Los Angeles vs Houston Dynamo

Los Angeles’ bid to return to the top of the Major League Soccer Western Conference continues at the BMO Stadium as they meet a resurgent Houston Dynamo side.

Not long ago, Los Angeles seemed in a prime position to secure a top-place finish in the Western Conference, yet a disappointing four-game form (W1, D2, L1) since mid-May has cast doubt on their lofty ambitions. Steve Cherundolo’s men slipped to a humiliating 4-0 defeat to non-other than Houston Dynamo last time out, falling three points behind conference-leaders St. Louis City. But with two games in hand, Los Angeles can still return to the top. Back at the BMO Stadium, where they’ve not lost any of their seven MLS fixtures this season (W5, D2), they’re confident about avenging last weekend’s H2H defeat. However, it’s worth noting they’ve emerged victorious in just one of their five most recent league meetings with Houston (D2, L2), netting under 1.5 goals four times in that stretch.

On the other hand, Houston Dynamo followed a 4-1 demolition of Chicago Fire in the US Open Cup with the abovementioned thumping of Los Angeles to steady the ship after back-to-back MLS defeats via at least a three-goal margin. But the ‘Orange Crush’ must stay on this trajectory to solidify their quest to secure a playoff berth as they start this round only one point clear of tenth-placed Minnesota United. Houston’s prospects look rather bleak, considering they remain the worst traveling side in the Western Conference, having won none of their eight league travels this season (D2, L6). What’s more, their massive defensive woes saw Ben Olsen’s side concede an alarming average of 2.37 goals per game in that sequence.