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Colorado Rapids
Major League Soccer
Jun 25, 2023 at 2.30am UK
Dick's Sporting Goods Park
LA Galaxy

Colorado
0 - 0
LA Galaxy


Bassett (74'), Rosenberry (76')
FT

Puig (80')

Preview: Colorado Rapids vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Major League Soccer clash between Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

The bottom two teams in the MLS' Western Conference go head-to-head when Colorado Rapids host Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday.

The visitors are one point ahead of Colorado, having played one match fewer than them, with time running out for both sides to make up ground on the playoff positions.


Match preview

Colorado Rapids head coach Robin Fraser gestures to his team on May 25, 2023© Reuters

Having missed out on qualifying for the play-offs for the sixth time in nine seasons last time out, Colorado appear almost certain to fall short once again having collected only 13 points from 16 games to sit rock bottom of the Western Conference.

The Rapids, who are led by English Premier League side Arsenal's owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, fell to a seventh defeat in eight matches away to Orlando City in their last league match, with a lack of discipline seemingly setting in at the club given that Braian Galvan and Lalas Abubakar both saw red during the loss.

That means Colorado have now failed to score in four of their last five matches, with a record of one point from eight matches making it unsurprising that reaching the playoffs appears to be an absolute longshot at this stage of proceedings.

As such, Robin Fraser - who has been in charge since 2019, most notably guiding the team to finishing first in the Western Conference before crashing out at the quarter-final stage of the playoffs two seasons ago - is facing huge pressure to hold onto his job, with anything shy of a victory against LA Galaxy on Sunday almost certainly condemning his side to end-of-season disappointment once again.

LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney walks onto the field before the match on April 9, 2023© Reuters

Likewise, fallen giants LA Galaxy are facing the prospect of an increasingly familiar feeling in recent seasons, having failed to qualify for the play-offs in four of the last five seasons.

Greg Vanney's side have struggled to get going this season, with their inability to hold onto a 2-1 lead against Sporting Kansas City in midweek summing up their campaign, as Alan Pulido salvaged a point for the visitors by dispatching a penalty in injury time.

Those two dropped points could prove extremely costly for the Galaxy, who would have moved six points behind Austin FC and Vancouver Whitecaps - who currently occupy the two final series playoff positions - had they managed to survive the onslaught from their opponents.

Instead, Sunday's meeting at DSG Park surely represents a must-win encounter for both teams if they are to stand any chance of being involved in the business end of the MLS season, with both managers desperate to see their teams go on winning streaks sooner rather than later.

Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer form:

Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer form:


Los Angeles Galaxy form (all competitions):



Team News

Colorado will be without Galvan and Abubakar due to suspension after both players were shown red cards during their side's defeat to Orlando, but Moise Bombito will be available for selection once again having missed out on that match through his own ban.

Alex Gersbach, Abraham Rodriguez and Jack Price are all expected to remain sidelined through injury, with Steven Beitashour and Michael Barrios likely to come into the hosts' starting XI.

LA Galaxy, meanwhile, will remain without their star striker Javier Hernandez, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury earlier this month. Memo Rodriguez and Sega Coulibaly are also out of action due to thigh and knee issues respectively.

Efrain Alvarez could return to the visitors' lineup after being rested against Sporting KC in midweek, but Vanney may not make many changes after coming so close to earning a crucial victory.


Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Ilic; Beitashour, Maxso, Wilson, Rosenberry; Ronan, Acosta; Barrios, Bassett, Lewis; Cabral

Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Calegari, Caceres, Mavinga, Aude; Delgado, Brugman, Puig; Costa, Judd, Alvarez


SM words green background

We say: Colorado Rapids 1-2 Los Angeles Galaxy

Colorado's form has been desperately poor of late, whereas LA Galaxy have been scoring more freely and picking up more points, so we expect the visitors to claim a crucial victory.

Whether Vanney's side have left it too late in terms of making the play-off spots remains to be seen, but we can envisage them going on a run at some point during the remainder of the campaign.

How to watch

You can watch Colorado Rapids vs. Los Angeles Galaxy and every MLS match this season live on Apple TV. Click here for more details on how to subscribe.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data


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Game History

How you voted: Colorado vs LA Galaxy

Colorado Rapids
23.1%
Draw
23.1%
Los Angeles Galaxy
53.8%
13
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Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Memo Rodriguez (20) celebrates after his second goal of the game on May 10, 2023
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Eastern Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Inter MiamiInter Miami34228479493074
2Columbus Crew34199672403266
3FC CincinnatiCincinnati341851158481059
4Orlando City34157125950952
5Charlotte FCCharlotte FC34149114637951
6New York City FCNY City34148125449550
7New York Red BullsNY Red Bulls34111495550547
8CF MontrealMontreal341110134864-1643
9Atlanta UnitedAtlanta341010144649-340
10DC United341010145270-1840
11Philadelphia UnionPhiladelphia34910156255737
12Toronto34114194061-2137
13Nashville SCNashville3499163854-1636
14New England RevolutionNew England3494213774-3731
15Chicago Fire3479184062-2230

Western Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Los Angeles FCLos Angeles34197863432064
2Los Angeles GalaxyLA Galaxy34197869501964
3Real Salt LakeSalt Lake341611765481759
4Seattle SoundersSeattle34169951351657
5Houston DynamoHouston34159104739854
6Minnesota UnitedMinnesota Utd34157125849952
7Colorado RapidsColorado34155146160150
8Portland TimbersPortland341211116556947
9Vancouver WhitecapsVancouver34138135249347
10Austin FCAustin34119143948-942
11Dallas34118155456-241
12St Louis City34813135063-1337
13Sporting Kansas CityKansas3487195166-1531
14San Jose EarthquakesEarthquakes3463254178-3721


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