WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: LA GALAXY
Welcome back to What You Need To Know, a match preview for Austin FC fans to check in on their next opponent.
Austin FC winger Jayden Nelson vs Miami. Photo courtesy of Dante Valencia (Dyv.media)
Opponent: LA Galaxy
Kick Off time: 1:39 PM US Central Time
Location: Q2 Stadium, Austin, TX
History vs. Austin FC:
Austin FC is 4-1- 5 against LA Galaxy all-time, including a 3-0-1 record at Q2. Last season , Austin FC won 1-0 in this fixture thanks to a goal by Brandon Vazquez.
Recent Matches:
LA Galaxy have not won an MLS match since February 28, when they beat Charlotte FC at home. They lost 4-2 against Toluca on Wednesday in CONCACAF Champions Cup play and currently sit in 12th place in the Western Conference.
Players to Watch:
Marco Reus, the German international, came over to Galaxy in 2024 to help provide extra attacking verve to complement Riqui Puig. Due to injuries, he was limited to just 21 appearances last season, but he’s been the primary focus of their attack and creativity this season in the absence of other DPs and has two goals and assists in six appearances so far this season.
KlaussThe Striker came over to Galaxy from St Louis CITY this offseason, as there was a gaping hole up front for the Galaxy last season after they were forced to sell Devan Joveljic to Sporting KC for salary cap reasons. Klauss is a proven goal scorer in this league and already has five goals this season. He has two goals in his five career appearances against Austin FC, including the winning goal in the 2023 opener at Q2.
Justin HaakHaak came to LA Galaxy in a trade this offseason after having a breakout year for NYCFC, starting in all 34 matches for them and providing the defensive nous that every team needs. He can play in midfield or in the center of defense and has provided consistency around their other defensive injuries and age.
Keys to the Match:
Who isn’t here? Once again, former MLS Best XI and Designated Player Riqui Puig is out for the season with an ACL injury after re-injuring his knee in rehab this pre-season. They’re also without fellow Designated Player and Austin FC street fight wannabe Joseph Paintsil and marquee free agent signing Jakob Glesnes.
The Galaxy is one of MLS’s premier clubs and has an entitled fan base used to winning, not just games, but trophies, and without Puig, they are experiencing what a lot of their fans are thinking of us as a second straight “lost” season. Even with Klauss, Marco Rees, and Gabriel Pec, this is still a formidable attacking side, but without the rest of their attack healthy, as well as still reeling from their salary cap issues following their Cup win in 2024, this is a team that is less than the sum of its parts. Galaxy fans are already getting vocal about the team firing Greg Vanney; another loss will only turn up the heat on his seat. Factor in a late Wednesday night match at altitude and the early start on Saturday, and you can see how this feels like a schedule loss for a team unable to put together the depth needed to compete in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Positive process, lacking results. Austin FC again gave away points from a winning position on Saturday, already having lost leads in three matches. As I was reminded on LV Slack this week, it’s an improvement that Austin FC has these leads to begin with. Austin has shown real attacking and possession prowess against two of the league’s best teams in their past two matches, and with (hopefully) the return of Brandon Vazquez, Owen Wolff, and Dani Pereira, we can see what a fully healthy attack can do.
The biggest positive has been the play of Myrto Uzuni the last two weeks, where he has been given more freedom of movement to get involved and be a connector as opposed to a striker playing solely to keep the other team’s central defenders occupied. We got to see him drift wide and assist a countering goal against Miami, and also saw him lay off passes in the box for dangerous chances to runners from midfield positions.
A match, at this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country? Of all of the things I have complained about with the Apple TV deal there is one thing they are doing correctly: they’re scheduling matches with different start times so we can watch more matches live, even when Austin is at home. This match marks another afternoon start and will take advantage of a nice 77-degree day in Austin that all of us can enjoy and still get home (or to Hopsquad Brewing) to watch the rest of the action in the league.
Prediction: Austin FC: 2 LA Galaxy: 1
WRITTEN BY SCOTT SPECHT
