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LAFC will be short-handed in rematch with Dynamo

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By A C Gazette
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MLS: Houston Dynamo FC at LAFCAug 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; LAFC forward Olivier Giroud (9) runs for the ball in the second half against Houston Dynamo FC at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Los Angeles FC will try to avenge last weekend’s rare home loss when they visit the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night, albeit without several of their regular starters.

The match, a makeup of an early July postponement due to Hurricane Beryl’s impact on the Texas Gulf Coast, comes during the September international window and directly follows the Dynamo’s 2-0 upset victory at LAFC last Saturday.

LAFC (14-6-5, 47 points) will feel far more of the brunt of international call-ups, including the absence of their top three MLS goal-scorers who have combined to score 34 times: Denis Bouanga (16), Mateusz Bogusz (13) and Cristian Olivera (5).

That likely means France all-time leading scorer Olivier Giroud will make his first MLS start after his league debut off the bench last weekend.

“We’re missing some players and we might have to change a little bit in some starting positions, but it shouldn’t affect us too much,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said. “And we will still field a team we feel good about to get some points in Houston, which is a tough test.”

Houston’s third straight regular-season victory over the Black and Gold was bittersweet. Summer signing Lawrence Ennali suffered a season-ending ACL tear after scoring his first MLS goal.

Ezequiel Ponce also scored his first goal in his new league for the Dynamo (11-8-7, 40 points), who have dominated this regular-season series of late but lost to LAFC in the 2023 Western Conference final.

Unlike Houston coach Ben Olsen’s first season in charge, home results have been tougher to come by in 2024, with the seventh-place Dynamo winning only four times so far in front of their supporters. With five of their final eight matches at home, that will have to change for them to secure an MLS Cup playoff spot and perhaps improve seeding.

“They’re obviously down a few pieces that make them a little bit more unpredictable in how they’re going to go about the game, so we anticipate that and try to figure out how to go about being at our best at home,” Olsen said. “It’s an important match for us.”

–Field Level Media

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