The first match on the Western Conference side of the MLS Cup playoffs will feature the Los Angeles Galaxy hosting the Colorado Rapids in game one of that best-of-three series on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
On Decision Day, the Galaxy were beaten 2-1 by the Houston Dynamo, finishing second in the West, while the Burgundy Boys wound up seventh following a 3-2 defeat versus Austin FC.
Match preview
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Faced with significant pressure to succeed at the beginning of the campaign, Greg Vanney delivered, leading the Galaxy back to the post-season for the first time since 2022.
In 2024, Vanney guided them to a 64-point season, the most they have accumulated in that phase of the competition since 2011 (67), when they won their third MLS Cup.
Their high-octane attack was a handful for opposing defences all season, scoring the most goals in the Western Conference (69).
That helped compensate for a mediocre backline that conceded 50 goals in 34 regular-season fixtures, allowing at least one strike in their last seven league contests.
Since the beginning of the 2009 season, LA have hosted 18 playoff matches in Carson, including the 2011, 2012 and 2014 MLS Cup finals, and they have emerged victorious on 16 of those occasions.
The LA Galaxy won 13 matches this season at Dignity Health Sports Park, more than any side in the competition at home this year.
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It was quite the first season for Chris Armas as Rapids' head coach, guiding this team to 50 points, a 23-point improvement from the previous campaign.
Saturday will mark their first appearance in the playoffs since 2021, when they finished the regular season on top of the Western Conference table.
The 15 MLS triumphs and 50 points accumulated by Armas this year are more than any Rapids boss had ever achieved in their first season in charge.
For everything this side accomplished this year, such as making the playoff and earning a spot in next year's CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC), they have slipped up plenty down the stretch of the regular season, losing four successive MLS affairs.
The Burgundy Boys have lost three successive MLS away matches and have not won a playoff game as the visitors since beating Dallas 3-2 in October 2006 and advancing from that tie on penalties (5-4).
Colorado have just one point from their last three meetings with the Galaxy, with their previous victory at Dignity Health Sports Park taking place in 2023 (3-1).
Team News
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Last Saturday, the Galaxy played without Martin Caceres, who is dealing with an Achilles injury, while Mark Delgado is eligible to return from suspension.
Vanney made three changes to his starting 11 against Houston, with Julian Aude featuring at left-back instead of John Nelson, while Marco Reus and Edwin Cerrillo came in for Delgado and Gaston Brugman.
A 96th-minute penalty converted by Gabriel Pec was all the scoring the Galaxy could manage last weekend, while Diego Fagundez, Joseph Paintsil and Riqui Puig each netted in their previous home victory against the Rapids this season (3-2).
In their final regular-season clash, the Burgundy Boys did not have Darren Yapi or first-choice goalkeeper Zack Steffen available due to knocks, Cole Bassett was sidelined with a sore quad and former Galaxy winger Kevin Cabral remains doubtful because of an elbow injury.
We saw three newcomers in their starting 11 on Decision Day as Adam Beaudry replaced Steffen between the sticks, with Reggie Cannon and Omir Fernandez also coming in to replace Sam Vines and Calvin Harris.
Fernandez converted a 75th-minute penalty to put his side in front against Austin, with their other goal coming courtesy of Rafael Navarro, his team-leading 15th of the MLS campaign.
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Yamane, Garces, Yoshida, Aude; Reus, Cerrillo, Puig; Pec Joveljic, Paintsil
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Steffen; Rosenberry, Abubakar, Maxso, Vines; Larraz, Ronan; Fernandez, Mihailovic, Lewis; Navarro
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 3-2 Colorado Rapids
These two sides are loaded with talented attacking players who throw caution to the wind, so we expect a few high-quality scoring opportunities for each, and in a game like that, the Galaxy should prevail, given the array of talent they have at their disposal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
