Two of the early front-runners in the Western Conference will square off on Saturday at the brand-new Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles FC opened its new stadium in style on Sunday, beating Seattle 1-0 with a last-minute Laurent Ciman goal.
Ciman's free-kick strike, which was fortunate to go in after a howler from Stefan Frei, gave his side its fifth win in seven games in an impressive expansion campaign thus far.
FC Dallas, meanwhile, fell 3-1 at New York City FC last weekend, the club's first loss of the season in its seventh match.
| Game | Los Angeles FC vs. FC Dallas |
| Date | Saturday, May 5 |
| Time | 4 p.m. ET |
| Stream (US only) | fuboTV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
Watch LAFC vs. FC Dallas live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
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Squads & Team News
| Position | FC Dallas players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Gonzalez, Maurer, Zobeck |
| Defenders | Cannon, Cano, Figueroa, Hedges, Nedyalkov, Reaves, Ziegler |
| Midfielders | Acosta, Barrios, Diaz, Gruezo, Hayes, Hollingshead, Lamah, Mosquera, Pomykal, Servania, Ulloa |
| Forwards | Atuahene, Akindele, Ferreira, Colman, Reid, Reynolds, Urruti |
Kellyn Acosta made his first matchday squad of 2018 last weekend after sports hernia surgery and could be set for his first minutes of the season in this match. Jesse Gonzalez is questionable with a finger injury, meaning Jimmy Maurer could make another start in goal.
Potential starting XI: Maurer; Nedyalkov, Ziegler, Hedges, Cannon; Lamah, Barrios, Hayes, Mosquera; Urruti, Colman
| Position | LAFC players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Lopez, Lyon, Miller |
| Defenders | Beitashour, Blackmon, Ciman, Zimmerman, Gaber, Harvey, Jakovic, Moutinho |
| Midfielders | Atuesta, Feilhaber, Horta, Kaye, Kovar, Mallace, Murphy, Calderon, Formica, Nguyen |
| Forwards | Blessing, Brewer, Pacheco, Vela, Rossi, Urena |
Forward Marco Urena is set to miss several games after undergoing facial surgery, while Joao Moutinho is out with a left ankle sprain. New acquisition Lee Nguyen could make his club debut in this match but it will come too soon for Adama Diomande, who was signed Wednesday.
Potential starting XI: Miller; Beitashour, Ciman, Zimmerman, Harvey; Kaye, Feilhaber; Blessing, Vela, Gaber; Rossi
Betting & Match Odds
LAFC is the favorite to win, with dabblebet pricing a home victory at 19/20 while both a draw and an FC Dallas away win are priced at 5/2.
Game Preview
They may be an expansion team, but Bob Bradley's LAFC already look like a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.
LAFC won four of their first six MLS matches, all of which were on the road, before opening brand-new Banc of California Stadium with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders last weekend.
And the club is hardly sitting pat, making two major additions this week: midfielder Lee Nguyen, acquired in a trade with New England and forward Adama Diomande, signed on a free transfer from Hull City.
The pair should help make up for the absence of Marco Urena, who is set to miss at least a month after facial surgery. Diomande won't be available for Saturday's game against FC Dallas, but Nguyen could feature.
After a disappointing 2017 campaign, FCD has started 2018 well and sits in fourth place in the Western Conference with three wins, three draws and one loss in its opening seven games.
Defense has been key for Oscar Pareja's side, which has conceded a league-low six goals all season.
That defensive record will be put to the test on Saturday, as only three teams have scored more goals than LAFC has in a promising start to life in MLS.
