El Trafico has quickly become one of the biggest rivalries in Major League Soccer and the stage doesn't get much bigger than the playoffs. After winning the Supporters' Shield, LAFC had time to recover from a long season with a first-round bye and will now face the Galaxy who knocked off Nashville SC in the first round of the playoffs. The two rivals meet on Thursday night at Banc of California Stadium.
It was Julian Araujo who scored the lone goal for the Galaxy in the first playoff match, and coach Greg Vanney will need more from him, as well as MVP finalist Javier Hernandez, to knock off LAFC. Their last meeting was a 3-2 LAFC victory as a late goal from Rayan Raveloson wasn't enough to pull the Galaxy back into the match. Their last postseason meeting produced the highest-scoring match in MLS Cup Playoffs history with LAFC pulling off a 5-3 victory in Zlatan Ibrahimovic's last game. Three goals in the second half from LAFC were too much for the Galaxy to withstand. They'll feel better heading into this matchup as the defense has improved while the team has become more balanced.
Here are our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 20 | Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Location: Banc of California Stadium -- Los Angeles
- TV: FS1 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
- Odds: LAFC -145; Draw +300; LA Galaxy +350 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
LAFC: Steve Cherundolo will need to make sure that his team is focused after their time off. A team has never won both Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup so this run is a chance for LAFC to make history. With Carlos Vela, Cristian Arango, Jose Cifuentes and Kwadwo Opoku, the team certainly have enough firepower to go on a run and win the cup if the defense can stay strong.
LA Galaxy: The duo of Riqui Puig and Chicharito will be critical to the Galaxy's success. Puig has scored three goals and assisted two more since joining from Barcelona as his dynamic passing style has made the Galaxy a dangerous attacking team, able to play a pass from anywhere. He can easily set the team up for success, and he'll need to for them to advance.
Prediction
It will be quite hard to knock off LAFC at home but going undefeated in their last five matches, form is on the Galaxy's side to pull off an upset. Pick: LAFC 2, LA Galaxy 3
