Dallas vs Los Angeles

Toyota Stadium is the venue as Dallas and Los Angeles go head-to-head in a mouth-watering Major League Soccer showdown.

Back-to-back defeats without scoring ahead of this clash have compromised Dallas’ chances of reaching the playoffs, though a four-point buffer on 10th-placed Portland Timbers suggests they’re still on the right track. However, manager Nico Estevez must prevent further downfall to avoid a nervy season finale, with his side going winless in six of their last seven MLS fixtures (D2, L4), netting under 1.5 goals in each game they didn’t win in that sequence. While they’ve only lost one of their four previous home league meetings with Los Angeles (W2, D1), an indifferent three-game home form (W1, D1, L1) means they can’t take anything for granted. They at least showed more composure in the final third during that timeframe, scoring 2+ goals in three of those five matches.

In the meantime, Los Angeles may be on the verge of securing a playoff berth. But their effort to finish atop the Western Conference is still in limbo following an underwhelming run of three defeats in their last five league matches (W2). The visitors’ growing problems with inconsistent performances away from home have seen their four most recent MLS road trips fluctuate between victories (2) and defeats (2). Given their last league travel yielded a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City, this could be a potentially ominous task for Steve Cherundolo’s troops. They should be fine as long as they avoid a slow start, having lost four out of six league fixtures after conceding the opening goal this term (W1, D1). Since they’ve only scored four first-half goals across ten MLS travels this season, there’s no guarantee they won’t have to grind their way back into this encounter.