Huge challenge awaits in Los Angeles FC
A week after falling to the worst team in Major League Soccer, the Dynamo are set to host the most dominant one in Los Angeles FC.
Having lost five of their past seven league games, the Dynamo look to remain in playoff position after slipping to seventh in the Western Conference.
“They (LAFC) are coming off a loss and a short week, so we know that they will come in and look to take control of the game,” Dynamo midfielder Matias Vera said. “They want to set the rhythm and earn another victory on the road. We are doing things well at home, and we are ready to get out on the field. We feel good. Against a team like this, both teams need the points — they want to remain at the top of the table, and we want to shorten the gap.”
Rally thwarted
They didn’t help themselves in that regard last time out. Four minutes into stoppage time and with the Dynamo down 3-2 against FC Cincinnati, defender Aljaz Struna received a cross on the fast break. But his shot was blocked, ending what could have been an improbable three-goal, second-half comeback.
With most of their regulars back in the fold and Gold Cup competition concluded, the Dynamo (8-7-3, 27 points) were supposed to build on their blowout win over the New York Red Bulls to prove their road struggles were over. Instead, they were upset by the team with a league-worst minus-26 goal differential.
On a positive note, forward Memo Rodriguez has returned to the Dynamo after being sidelined with a hamstring injury. The Dynamo also bolstered their defensive range through the signing of Chilean defender Jose Bizama.
Valuable acquisition
“He’s a player who’s been with the Chilean national team,” Dynamo coach Wilmer Cabrera said. “He’s a good defender, (can play) right back, central back and defensive midfielder, so he brings good qualities to the team. He just turned 25, so that is important thinking about the future.”
Bizama isn’t expected to play Friday when the Dynamo host Los Angeles FC (13-2-4, 43 points), a team whose plus-34 goal differential is 23 goals higher than the next closest team — the Philadelphia Union, who have played two more games than LAFC.
“You have to be worried about everything with them,” Cabrera said. “We’re going to play against
the best team in the league, so we need to be prepared for a very tough match.
“It’s a great opportunity in the sense that we played very well in the second half but we played really bad in the first half (against FC Cincinnati). So it’s an opportunity for us to say, ‘OK, let’s play the whole game with more focus, discipline and concentration.’ ”
Despite the team’s struggles, Cabrera isn’t overly concerned, because the Dynamo play in a conference with so much parity — after LAFC, at least. With three months remaining in the regular season, 13 points separate the teams in third and 12th place in the conference.
“We’re very close,” he said. “You win one game, you go to third place; you lose one game, you go to seventh or out of the playoffs. Hopefully for us, we want to be in the playoff, but we have to wait until September.”