Match Preview: The LA Galaxy's playoff hopes rest on a win in Minnesota
The final road game of the season determines if LA stay alive in the playoff hunt
We can undoubtedly say that the LA Galaxy must get all three points in their road trip to Minnesota on Saturday. LA’s sour 2-1 loss to the Sounders midweek means that Greg Vanney’s side must win their final remaining matches and hope for teams around them in the standings to drop points. For now, the club is approaching this with a one-game-at-a-time mentality.
The Galaxy’s injury situation doesn’t make this feel better. Riqui Puig is questionable and earlier in the week, Vanney called this the game where he’s “optimistic” the Spaniard can return to the pitch. Mark Delgado was in concussion protocol for the game in Seattle and is questionable for Saturday.
Minnesota is also treating this game as a final as their playoff hopes rely on a win on Saturday. The Loons are winless in their last seven games and hold one of the worst home records in MLS with just three wins at Allianz Field during the 2023 campaign. They announced on Friday morning that coach Adrian Heath was fired after seven seasons with the club.
Matches to keep an eye on:
Austin FC vs. LAFC
FC Dallas vs. San Jose Earthquakes
Real Salt Lake vs. Sporting Kansas City
Elimination Scenarios
The Storyline
This is the game with the most stakes and the most pressure. The Galaxy has always played up to the level of their opponents and put in valiant efforts when the pressure is at its highest. Now they have to deal with an opponent that’s fighting for their playoff hopes and without their long-time manager.
For most teams, they get a “new manager bump” following the departure of a coach. Usually, this is a win that leads to a string of positive results. Other times, a team can continue their downward trajectory without seeing that boost. The Loons are coming off a 5-1 road defeat to LAFC - safe to say morale is low in that locker room.
We’re going to see both teams going at it for 90 minutes with their playoff lives dependant on a win.
The La Galaxy is a team that doesn’t give up and putting in a lot effort to get results. You see that when all the players fall to ground out of exhaustion once the final whistle is blow. Let’s see what the Galaxy look like with the most pressure put on them to get a win compared to any other point this campaign.
“I think you create your own luck and we have three more games to create our own luck, as I said, there's everything still to play for.” - Kelvin Leerdam
Players to Watch
MIN: Bongokuhle Hlongwane, winger
The South African scored two goals in the reverse fixture and remains one the Loons most dangerous players. He leads the team with nine goal contributions this season.
The Galaxy need a win and when they're attacking, they tend to send players forward to open up more passing options in the attacking half. When a pass is misplaced, their opponents counter attack and expose their lack of numbers. With LA’s tendency to find themselves in this scenario, Hlongwane’s going to Minnesota’s outlet to execute these attacks.
He finds himself at the right place at the right time very often. While his finishing needs work on consistency, he still makes defense worry about him. Galaxy must make sure to keep the Loon’s most dangerous winger from having a monumental impact on the game.
LA: Jonathan Bond, goalkeeper
With the Galaxy defense not so reliable in the past couple of weeks, LA will rely on their last line of defense; the goalkeeper.
While the last match saw the defense take a leap forward, the Galaxy still gives up chances to their opponent. The squad is going to rely on Bond to make saves when under pressure and to keep LA in the game if Minnesota has a stretch of momentum.
Bond’s season has been full of ups and downs and his shot-stopping has regressed. According to fbref.com, the Englishman’s Post Shot G-xG tally of -4.1 is the second worst in the league. His 64.2% save percentage ranks 27th among MLS goalkeepers with 15 or more starts.
Given that Minnesota needs to win this game and they're coming off a 5-1 loss, I expect to see their attack reinvigorated and wanting to get a win at home. Bond will likely need to stand on his head to deny chances against a team with the worst finishing record in the league (-13 npG-xG).
The Winning Edge: The Striker Shootout
In the reverse fixture, each team’s former Championship striker had an impact on the game. Sheffield legend Billy Sharp recorded a hat trick and former Norwich forward Teemu Pukki recorded a goal and assist.
Since that night, Sharp has yet to find the back of the net. He still provides a threat in the box and is smart with his movements but has recorded no shots on target in his last two games.
Meanwhile, Pukki has recorded three goals and one assist in his last four games to provide much of the Loon’s scoring in this stretch of games. He’s still looking to find a groove with Minnesota and become the reliable scorer game they’ve been looking for.
The Galaxy needs Sharp to get back on the scoresheet and terrorize Minnesota’s defense as he did 17 days ago. Pukki was the Loon’s big acquisition and the fans are expecting him to execute on the team’s most important and final home game of the season.