Game two of the three-game homestand brings the LA Galaxy to Toyota Stadium. The visitors come to Frisco with eight points through seven matches and are still searching for consistency. Their first road win of the year came last week in Austin, but this trip to Frisco comes on the heels of a midweek clash against Toluca in the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals.
LA coming with possibly a rotated sets up an interesting dynamic. On paper, the Galaxy have the quality to cause issues in games. But, a squad rotation and travel (this would be the fourth game in a two-week stretch) could level things quickly. For Dallas, this is the kind of home game where you don’t want to overthink it too much. You press the advantage, dictate terms and make life uncomfortable from the opening whistle.
Again, we’ll say, this is where you stack points against teams you should beat at home. Let’s dive into the Galaxy ahead of Saturday’s match.
Potential Lineup & Tactic Style:
LA are still a possession-first team. They want the ball, they want to build through the midfield, and they’re comfortable stretching the field to create space for their attacking pieces. But, depending on how tonight goes in the Concacaf Champions Cup game against Toluca, Gregg Vanney will likely have his club sit back a bit more in this one as he rotates his club a bit.
Projected XI (4-3-3): Marcinkowski, Nelson, Haak, Yoshida, Aude; Sanabria, Cerrillo, Cuevas; Miller, Klauss, Thommy
- Offensive tendencies - The attack is very dependent on the wingers, but mostly on Gabriel Pec. He and Klauss have built a good connection so far.
- Defensive shape - The Galaxy added some good defensive additions in the offseason, but they are still vulnerable, especially when stretched. Given the rotation and possibly heavy legs, if their fullbacks get caught high or rotations aren’t clean, there are gaps that Dallas can exploit in transition.
Key Player: Joao Klauss
After learning that the club would once again be without Riqui Puig, the Galaxy went out and replaced their injured Designated Player with Brazilian striker Joao Klauss in a deal with St. Louis. The veteran striker leads the Galaxy with five goals and has been an instant upgrade over the likes of Christian Ramírez and Matheus Nascimento.
Key Matchup: Justin Haak vs Petar Musa
We saw last weekend what happens when you defend tight against Musa, the chances are limited. Haak was one of the bigger additions to the Galaxy’s defense and he’ll want to take a bit out of the playbook from St. Louis last weekend.
Availability Report1:
Suspended: none
Out: Jakob Glesnes (calf), Matheus Nascimento (thigh), Joseph Paintsil (thigh)
Questionable: none
On Loan: none
International duty: none
Quick Notes:
All-time at Dallas: LA is 9-26-7 in all-time regular season meetings in North Texas. Their last win in Frisco came back in the 2015 season, as they’ve lost in their last nine trips to Toyota Stadium.
Current form: Outside of the Champions Cup, LA is 1-3-1 in their last five games, with the lone win coming last weekend at Austin.
Where they're at in the standings: Through seven games, LA sits in 10th place in the Western Conference on eight points.
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Three keys for FC Dallas
- Start fast against a likely rotated squad: If LA rotates heavily after their important midweek match against Toluca, this is a moment for Dallas to jump out on them early and set a tone for the match. Dallas needs to push the tempo and don’t allow them to settle into the game.
- Punish the defensive gaps in transition: This is bread and butter stuff for Eric Quill’s club these days. LA wants the ball and with that comes some risk. When Dallas wins the ball in the midfield, the counter needs to be sharp and direct. LA will give up space, so Dallas will need to quickly attack it.
- Win the wings: Both teams like to stretch the field along the wings. Dallas’ wide players need to be active on both sides of the ball on Saturday - defending space while also attacking the gaps left behind (a la what we saw from Deedson last weekend against St. Louis).
1 Note: MLS has an injury report deadline that doesn’t hit until the day before each game. Our scouting reports will include last week's report and will be fully updated the day before with our injury report for FC Dallas.
