LA Galaxy will be aiming to secure the top seed in the Western Conference of the MLS when they travel to the Shell Energy Stadium to take on Houston Dynamo on Sunday morning.
Regardless of the outcome here, both these sides will be heading to the final series, with the hosts currently in fifth place in the West, while the visitors are atop the conference standings.
Match preview
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While Houston will not be able to match the fourth-placed finish they managed last season, they are currently on 51 points, meaning if they take anything from this final match, they will surpass their points tally from last term.
The Dynamos are four points clear of eighth-placed Vancouver, and a win here will secure fifth, while a draw or loss could lead to them dropping to seventh place, which will see them face one of the LA clubs in the post-season.
In their last match, Ben Olsen's side suffered a surprising 3-0 loss to St Louis on the road, marking their second away defeat in succession either side of a 2-1 home win over New England at the start of the month.
That win against the Revs was the Dynamo's fourth match unbeaten at Shell Energy Stadium (W2 D2 L0), while they have only conceded one defeat in their last 11 matches at this venue, which was against Toronto back in August.
While the hosts will likely love nothing more than to deny their upcoming opponents the top seed, they have failed to beat Galaxy in their last two attempts, with their previous encounter this season ending in a 2-1 defeat on the road.
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Meanwhile, as we head into the final matchday of what has been a captivating regular season, LA Galaxy and their bitter rivals Los Angeles FC stand alone at the top of the Western Conference.
For Galaxy, the equation is simple, win or draw this match and they will secure the top seed. However, if they fail to do so and LAFC win their match, the top spot will come down to a goal differential tie-breaker.
As it stands, Greg Vanney's side are two goals better off than their cross-town rivals, who have arguably the best fixture they could have hoped for on decision day, set to take on basement club San Jose at home.
Nevertheless, Los Galacticos are still favourites to top the Western Conference and enter this fixture riding a three-match winning streak and having scored 15 goals in their last five league games alone.
The only concern for the visitors here is that their away record has been far from ideal in recent times, with three losses posted in their last four games on the road, while they have only won three of their last 11 outings.
Team News
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Houston saw their already lengthy absentee list added to last week when Franco Escobar was shown a second yellow 10 minutes before the final whistle in the defeat against St Louis.
The Argentine right-back will therefore sit out this match alongside the likes of Daniel Steres, Amine Bassi, Hector Herrera, Lawrence Ennali and Nelson Quinones, all of whom are sidelined through injury.
Galaxy will also be missing a player due to suspension for this match in the shape of Mark Delgado, who crossed the yellow card threshold in the side's victory over Austin before the international break.
In terms of injury absentees, Martin Caceres is likely to miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury, while former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus is flagged as doubt owing to a thigh strain.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Dorsey, Sviatchenko, Bartlow, Schmitt; Carrasquilla, Artur, Raines; Aliyu, Ponce, Kowalczyk
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Yamane, Garces, Yoshida, Nelson; Cerrillo, Brugman, Puig; Pec, Joveljic, Paintsil
We say: Houston Dynamo 2-2 Los Angeles Galaxy
LA Galaxy have come up with more than a few clutch results already this season, and while we have our doubts over whether they will win this match given their away record, we do feel that they will do enough to avoid defeat and secure the top seed in the West.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
