Los Angeles FC will look to build on their 2024 regular season success when they begin their 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign at home to Minnesota United on Saturday.
The Black and Gold finished top of the Western Conference with 64 points, edging Los Angeles Galaxy only on goal difference, though they placed third in the overall standings.
Match preview
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On reflection, the 2024 season was more than decent for LAFC, who not only secured a place in the MLS Cup playoffs as the highest-ranked team in their conference but also lifted the US Open Cup.
The Black and Gold edged past Seattle Sounders 1-0 in a tightly contested semi-final before defeating Sporting Kansas City 3-1 after extra time to claim the trophy for the first time in their history.
However, their playoff journey ended in the semi-finals, where they fell 2-1 to Sounders after 120 minutes, marking the conclusion of their campaign.
During the preseason break, LAFC remained unbeaten in their four friendly matches, starting with a 1-1 draw against San Jose Earthquakes before securing victories over Portland Timbers (1-0), Chicago Fire (1-0) and Club America (2-1).
That streak, however, did not carry over into competitive action, as the Black and Gold suffered their first defeat of 2025 with a 2-1 loss to Colorado Rapids in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, leaving them with a mountain to climb in next Wednesday's return leg at BMO Stadium.
Before that, though, LAFC will be determined to make a strong start to their MLS campaign and improve on last season's opener, when they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Real Salt Lake.
The Black and Gold will be confident of taking all three points on Saturday, given their recent dominance in this fixture, having won each of the last three meetings on home soil.
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Minnesota, meanwhile, will be keen to improve on their sixth-place finish in the Western Conference and 10th overall from 2024, starting with a positive result in Los Angeles.
With 54 points from 15 wins, 12 draws and seven losses, the Loons secured their joint-fourth highest finish in the conference while achieving their third-best overall standing.
After booking a place in the post-season championship, Eric Ramsay's men saw their playoff hopes dashed in the quarter-finals, suffering a humbling 6-2 defeat to Galaxy to bring their campaign to an abrupt end.
Minnesota have not had the most convincing preparation for this encounter, winning just one of their four preseason matches, drawing one and losing their last two, the most recent being a 1-0 defeat to New York City.
However, they will take inspiration from their opening match of last season, when they defied the odds to claim a 2-1 victory at Austin FC despite a similarly unconvincing run leading up to the fixture.
Team News
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LAFC were highly active in the transfer window ahead of the new season, reshaping their squad with seven new arrivals while parting ways with three players.
Their acquisitions include Cengiz Under and Odin Thiago Holm, who arrived on loan from Fenerbahce and Celtic respectively, Artem Smolyakov from Polissya Zhytomyr, Igor Jesus from Estrela Amadora, Yaw Yeboah as a free agent, Nkosi Tafari Burgess from FC Dallas and Marco Delgado from LA Galaxy.
On the departure front, Cristian Olivera made the switch to Gremio, Mario Gonzalez joined Lech Poznan and Mateusz Bogusz sealed a move to Mexican side Cruz Azul.
Meanwhile, experienced striker Olivier Giroud is expected to lead the line on Saturday, likely flanked by Denis Bouanga and David Martinez in a three-man attack.
Minnesota have also undergone a squad refresh, bolstering their ranks with new signings, including Owen Gene, Ho-yeon Jung, Nicolas Romero and Wil Trapp.
On the other hand, Matus Kmet, Mikael Marques, Patrick Weah, Teemu Pukki and Franco Fragapane have all departed.
For Saturday's fixture, Kelvin Yeboah and Tani Oluwaseyi could spearhead a two-man attack, with an advanced midfield trio of Trapp, Robin Lod and Joaquin Pereyra providing support.
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Hollingshead, Long, Santos, Palencia; Igor Jesus; Delgado, Tillman; Martínez, Giroud, Bouanga
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
Clair; Hlongwane, Harvey, Boxall, Díaz, Rosales; Lod, Trapp, Pereyra; Yeboah, Oluwaseyi
We say: Los Angeles FC 2-1 Minnesota United
While predicting the outcome is challenging with limited competitive games to gauge form and momentum, LAFC appear better placed for victory, having outperformed the visitors in recent outings and boasting a strong home record in this fixture.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
