St Louis City can climb back into the Western Conference playoff picture with a victory against Los Angeles FC on Sunday at BMO Stadium in the 10th MLS matchday for both teams.
The Black and Gold are seventh in the Western Conference table after a 3-3 come-from-behind draw versus the Portland Timbers, putting them four points ahead of St Louis, who claimed a 0-0 result last week at home to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Match preview
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Following their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-final exit against Inter Miami, LAFC have picked themselves back up, going unbeaten in their previous two domestic affairs.
Last weekend, they collected their first point of the 2025 regular season after conceding the opening goal, ending a two-match losing run away from home in the process.
Steve Cherundolo will be banned from this game for dissent in their draw with Portland as his side seek a third consecutive home victory across all competitions.
In their four MLS home contests this year, the Black and Gold have given up a goal or fewer, collecting points in six of their last seven regular season matches played at BMO Stadium dating back to 2024.
With 13 points after nine domestic affairs, the Black and Gold have collected one more point than they had at this stage of the previous campaign.
LAFC have a 100% record at home versus St Louis City, failing to concede a single goal in their two meetings against them at BMO Stadium.
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It was not their finest performance of the year, but given their recent form, Olof Mellberg will take a single point against the best team in the league.
That result ended a four-match losing run for them in this competition, putting them three points below the Western Conference playoff line.
Finding the back of the net remains an issue for them, as they have scored a mere five goals in league play this season, the fewest among Western Conference sides.
While they are tied for the league lead regarding clean sheets this season (five), this team have the second-lowest average possession in MLS this year (43.3%).
St Louis have won their last six matches in this competition when leading at the half and have points in nine successive regular season affairs in which they were in front after 45 minutes.
They have never scored a goal in four prior meetings with LAFC, though they are unbeaten in California this year, drawing 0-0 at San Diego FC and defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-0 in Carson.
Team News
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In their match against Portland, LA were without Lorenzo Dellavalle due to a thigh strain, while Maxime Chanot was sidelined because of a head injury.
The club recently added two new players, with Frankie Amaya joining them on loan from Mexican side Toluca, and former Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ryan Raposo signing a one-year contract with an option for 2026.
Olivier Giroud finally netted his first MLS goal last week on a brilliant free kick, with David Martinez and Denis Bouanga also scoring on the evening.
On the opposite side, St Louis did not have Joakim Nilsson (knee), Jayden Reid (foot), Eduard Lowen (personal), Chris Durkin (knee), Roman Burki (hand) or Rasmus Alm (hip) at their disposal last weekend.
Earlier this week, they fully acquired striker Simon Becher on a permanent transfer from Danish side AC Horsens, putting him under contract with this team until the end of 2026 with club options for 2027 and 2028.
Ben Lundt stopped two Vancouver efforts to allow his side to collect a single point while he also picked up his second career MLS clean sheet.
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Palencia, Marlon, Long, Hollingshead; Tillman, Jesus, Delgado; Martinez, Giroud, Bouanga
St Louis City possible starting lineup:
Lundt; Yaro, Baumgartl, Hiebert; Watts, Morales, Ostrak, Joyner; Becher, Klauss, Pompeu
We say: Los Angeles FC 1-0 St Louis City
St Louis do not leave many gaps in behind, but neither do LAFC, and we believe playing on the back foot, as we anticipate for long stretches, will eventually cost the visitors on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
