Last weekend's clash between the two sides saw Houston Dynamo beat FC Los Angeles 4-0 at home, so FC Los Angeles will need to make a major improvement in their performance when the two sides meet again this time around.
I think one of the biggest problems for FC Los Angeles is their failure to cope with Houstons attack down the left side of the field. 3 of the 4 goals scored, including a 12-yard infringement on an opponent, also occurred in this area, and the team's defensive performance was riddled with errors and omissions.
Nelson Quinlanis of Houston-Houston has been excellent on the left side of the pitch, attacking the FC Los Angeles defense many times, and I think he'll be dangerous once again this time around. I was also quite impressed with Carrasquina's performance. He was calm when he had the ball at his feet and provided great creativity for the team.
FC Los Angeles' one redeeming feature was the percentage of possession and the number of scoring chances created by their rivals, Houstons, before conceding a 12-yard penalty early in the second half.
However, FC Los Angeles has failed to win any of their last 5 matches in all competitions, and they have failed to score in 4 of those matches. The team's top scorer Dennis Buanga has been in a slump lately, while Carlos Weiner has not been able to deliver an effective performance lately, which are the two main reasons for the team's recent sluggish performance.
The team's leader, Jeyun Dulo, is reportedly applying for a head coaching position with the US National Team, perhaps distracting him from the team's unfortunate wave of injuries.
