Saturday, May 3 | 7:30 p.m. PT
π: BMO Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
π»: 710 AM ESPN, ESPN LA App, and KFWB 980 AM La Mera Mera
π: Re-air on Tue. 5/6 at 5:30 p.m. on FOX 11 Plus (KCOP-TV Ch. 13)
π: Calendar sync
π: Saturdayβs match will feature the introduction of the Pepsi Combo:
Available for LAFC matches only, the Pepsi combo includes chicken tenders and fries plus one Pepsi beverage of choice (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, or Pepsi Zero Sugar) for $15. The combo is available from when general gates open through kickoff; after kickoff, the combo will return to its regular price of $20. This offer is available exclusively at Rotisserie, East Los Eats, and The Hatch.
Riding a three-game unbeaten streak in league play, LAFC welcomes the Houston Dynamo to BMO Stadium on Saturday for the second chapter of their regular-season home-and-home series.
The matchup features two teams in ascendant form. LAFC (4W-4L-2D, 8th in the Western Conference) is coming off two straight dramatic draws that saw the Black & Gold strike in stoppage-time against both Portland and St. Louis to bring those matches level and pick up points.
The Dynamo (2-4-4, 13th) are unbeaten in their last four matches, including a 1-0 home win over LAFC on April 5.
CHERUNDOLO SAYS
βThey're obviously a possession-based team,β LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said of the Dynamo during his weekly media session Thursday afternoon. βThey're really good at combining through the middle of the park. They have some weapons on the right, a good set up with [fullback Griffin] Dorsey and [midfielder Jack] McGlynn. Dorsey giving some depth and verticality, and McGlynn underneath.
βYou have to be wary of [McGlynnβs] left foot as a passer and finisher,β Cherundolo continued, βand they've added some quality up top and shaded towards the left. [Attacker Amine] Bassi is always a handful, so they have many ways to break you down. For us it's really about making the game about ourselves and not so much about Houston, and pushing the tempo and playing as fast as possible but still under control.β
WARMING UP
LAFC winger and 2023 MLS Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga has scored four goals in his last three games (plus an assist) as he continues his push to become the first player in league history to score 20 goals in three straight seasons.
Bouanga was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for his performance against St. Louis CITY SC last Saturday. LAFC salvaged a draw from a late 2-1 deficit when Bouanga took a through ball from Cengiz Γnder in the 95th minute and did the rest by himself, in one-on-four fashion, to knot the game and ignite BMO Stadium. It was Bouangaβs second goal of the game and his 11th multi-goal regular-season game in an LAFC shirt, the second-most in club history (Carlos Vela, 13).
FASTEST TO 450
Bouangaβs 70th-minute goal last weekend (also assisted by Γnder) was the 450th regular-season goal in LAFC history. The Black & Gold hit that mark in its 236th game, making LAFC the fastest club in MLS history to reach 450 goals, breaking the previous record of 256 games, set by the Galaxy.
STRIKING FIRST
LAFC has a 3W-1L-1D record at home in MLS play this year, and is 6-1-1 at home overall. The Black & Gold has scored the first goal in each of those six home wins. It conceded the opening goal in its only home loss and in last weekendβs draw.
In Houstonβs 2-0 defeat of Austin FC last Saturday, new Designated Player OndΕej Lingr made his first MLS start, scored a goal, and joined Bouanga on the MLS Team of the Matchday.
FOREVER BLACK & GOLD
Houston midfielder Erik DueΓ±as returns to BMO Stadium for the first time since he joined the Dynamo following his seven-year rise from the LAFCβs youth academy to its first-team roster. The LA native joined LAFCβs original academy team at age 11, signed an MLS Homegrown contract with the club at age 15, and remains beloved in his hometownβeven in Dynamo orange.
LAFC CAN WIN IF
The creative connections between Bouanga and the other two forwards at the top of LAFCβs 4-3-3 formation continue to click. Last week it was Γnder who linked up with Bouanga and found the net. The week before, Olivier Giroud and David Martinez were the ones behaving dangerously with the MLS MVP runner up. Add in Nathan Ordaz and Jeremy Ebobisse, and if these attacking synapses keep forming and firing, victories will follow.
DYNAMO CAN WIN IF
McGlynn finds room in the attacking third. The 21-year-oldβs left foot is one of the leagueβs most dangerous weapons, and although he didnβt score with it last week against Austin he sent four screamers at goal that didnβt miss by much. LAFC gave McGlynn an inch of space at the edge of the area in the 58th minute of their April 5 match in Houston, and his ensuing 25-yard blast was the decider.
