LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo | MLS Match Preview

LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo, May 22, 2015

LA GALAXY vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO
STUBHUB CENTER, Carson, California
May 22, 2015 (Week 12, MLS Game #112)
10:30 pm ET (UDN)

The LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo meet for a second time this season when the Western Conference clubs face off in the second match on Viernes de Fútbol at StubHub Center. The Galaxy saw their overall and road winless streaks extended, now five games in a row without a win, following a decisive 4-0 loss at Orlando City on Sunday. The Dynamo have won back-to-back games for the first time this season after their 3-1 home win vs. the Portland Timbers.


  • The Galaxy saw their overall road winless streak in MLS league and postseason play extended to 13 games following a 4-0 defeat by Orlando City on Sunday afternoon at the Citrus Bowl – the club’s heaviest defeat since a 5-0 loss to New England in 2013.
  • The Dynamo have won back-to-back games for the first time this season as Will Bruin struck for his sixth career MLS multi-goal game in a 3-1 win against the Portland Timbers on Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium.
  • The teams are meeting for the second time this season. The Galaxy’s Robbie Keane and the Dynamo’s Nathan Sturgis traded goals in the opening 11 minutes as the clubs reached a 1-1 draw, March 21 at StubHub Center.
  • The Galaxy’s last league victory against the Dynamo came May 25, 2011, a 1-0 win in Carson, but LA have beaten Houston in two MLS Cup Finals since then, played at StubHub Center in 2011 and 2012. The Dynamo had won four consecutive league meetings between the teams before the draw in first encounter this year. The Dynamo have come away with points on their last two regular season trips to StubHub Center.


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REFEREE: Ismail Elfath. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Marco Arruda; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal
Elfath MLS Career: 47 games; FC/gm: 25.6; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 13; pens: 12

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: HOU: Kofi Sarkodie, Ricardo Clark
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: LA: Juninho … HOU: Jermaine Taylor
DISABLED LIST: LA: Brian Perk (season-ending injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: LA: Bradford Jamieson IV (U.S. U-20s)

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (19 meetings): Galaxy 6 wins, 19 goals … Dynamo 8 wins, 22 goals … Ties 5
AT LA (9 meetings): Galaxy 3 wins, 11 goals … Dynamo 3 wins, 3 goals … Ties 3


FUTURE MATCH: 7/25: Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy, 8 p.m. CT


  • The teams met in three MLS Cup Playoffs over a four-year period, with the Galaxy winning all three times and all in Carson. LA took wins in the 2009 Western Conference Championship (in extra time) and in the 2011 and 2012 MLS Cup Finals.
  • Coaches' records:
    Owen Coyle vs. LA: P1 W0 L0 D1
    Bruce Arena vs. HOU: P13 W5 L6 D2


LAST MEETING (MLS)
3/21: LA 1, HOU 1 (Keane 3 – Sturgis 11)
•    The Galaxy took the lead after just three minutes. Jose Villarreal picked off a Houston pass inside Galaxy territory, fed Robbie Keane at the midfield stripe, and he took off on a 50-yard sprint to the Dynamo box, beating a defender just outside the area before firing a shot that goalkeeper Tyler Deric could only get a piece of, with the ball bouncing into the net.
•    The Dynamo answered eight minutes later. From a corner kick, center back David Horst beat his marker at the far post for Boniek Garcia's service and nodded the ball across the goalmouth. Nathan Sturgis caught his marker ball-watching and raced in alone to easily tap home past LA goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.
•    LA GALAXY (4-4-2): Jaime Penedo -  Dan Gargan (Edson Buddle 86), Omar Gonzalez, Leonardo, Robbie Rogers - Stefan Ishizaki (Alan Gordon 68), Juninho, Baggio Husidic (Mika Vayrynen 69), Jose Villarreal - Gyasi Zardes, Robbie Keane.
•    HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-1-4-1): Tyler Deric - Kofi Sarkodie, David Horst, Jermaine Taylor, DaMarcus Beasley (A.J. Cochran 55) - Luis Garrido - Boniek Garcia, Ricardo Clark (Rob Lovejoy 42), Nathan Sturgis (Will Bruin 79), Brad Davis - Giles Barnes.


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