The LA Galaxy gets set to face off against Atlanta United for the third time in their history as both teams try to jumpstart their sinking season. For the Galaxy, coach Greg Vanney is ready to shift the frustration of losing three in a row into producing on the pitch.
“I think the key is to use the frustration to come out and compete and to push yourself a little bit more, for each of us just to take a quick peek in the mirror to make sure that we have our priorities right,” he stated Wednesday after practice.
Captain Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez reiterated the message of having a focused and killer mentality when on the pitch.
“We're all teammates," he said. "We're friends. We love each other. But when we’re on the pitch, I depend on you, you depend on me and we're playing against someone that I want to win. We all want the same objective. So we need to be like prepared to do that."
While Atlanta may be outside the playoffs at the moment, they are also in the midst of trying to surge up the table and get into a rhythm. Their amount of attacking options makes them dangerous, especially considering how the Galaxy defense has shown its cracks of late.
Here is all you need to know to get ready for this clash on Sunday.
KICKOFF TIME: The match will begin at 6:55 p.m. at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA.
HOW TO WATCH: The game will be broadcast nationally on FS1 and Fox Deportes.
HOW TO LISTEN: The LA Galaxy radio broadcast can be found on the team's YouTube page.
RECORDS: LA Galaxy: 8W-3D-9L (27 points,7th in the Western Conference); Atlanta United: 6W-8D-8L (24 points, 11th on the Eastern Conference)
LAST TIME OUT: The LA Galaxy suffered their third straight defeat to the Colorado Rapids 2-0 on the road. Goals from Diego Rubio and Gyasi Zardes gave the Galaxy their eight straight losses to Colorado.
Atlanta United tied 1-1 with rivals Orlando City at home. Atlanta found the equalizer through a header from Juanjo Purata via free kick.
PROJECTED LINEUPS: LA Galaxy 4-3-3 (right to left): Jonathan Bond, Julian Araujo, Sega Coulibaly, Derrick Williams, Raheem Edwards, Mark Delgado, Rayan Raveloson, Victor Vazquez, Samul Grandsir, Kevin Cabral, Chicharito
Atlanta United 3-4-2-1(right to left) Rios Rocco Novo, Juanjo Purata, Alan Franco, George Campbell, Aiden McFadden, Amar Sejdić, Matheus Rossetto, Caleb Wiley, Luiz Araújo, Marcelino Moreno, Ronaldo Cisneros
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Luiz Araújo: Atlanta hasn’t been afraid to spend the big bucks on players since they came to Major League Soccer. Araújo joined the club as a DP from Lille OSC in Ligue 1 for an estimated 12 million dollars in last year’s secondary transfer window.
The 26-year-old Brazilian is an exceptional dribbler with good pace, a lethal combination for backlines. He’s been an excellent creator for the five stripes as his through balls are a big strength of his game that have allowed him to be one of the best creators on the team.
Giving him space outside the box is something the Galaxy needs to limit at all costs. Araújo has tendencies to shoot from outside the box and the Brazilian leads the club in attempted shots (48) and shots on target (14).
Atlanta has so many options in the attack, but when he plays, Araújo can flip a game on its head and be a handful for any defender in the league. Last week, Julian Araujo had his struggles containing Jonathan Lewis, but Luiz Araújo will be a more complicated player to compromise on the pitch.
Mark Delgado: After being out the last two matches due to health and safety protocols, Delgado returns at an important time for the G’s. His presence was missed in the games against San Jose and Colorado. The little things he does such as covering spaces quickly and his progressive line-breaking passes.
Delgado will be dealing with being the first line of defense against Atlanta’s attackers. The five stripes attack through the middle and so Delgado will be involved in trying to cover space and close down either Luiz Araújo, Thiago Almada, or Marcelino Moreno outside the box. Atlanta’s tendency to play through balls also means that Delgado has to anticipate the situation of the field to communicate to the rest of the midfield and the backline.
He can hold his own offensively as well. He’s the player that will spring the ball into other players' feet and looks to break the opposing team’s midfield line. With Gastón Brugman likely to get minutes, Delgado can be in his more natural 8 role next to Raveloson where both can leave a bigger print on the game offensively.
KEY MATCHUP: Fullback Battle
Julian Araujo and Raheem Edwards have been lively all year long getting forward and playing their part defensively. The injury crisis in Atlanta has given valuable minutes to 23-year-old Aiden McFadden and 17-year-old Caleb Wiley. For both teams, the width and verticality their fullbacks provide is essential to getting into top gear.
Araujo, an MLS All-Star, has four assists on the year and continues to be an engine on the right flank. When he gets into the final third, clever combination play with teammates gets him into the right spots to whip in a cross for the strikers.
Edwards started off the season with five assists in his first six games but since then, he’s tallied just one in the last 12 MLS games. The Canadian has been in a slump of form as he’s already surpassed his career high in the number of minutes played in a season and teams have found ways to limit his impact off the pitch.
This will be a complicated game for both as they try to participate further forward up the field but also have to avoid getting exposed out of position on the counter by Atlanta’s skillful attacking midfielders.
Caleb Wiley has emerged onto the scene this year in Atlanta as injuries to Andrew Gutman and Ronald Hernandez have pushed the teenager into starting minutes. Most young footballers are still learning and adapting to their positions. Going against Sam Grandsir and Kevin Cabral will provide a unique challenge for him as both have excellent speed and are able to pop up in dangerous areas for crosses or shots.
The same can be said for right back Aiden McFadden; like Wiley, an injury to Brooks Lennon has put the 23-year-old in the starting lineup. McFadden has some qualities to him that stretch out the field while also still keeping in mind his defensive positioning.
The importance and impact the fullbacks have on their respective teams is extremely important. While Edwards and Araujo try to contain Atlanta’s attack, can Wiley and McFadden add more pressure onto the Galaxy backline by pushing higher up the pitch, or will it lead to them being caught on the counter by the Galaxy? Keep an eye on how the fullbacks for both teams approach this game, where being in a bad position can lead to chances for the other team.
FOR THE WIN: Lock Down
The Galaxy have conceded 8 goals in their last three games and their backline has dealt with lots of pressure from the opposing teams for long stretches of the game. As mentioned earlier, Atlanta has plenty of attackers capable of creating chances for themselves and others around them.
After Derrick Williams' comments last week about the Galaxy not playing as a team, they look to recalibrate and find that solidity that was present at the beginning of the year. The Galaxy have given up the first goal in seven out of their last eight MLS games. In that span, they have collected only four points.
This team has yet to show flashes of their ability to mount a comeback but has fallen short on a consistent basis when those opportunities arise. Being able to contain the best collection of attacking talent in MLS will show the progress the team has made in defensive areas of their game. It will take a complete team effort to come away with a clean sheet.