FC Dallas vs. Los Angeles Football Club | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

FC Dallas vs. Los Angeles Football Club
2018 MLS Regular Season – Week 14
Toyota Stadium — Frisco
June 2 - 8 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

It’s back-to-back road wins and four games without defeat for FC Dallas, which roared out to a three-goal lead before hanging on for a 3-2 win over the LA Galaxy at StubHub Center on Wednesday night. They host an LAFC team that has just one loss in their last eight games and ii coming off a 1-1 home draw with D.C. United Saturday night.

This is the second meeting between FC Dallas and LAFC, with the teams playing to a 1-1 draw in Los Angeles on May 5.

A win on Saturday would give LAFC their fifth road win of the season. In 2017, only five teams managed at least five road wins in the regular season, per Opta.

FC Dallas

With Matt Hedges suspended for yellow card accumulation, Oscar Pareja moved Maynor Figueroa centrally in a four-man backline and Ryan Hollingshead started at left back as two changes from a 1-0 win over Toronto FC the previous week.

Pareja also returned Carlos Gruezo, Mauro Diaz and Cristian Colman to the starting XI in his preferred 4-3-3 formation Wednesday night in Carson.

Pareja lauded his team’s play — in the opening 80 minutes — as Hollingshead, Colman and Gruezo scored to give FC Dallas (6-1-5) a 3-0 lead after 66 minutes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck for a pair of goals after that, and Colman was sent off for putting his hands to the face of defender Michael Ciani as part of a frenetic final 10 minutes.

“The tactical discipline of the players has been remarkable,” Pareja said after the match. “I think we are finding different ways to face different teams. We’re changing the modules, we are having different strategies, we’re changing out well the players. Making everybody get more integrated into what we want. And, that refreshes and that just reinvents us as well, gives us different ways to win.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Kris Reaves (sports hernia surgery), D - Anton Nedyalkov (broken collarbone)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Jimmy Maurer — Maynor Figueroa, Matt Hedges, Reto Ziegler, Reggie Cannon — Carlos Gruezo, Victor Ulloa, Kellyn Acosta — Mauro Diaz, Maxi Urruti, Michael Barrios

Notes: Dallas have gone unbeaten in their last 13 home games (5W-8D). Their longest unbeaten streak at home since 19 games, from August 29, 2015 – September 3,2016 (15W-4D). … Díaz led MLS with six assists in the month of May. He had one in March and April combined.

LAFC

It is now three games without a win — their longest stretch in their young history as a club — after LAFC played D.C. United to a 1-1 draw Saturday night at Banc of California Stadium.

Diego Rossi put LAFC (6-3-3) in front in the 39th minute with his fifth goal of the season, but things started to go sour for the hosts when Dejan Jakovic was sent off in first-half stoppage time. LAFC appeared to weather the storm, but Darren Mattocks struck for late equalizer as United rallied for a share of the points and LAFC were left to lament two points lost.

“The good news is that I think we’ve created a lot of good advantages and we’re still improving on the execution, quality of the pass, and the movement," Bradley said when asked about missed opportunities against D.C. United. “Sometimes it’s the idea, sometimes it’s the execution. It’s just part of our development as a team."

Suspended: D - Dejan Jakovic
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: D - Laurent Ciman, M - Omar Gaber, F - Marco Urena, F - Carlos Vela
Injury Report: OUT: GK - Luis Lopez (right tibial stress fracture); QUESTIONABLE: D - Steven Beitashour (left hamstring injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Tyler Miller — Steven Beitashour, Joao Moutinho, Walker Zimmerman, Jordan Harvey — Benny Feilhaber, Eduard Atuesta, Mark-Anthony Kaye — Adama Diomande, Latif Blessing, Diego Rossi

Notes: LAFC have scored 17 goals in road games this season (4W-3L). No other team has scored more than 11. … Carlos Vela has been involved in 12 of LAFC's 21 goals this season (seven goals, five assists). Rossi (11) is the only other player involved in more than five.