025, emphasising their ongoing struggles, and failure to secure a point in their preceding five matches away from home highlights Los Galacticos’ struggles.
While they could take positives from scoring twice in their previous trip to the Philadelphia Union, after firing blanks against Real Salt Lake (2-0), Austin (1-0), Sporting Kansas City (1-0) and the New York Red Bulls (7-0), the underperforming MLS Cup defending champions then blowing that advantage to lose 3-2 in Philadelphia was a kick in the teeth.
Having then shown some resilience to avoid a sixth consecutive loss against LAFC last time out, the travelling supporters will hope for another Marco Reus-inspired performance to aid the bottom-placed Western Conference side’s cause against in-form opponents.
Team News
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San Diego are expected to be without the injured trio of Hamady Diop, Marcus Ingvartsen and Andres Reyes due to injury, while Franco Negri and Jeppe Tverskov are one more booking away from serving one-game bans.
Anders Dreyer, who scored twice in the reverse fixture in LA in February, leads the goalscoring charts for the hosts and bids to add to his six MLS efforts on Saturday.
Although the LA Galaxy have no player missing through suspension, Emiro Garces will serve a one-match ban if he picks up a yellow in gameweek 15.
Riqui Puig is the away side’s only apparent injury absentee for this weekend, with the former Barcelona player sidelined with a severe knee injury.
Having notched a brace in the draw with LAFC in round 14, Reus aims to add to his three strikes in 2025, thereby carrying the attacking burden with four-goal forward Christian Ramirez.
San Diego possible starting lineup:
Santos; Verhoeven, McVey, McNair, Bombino; Godoy, Tverskov, Torre; Mighten, Dreyer, Lozano
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Yamane, Garces, Yoshida, Nelson; Cerrillo, Sanabria; Pec, Reus, Fagundez; Ramirez
We say: San Diego 2-0 Los Angeles Galaxy
Despite firing blanks in their recent goalless home fixture against Sporting KC to halt a three-match winning streak, San Diego are expected to exploit the Galaxy’s defensive vulnerability while carrying a threat themselves to extend Los Galacticos’ miserable 14-match run without success.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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