Two of the top Western Conference sides face off with as the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Colorado Rapids.
Form
Currently, the Rapids are in an automatic spot in the league table sitting in second place. Colorado is ahead by four points. That means, even if they lose on Saturday night, they will still hang on to their position in the league.
In the Rapids last match against the Vancouver Whitecaps, Colorado maintained their 12 match unbeaten streak at home. Marlon Hairston netted the first goal of the night right before the halftime interval. Then, in the second half, the Rapids’ Dominique Badji -- who was assisted by Hairston. That second goal, on the hour mark, really put the three points out of reach for the Whitecaps.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy sit in fourth in the west -- tied with Real Salt Lake on points. The only thing that separates Los Angeles and Real is the goal differential: the Galaxy have a +15 goal differential and Real Salt Lake only has +1.
The Los Angeles Galaxy were stunned in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night. It took extra time to settle the semifinal against FC Dallas. Los Angeles took the lead in the first half of extra time through a Mike Magee penalty. But then, Dallas scored twice in the last five minutes to complete the comeback. Both goals, via Matt Hedges and Victor Ulloa, were off of corner kicks. This will surely have Bruce Arena fuming as his side could have defended both better.
Key players
For Colorado, look no further than Marlon Hairston. The speedster causes problems for every defense in the league and is usually deployed on the left side of the formation. So far this season, the Hairston leads the way for defenders with three goals in only 13 matches played. All three of those gals have also come in the last four matches. Also, at only 22, Hairston can still improve in the defensive part of the game, but he has all the attributes to be a great fullback for the future.
When Gyasi Zardes is on the pitch, the Galaxy offense runs smoother than it does otherwise. He links well between all the other forwards. Zardes also tracks back on the defensive side if Ashley Cole or Dave Romney bomb up the pitch on the overlap. The Hawthorne native has really turned into a great all-around player and is hugely important for the Galaxy if they have MLS Cup ambitions.
Recent meetings
These two clubs have already met twice this season. In those 180 minutes played, only one goal has found its way into the back of the net. That goal came in the 90th minute when Marco Pappa scored his first goal for his new club.
When Los Angeles and Colorado met again three months later in Southern California, the pair played to a goalless draw. In fact, it was one of the most exciting 0-0 draws of the season. Both sides combined for 24 shots (12 on target, 12 off target), in a wide open field. The two goalkeepers played phenomenally to keep their clean sheets.
Match details
The match between the Los Angeles Galaxy play the Colorado Rapids at the StubHub Center. Proceedings are scheduled to get underway at You can this match through MLS Live, or watch it on Time Warner Sports in Los Angeles and Altitude in Colorado.