Los Angeles Football Club vs. Colorado Rapids | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

LAFC vs. Colorado Rapids
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 25
Banc of California Stadium — Los Angeles
August 19 - 10 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

After a big midweek win against Real Salt Lake, LAFC have a chance to climb level on points with first-place FC Dallas in the Western Conference with a win Sunday. But they face a Colorado Rapids side unbeaten in their last three following a 2-2 draw against the LA Galaxy on Tuesday.

This will be the first-ever meeting between LAFC and the Rapids. Both clubs have picked up 12 points since July 1, tied for the fourth most of any Western Conference team, per Opta.

LAFC

All LAFC (11-7-6) needed to put an end to a five-match winless streak in league play was to call on Superman.

Christian Ramirez, who arrived back home in Southern California in a trade with Minnesota United on August 6, struck for a brace in his first start for his new club in a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake. Ramirez, who actually had an additional goal called back for offside, opened his account in the 13th minute and doubled LAFC’s lead on the half-hour mark in a comprehensive win.

“Tonight, before the game, I challenged for more concentration, more intensity, more helping each other on the field, more leadership, and all of those things,” Bob Bradley said. “At halftime, I said we needed a shutout, so rather than coming in and talking a lot about football, I want to say that the players responded really well to the challenges.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: M - Eduard Atuesta, D - Walker Zimmerman
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: GK - Quillan Roberts (right fibular fracture), M - Mark-Anthony Kaye (fractured ankle); QUESTIONABLE: F - Adama Diomande (left hamstring irritation)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Tyler Miller — Steven Beitashour, Danilo Silva, Laurent Ciman, Jordan Harvey — Benny Feilhaber, Andre Horta, Lee Nguyen — Carlos Vela, Christian Ramirez, Diego Rossi

Notes: LAFC now have four different players with multi-goal games in MLS play this season, tied for the most of any club. … LAFC’s 2-0 win on Wednesday snapped a five-game winless run of the club in which they allowed 2+ goals in four of the five matches. They have not won consecutive MLS games since June.

Colorado Rapids

Ten days after beating the LA Galaxy in Commerce City, the Colorado Rapids (6-12-6) rallied to earn a 2-2 draw in Carson Tuesday night.

Ashley Cole put the hosts in front in the 59th minute, but Edgar Castillo leveled in the 74th minute. After Sebastian Lletget put LA back in front four minutes later, Castillo set up Niki Jackson’s dramatic equalizer in the 82nd minute.

“Obviously incredibly pleased, I’m just incredibly proud of how the team have been working over the last five or six games,” Anthony Hudson said. “I think it was important when we came into this game tonight that, and I’ve said this for quite some time, we have to start backing ourselves and believing in what we’re doing, showing confidence and I think we did that tonight.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: F - Jack McBean, D - Danny Wilson, D - Kortne Ford
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Axel Sjoberg (knee injury); QUESTIONABLE: F - Giles Barnes (ankle injury); PROBABLE: M - Kellyn Acosta (ankle injury), F - Shkelzen Gashi (Achilles injury), D - Edgar Castillo (hamstring injury), F - Jack McBean (hamstring injury), D - Danny Wilson (illness), M - Jack Price (groin injury), F - Yannick Boli (illness)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-1-2, right to left)
GK: Tim Howard — Kortne Ford, Danny Wilson, Tommy Smith, Edgar Castillo — Kellyn Acosta, Jack Price, Johan Blomberg — Dillon Serna — Sam Nicholson, Jack McBean

Notes: Jack Price attempted 110 passes against the LA Galaxy on Tuesday, the most by any Colorado player in league play since 2010 (inc. playoffs). He completed 95.5% of his passes, the second-highest completion percentage for a Rapids player since 2010 (min. 70 pass attempts). … Colorado have scored two goals in three straight MLS matches (2W-1D), their longest multi-goal streak in MLS play since doing so in four straight in April 2016 (83 league games since).