A struggling Los Angeles FC team travels to the Shell Energy Stadium to play the Houston Dynamo in Saturday's Major League Soccer matchup after suffering a heartbreaking loss in the CONCACAF Champions League championship game.
In their most recent knockout match, Ben Olsen's team destroyed the Columbus Crew 4-1, while their opponents, who had just finished second to Leon in the continental Champions League, drew 0-0 with Atalanta United.
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Conceding an alarming nine goals in two away defeats to the Vancouver Whitecaps and St Louis City was far from the ideal way for Houston to warm up for a cup quarter-final with Chicago Fire, whose unbeaten home run in MLS has been well-documented.
The Dynamo are looking to break a troubling trend of MLS form that has seen them win just one of their past seven top-flight games, leaving them outside of playoff contention in 10th place in the Western Conference.
Indeed, the Dynamo have taken 16 of the 21 available points at Shell Energy Stadium in the 2023 campaign while only giving up two goals, which is bad news for the demoralised Los Angeles roster.
Los Angeles FC's last-16 defeat to local rivals the Los Angeles Galaxy last month cost them the chance to face the Dynamo in the cup semifinals, and Steve Cherundolo's team was unable to recover when the CONCACAF Champions League final took center stage.
Los Angeles failed to capitalize on its home-field advantage at BMO Stadium after losing the first leg 2-1 to Leon of Mexico; as a result, they lost the second leg 1-0 and missed out on what would have been their first continental championship.
The bewildered troops of Cherundolo had little time to wallow in their misery as Atlanta United paid a visit to BMO Stadium on Wednesday night. Despite attempting 22 efforts on the Atlanta United goal, Los Angeles was unable to overcome an immovable Brad Guzan and had to accept a point.
The Black and Gold, who are attempting to defend their MLS title, are currently third in the Western Conference Standings with just one goal from their last four games across all competitions. Cherundolo's team has scored in each of their last four road league games.
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Houston Dynamo vs LAFC kick-off time
| Date: | Jun 10, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT |
| Venue: | Shell Energy Stadium |
Houston Dynamo and LAFC face off on Jun 10 at Shell Energy Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:30 pm Eastern Time (ET), or 5:30 Pacific Time (PT).
How to watch Houston Dynamo vs LAFC online - TV channels & live streams
 | Apple TV | Watch here |
The game will not be broadcast live on TV but will be available to stream live online through Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
Team news & squads
Houston team news
Houston Dynamo will miss Brad Smith and Ifunanyachi Achara through injury. Left-back Tate Schmitt has been confirmed to miss the rest of the season after his ACL surgery. Their top scorer so far has been Amine Bassi who has accumulated five goals, however, he hasn't scored in three games.
Houston Dynamo possible XI: Clark; Steres, Bartlow, Hadebe, Escobar; Carrasquilla, Artur, Herrera; Franco, Baird, Bassi.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Clark, Nelson, Tarbell, Valdez |
| Defenders | Hadebe, Escobar, Steres, Dorsey, Bartlow, Murana |
| Midfielders | Herrera, Bassi, Carrasquilla, Franco, Castilla, Artur, Caicedo, Baird, Auguste |
| Forwards | Ferreira, Ulfarsson, Avila |
Los Angeles team news
LAFC still has Maxime Crepeau unavailable and will only expect him back towards the second half of the season. LAFC will once again rely on Bouanga for goals, as he is their and MLS's joint top scorer with ten strikes to his name, level with Nashville's Hany Mukhtar.
LAFC possible XI: McCarthy; Hollingshead, Murillo, Chiellini, Palacios; Sanchez; Tillman, Acosta, Cifuentes; Vela, Bouanga.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | McCarthy, Jakupovic |
| Defenders | Chiellini, Palacios, Palencia, Murillo, Leone, Long, Maldonado, Hollingshead |
| Midfielders | Bluk, Bogusz, Cifuentes, Acosta, Tillman, Sanchez, Duenas |
| Forwards | Vela, Bouanga, Opoku, Torres |
Head-to-Head Record
Over their last five games, LAFC has won twice while Houston has managed only one win. The last game between these two saw LAFC win 3-1.