For the only time this month, the LA Galaxy will be at Dignity Health Sports Park to host Sporting Kansas City. After a rescuing a point in St. Louis last time out, the Galaxy will look to get just their fourth win in league play this season.
Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney has yet to defeat Peter Vermes during his coaching career; he's got a record of 0-5-5 against the veteran manager. The two sides met earlier this season, resulting in a scoreless draw in Kansas City. This is an opponent that’s given the LA Galaxy trouble over recent history, with the club unable to claim victory in their last five matchups.
After a bad start to the season, SKC is turning things around. They have won three of their last five, with their only loss in that stretch coming Saturday versus LAFC. Their squad has seen key players return from injury and their attack that’s becoming more consistent. This will be a difficult game considering Vermes and SKC have won one of their last 18 matches away from home.
The Galaxy will be without Dejan Joveljić, Eriq Zavaleta and Jalen Neal due to international duty. Sega Coulibaly (knee) and Memo Rodriguez (thigh) will miss this game as they recover from injuries.
Here are LA's keys to the game for the team to record their first win at home in the post-Klein era.
Homecoming
All five major LA Galaxy supporter groups are set to return to the stands for the first time due to the departure of club president Chris Klein last month. The supporters started a boycott of all games at the start of the preseason due to Klein returning for his 11th season at the club's helm. In a joint statement, they vowed not to return until “change is made at the highest level.”
Angel City Brigade was the first group to return this season in early May but will now have LA Riot Squad, Galaxians, Galaxy Outlawz, and Galaxy Ghost Ultras in the stadium as well.
In their last home match, the night ended with the ACB and players engaging in a heated conversation following a 1-0 loss to Charlotte FC. Vanney joined in the conversation before being pulled away as the rest of the team headed into the locker room.
With the game being the first since Klein’s departure, it’s expected to have the liveliest atmosphere at Dignity Health Sports Park this season. Although the game is on a Wednesday night, it wouldn’t be surprising to see one of the largest crowds this season. Klein became a controversial figure among the fan base, but his departure from the organization brought unity across social media among fans.
Assuming it'll be the loudest crowd of the season, it'll bring energy into a squad that needs to accumulate points. SKC’s road struggles, combined with the Galaxy's motivation to salvage their season, means the return of the supporters' groups comes at the right time.
Winger upgrades
In the reverse fixtures between these teams back in March, Douglas Costa was out with an injury, forcing the Galaxy to play without any true wingers. Rodriguez and Efraín Alvarez started that match with Tyler Boyd coming off the bench. But Rodriguez is dealing with a thigh injury currently and Alvarez has only seen limited minutes off the bench.
Boyd leads the LA Galaxy with three goals scored in all competitions and Costa has a goal and assist in his last two matches. These two players will play a vital role in getting a win for Vanney’s side — especially considering the weak point in SKC’s backline is their fullbacks.
The Galaxy had plenty of width and better reading of space with Boyd and Costa starting recently versus St. Louis City. Boyd provided lots of runs against the backline while Costa provided playmaking out wide. It’s a combo that gives Vanney’s attack another dimension that can lead to more goals.
With Preston Judd likely to start at striker, he’ll need a lot of service inside the box to be dangerous. This also allows the midfield to operate smoother and not force too many hopeful passes into the box, which has plagued the Galaxy. Judd is also an aerial threat, unlike the other strikers on the roster, meaning we'll likely see more crosses into the box.
Costa has shown flashes of brilliance during his time in LA but never molded that into consistency over a stretch of games. After going 89 minutes last match, it’ll be on everyone’s minds to see if the Brazilian continues to add goal contributions in front of the home crowd.
Keep Pulido quiet
The biggest reason for SKC’s good form in the past month is the return of striker Alan Pulido. The former Chivas striker is in goalscoring form with four goals in his last three games. He is now the top scorer in KC with five goals in 13 appearances in 2023.
With Jalen Neal not available, Chris Mavinga is the most likely center back partner for Martin Caceres. The former Toronto FC man’s last start in league play came in April against LAFC before he left early due to injury. There is little in-game chemistry between the two, which could hinder the connection in the backline. With three center backs unavailable, the Galaxy are currently limited at that position, with Markus Ferkranus and Kelvin Leerdam otherwise available.
It’s not just Pulido, who makes the right runs into space and can finish under pressure, that poses a problem for the Gs defense; wingers Dániel Sallói and Johnny Russell will also need defenders marking them.
But SKC has scored just six goals in 10 games away from home. They lack the same danger creation on the road, with just one away game with two or more goals scored, coming against arguably their best road performance of the season, winning over Seattle. Pulido is yet to find the back of the net on the road this season.
LA is going to need to stay structured and keep tabs on Pulido for the team to meet the challenge and record their fourth shutout of the season.