LA GALAXY vs. MNUFC
Dignity Health Sports Park | Carson, California
06.29.2022 | MLS Week No. 17 | MLS Game No. 17
9:30 p.m. CT (MLS Live on ESPN+, Bally Sports North EXTRA, The CW - Twin Cities, 1500 ESPN)

In their first ever meeting, Minnesota United struck first on Inter Miami CF with a well constructed team goal finished by Luis Amarilla in the 65th minute. However, Indiana Vassilev proved to be a super sub for Miami. The young striker on loan from Aston Villa assisted in the 87th minute and scored in the 90th to secure a win for Miami. The Loons hope to put this tough loss behind them quickly, as they head to LA for a Wednesday night matchup with the Galaxy for the second time this season. In their match back in May, both teams walked away with a point after ending in a tightly contested 1-1 draw. Despite the result, the Loons were electric in the attacking third during their meeting earlier this season, with some saying its been their best showing of the season. The Loons won't have the benefit of home field advantage this time around, so the Black and Blue need to dig deep and channel their previous success they found against the Galaxy and bring three points back home with them. MORE

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN - LA GALAXY

Fans will remember this season’s matchup at Allianz Field that ended in a 1-1 draw. It was a game characterized by fantastic goalkeeping on both sides, as well as a dominant, creative performance from the Loons. Although they were playing on the front foot for most of the game, an unlucky handball in the box gave LA the chance to go ahead via a converted Sacha Kljestan penalty kick in the 83rd minute. The Loons refused to quit though, ultimately leading to a dramatic equalizer in the 87th minute. An inspired run and cross from DJ Taylor met the outstretched leg of Robin Lod, who buried it in the back of the net to send the crowd into fits. After such an exciting outing last time around, this game promises to be one to watch. MORE

ADRIAN HEATH ON PREPARATION FOR WEDNESDAY'S MATCH ON SHORT REST...

“I think the most important thing for us has been that we came straight from Miami on Sunday, so we gave ourselves plenty of preparation time. As I said to the guys, we can't do anything about what happened Saturday, we can think and do something about what comes on Wednesday. LA is a\] Difficult place, we know that. We’ve come up here and put up some good performances and if we play like we can, I don’t see any reason why we can’t get a result.” **_[MORE_**

WIL TRAPP ON HOW THE GROUP IS PREPARING FOR LA...

“We’re just looking at the prior game we played at home. Knowing what they’re about, key guys that could be out or could be in for them. And again, it’s more important: it’s just about getting everybody on the same page physically to play the game.” MORE

STORYLINES PRESENTED BY BMW

• HOUSTON, THEY WERE A PROBLEM: As noted in First Touches yesterday, both the Galaxy and Loons are low-scoring, defensive teams, two of only three teams in the league to have both scored and allowed fewer than 20 goals on the season. An outlier to the Galaxy’s trend of low-scoring games was Houston’s 3-0 win at Dignity Health Sports Park in May. Houston was able to hold the Galaxy scoreless with some good and timely goalkeeping by Steve Clark, and could have scored more than the three goals they scored. Notably, Houston notched a total of eight shots on goal in the game, the most the Galaxy have allowed this season, and even the saves that Jonathan Bond made sometimes created more opportunities. Bond twice was unable to control shots on goal, the first of which immediately led to Houston’s opener through Sebastian Ferreira, who was the first to react to the rebound. As noted, Houston’s eight shots on goal were the most that the Galaxy have allowed this season, but they’ve allowed seven shots on goal twice, one of those quite notably coming in the first matchup between the Galaxy and Loons this season. One of Minnesota’s primary objectives this game could be to put the ball on target and see what happens. MORE

FIRST TOUCHES

• This will be the second meeting between Minnesota and the Galaxy this season, with the two clubs drawing 1-1 at Allianz Field in May.
• The Galaxy come into this match sixth in the West with 24 points; Minnesota sits 12th, but remain just six points back of Los Angeles.
• The Galaxy have struggled since the international break; they’ve played just twice, drawing 1-1 with Portland and falling out of the U.S. Open Cup with a 2-1 defeat to the USL Championship’s Sacramento Republic.
• Oniel Fisher played for the Galaxy in 2021, and now plays for Minnesota.
• On the other side, Raheem Edwards played for Minnesota in 2020, and now plays for the Galaxy. MORE