In its inaugural season, LAFC made history in the post-shootout era with seven wins away from home. Through 11 away matches this season, the Black & Gold lead MLS with six away wins.
LAFC is on the road this week. A win on Friday would tie the previous season's best with five away matches to play.
Win on Friday, and it's doubtful anyone will be talking about matching that history.
Because on Friday, LAFC is away to the Galaxy.
It's a derby week, let's not waste any more time. Here's a preview of LAFC's trip to face the Galaxy in Carson:
LAFC at Galaxy | July 19 at 7:00pm PT
Where To Watch
TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Radio: ESPNLA 710, KFWB 980
Official LAFC Watch Party: The Parlor in Hollywood
Opponent Form
The Galaxy saw its grasp on the second spot in the Western Conference slip this past weekend. Following its second loss to the San Jose Earthquakes in the last three matches, the Galaxy fell into third in the West, one point behind the Seattle Sounders. Since starting the 2019 season with just one loss in its first nine matches, the Galaxy have lost seven of the last 11 matches and are 12 points back of LAFC entering Friday night's match.
What The Players Are Saying
Carlos Vela on how he's approaching the derby match: "Every game is a different one. Of course, in football or in life, you always have revenge. It's always a good time to be better and show how good you are. So Friday can be a good day."
Mark-Anthony Kaye on what LAFC needs to do in the first 15 minutes of the match: "We need to assert our dominance. It doesn't matter where we play, we want to be a top team in this League. We have to enjoy playing at other people's stadiums and bringing our football to their fans. It's going to be loud, it's going to be exciting. Obviously, they're going to be very riled up to play us but we just have to match their intensity and then take over the game when we deal with everything else that the fans and stadium have to bring."
Projected LAFC Starting XI
(4-3-3): Tyler Miller; Jordan Harvey, Eddie Segura, Walker Zimmerman, Steven Beitashour; Eduard Atuesta, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Latif Blessing; Diego Rossi, Adama Diomande, Carlos Vela.
What To Watch For
Welcome To The Rivalry: From its inaugural season to now, LAFC has seen very little changeover. Ten of the 11 players in LAFC's projected starting lineup have faced the Galaxy on multiple occasions with LAFC. The one outlier is also likely to have arguably the biggest impact on the match. Since his arrival in LA, Eddie Segura has been nothing short of phenomenal. The center back pushed his way into the starting 11 from the start of the season and hasn't looked back. His partnership with Walker Zimmerman has flourished, getting the best out of both players this season. Against the Galaxy, Segura will have his first opportunity to match up with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Having a chance to speak with the Colombian defender throughout the season, this is the kind of test Segura craves.
Best In MLS: Speaking of Zlatan. He's been stirring the pot a bit by declaring himself the best player in MLS. What a surprise, right? If you know even the smallest bit about Zlatan, you'd expect him to say that. Carlos Vela has let his play on the pitch and his team's record do the talking. His 19 goals and 12 assists lead MLS.
Midfield Battle: LAFC's trio of Latif Blessing, Eduard Atuesta, and Mark-Anthony Kaye are expected to start on Friday. Can you give an award to the best unit in MLS? These three have dominated opposing midfields to the point teams simply try to bypass the central areas on the pitch against LAFC. The Galaxy have relied on Jonathan dos Santos to do much of the dirty work in midfield and be the team's main connector between defense and attack. Will the Galaxy add more help in that role to deal with the LAFC trio?
