Los Angeles FC have already clinched a spot in the MLS playoffs, but the club will aim to snap a two-game slide on Wednesday night when it visits the Houston Dynamo.
This is the last of three straight road games for LAFC (18-6-3, 57 points), and the first two matches didn’t go so well for the leading club in the race for the MLS Supporters’ Shield.
LAFC lost 4-1 at Austin FC on Friday after previously losing 2-1 at the San Jose Earthquakes on Aug. 20. It was just the second time this season that LAFC had lost two straight league matches.
Providing the goals for LAFC in those defeats were Cristian Arango and Kwadwo Opoku. The duo has combined for 20 goals and eight assists this season.
Despite not having the same sort of name recognition as other LAFC stars — like Gareth Bale or Carlos Vela — Arango and Opoku have often carried the club’s offensive attack.
“He’s a star too,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said of Arango to the Los Angeles Times. “And he’s been very effective.”
While LAFC has hit a few bumps lately, they’re not in nearly as bad of shape as Houston (7-15-5, 26 points). The club sits at the very bottom of the Western Conference table and is riding a six-game winless streak (0-5-1). Over the past three months since May 28, the Dynamo have two draws and two wins in 14 matches.
Most recently, the Dynamo lost 2-1 on the road against Minnesota United. Minnesota scored in the 79th and 84th minutes, one of them a Houston own goal, to snatch away the victory.
“It’s frustrating because we did enough to come here and get the three points and to lose in the last 10 minutes, it’s frustrating, especially in the way that we conceded the goals,” Dynamo coach Paulo Nagamura said. “Mental errors are costing us, they are really costing us.”
–Field Level Media