Black-and-gold reach “win now” mode.
LAFC have a vital week in their season ahead of them, beginning with Tuesday’s road clash at Minnesota United.
The black-and-gold are reeling, after they lost 2-1 on Saturday at FC Dallas. It was their fourth straight road loss, and while they had to play down a man nearly the whole game and they did take the lead, they couldn’t hold on, as some mental slips doomed LAFC in Frisco. The bad news? LAFC have never won in Minnesota. Time to break that hex!
Minnesota have been wobbling themselves lately. After having a mostly flawless summer that seemed to put them firmly in the playoff picture, they have come back down to earth, losing three in a row, including a tight 1-0 loss at the Portland Timbers on Saturday. Portland is a tough place to play in for visiting teams, but with Emanuel Reynoso slowed down with an ankle injury, their reliance on the playmaker has been laid bare. It’s been projected he will only be able to come off the bench, but I’d still be wary in case the Loons want to rope-a-dope LAFC here.
This is a must-win game for LAFC if they want the Supporters’ Shield, as this is their game in hand on the Philadelphia Union, who took over the lead over the weekend. If LAFC win out, they’ll get the Shield, but at this point we need to see a road win to keep hope alive and see this team regain their mojo in these final regular season games. Hopefully they fly back with three points in the pocket from this one.
Injuries/absences:
LAFC:
- Ryan Hollingshead (suspended) — OUT
- Diego Palacios (suspended) — OUT
Minnesota:
- Franco Fragapane (suspended) — OUT
- Bakaye Dibassy (thigh) — OUT
- Hassani Dotson (knee) — OUT
- Jacori Hayes (leg) — OUT
- Callum Montgomery (thigh) — OUT
- Bongokuhle Hlongwane (knee) — QUESTIONABLE
- Emanuel Reynoso (ankle) — QUESTIONABLE
Odds:
According to our partners at DraftKings Sportsbook, as of Tuesday morning, LAFC are (+100), MNUFC are (+220) and a draw is (+275), so LAFC are very slight favorites on the road, again, which has not suited them well recently. They better break the skid here.
How to Watch:
Tuesday’s match between LAFC and Minnesota United will be televised locally on KCOP 13 and Estrella 62, and streamed in the rest of the United States on ESPN+. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 5 pm PT with kickoff to come at 5:08.