We have a match in the MLS 2023 season to enjoy in the early hours of Thursday morning when the champions Los Angeles FC look to catch up with the schedule of the other teams in the league when they host Houston Dynamo.
These two sides met in Texas as recently as Saturday evening and Houston came out 4-0 winners so it will be interesting to see what LAFC have by way of a response or whether the Dynamo can do the quickest of doubles over the defending champions.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full via the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV with the build-up in California beginning at 3.10am with the kick off coming at 3.39am. You don’t need to be a Season Pass subscriber as this game is free for Apple TV subscribers. It is also available with the bookmakers too.
Los Angeles FC
I think it was fair to expect a bit of a dip from Los Angeles FC after the disappointment of losing out to Club Leon in the Champions League final a couple of weeks ago but since losing the second leg of that tie they have played twice and haven’t registered a goal. That is a surprise even allowing for the natural motivation issues that would have come from missing out on the chance of winning what would have been a historic title for the club.
Goals are something that usually comes naturally for Los Angeles, especially with Denis Bouanga one of the many joint leaders in the race for the Golden Boot this season. The champions will be looking to show they still have goals in their side. To be fair to them, in those two recent matches, Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan had a worldy of a game against them and Houston isn’t an easy place to go these days. I think it is fair to expect a more dominant showing from Carlos Vela and his troops here though.
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Houston Dynamo
You have to give full credit to the Houston Dynamo for taking advantage of the below par showing that Los Angeles FC gave at the weekend. For all their opponents struggled, Houston were as emphatic as they have been at any stage of the campaign. That performance was even more impressive when you consider it backed up a win away from home in the US Open Cup last midweek which is never easy in MLS.
The real positive for the Dynamo is they have now scored eight goals in their last two matches in all competitions so things are beginning to click in front of goal. The one box left for them to tick is to be more convincing on their travels in MLS. They are yet to win on their journeys this season and have just two points to show from eight matches. They have only scored six times in those outings and shipped 19 so they have taken a few beatings away from home.
Betting
It is never easy to bet on a match which is a return fixture from a few days previous, especially when one sided were such emphatic winners of the other game, but it gets even tougher in this one because we are now at the stage where players are leaving MLS teams to fulfil international commitments but with different competitions beginning at different times we don’t exactly know who has gone and who might not have.
LAFC could potentially have to make four changes to the XI which lost in Houston at the weekend if Denis Bouanga has already joined up with Gabon. If he has then he, Jose Cifuentes, Diego Palacios and Denil Maldonado will all be missing so the depth of the champions is going to be tested, especially when you consider the likes of Kellyn Acosta, Timothy Tillman and Aaron Long are among a bunch of injured players. Houston Dynamo will only be without Adalberto Carrasquilla from that emphatic win at the weekend and a more settled side could give them a huge advantage here. There have been signs that the matches have been beginning to catch up with LAFC for a while so I will take Houston to at least push the champions all the way if not get something from the game.
Tips
Back Houston Dynamo (+1.25AH) to beat Los Angeles FC for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with 888sport
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