The LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls both look to back in the win column this week as the two Major League Soccer sides clash at the StubHub Center in southern California.
Both teams took disappointing home losses last week as the Zlatan Ibrahimovic was held off the scoresheet by Atlanta United, with the visitors walking away with a 2-0 victory.
In Harrison, the Red Bulls were downed 2-1 at the hands of the Chicago Fire – a frustrating setback for Jesse Marsch's side given each team's respective place in the standings.
A cross-country trip awaits as they now become the latest team to try to stop Ibrahimovic.
| Game | LA Galaxy vs New York Red Bulls |
| Date | Saturday, April 28 |
| Time | 10:30 pm ET/7:30 pm PT |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| MSG, Spectrum SportsNet | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be televised or streamed.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| None | None |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Red Bulls players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Louro, Meara, Robles |
| Defenders | Collin, Escobar, Lade, Lawrence, Long, Murillo, Ndam, Parker, Politz, Redding |
| Midfielders | Adams, Bezecourt, Casseres Jr., Davis, Mines, Muyl, Romero, Royer, Rzatkowski, Valot |
| Forwards | Abang, Bonomo, Etienne Jr., Rivas, Wright-Phillips |
Defender Kyle Duncan is a long-term absentee as he has suffered a torn ACL and has been placed on long-term injured reserve. Conor Lade is unlikely to play with an ankle injury.
Potential Red Bulls starting XI: Robles; Murillo, Parker, Long, Lawrence; Adams, Davis; Valot, Romero, Royer; Wright-Phillips.
| Position | Galaxy players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Bingham, Sylvestre, Vom Steeg |
| Defenders | Arellano, Ciani, Cole, Feltscher, Hilliard-Arce, Klimenta, Romney, Skjelvik, Steres |
| Midfielders | Alessandrini, Alvarez, Boateng, Carrasco, J. dos Santos, Husidic, Kitchen, Lletget, Pedro |
| Forwards | G. dos Santos, Ibrahimovic, Jamieson IV, Kamara, Lassiter, Pontius |
Bradford Jamieson will miss out with a concussion. So too will Jonathan dos Santos (calf) and Rolf Feltscher (shoulder). Emmanuel Boateng is expected to be available, while Giovani dos Santos returned from a hamstring injury last week.
Potential Galaxy starting XI: Bingham; Hilliard-Arce, Steres, Skjelvik; Alessandrini, Kitchen, Pedro, Lletget, Cole; Kamara, Ibrahimovic.
Betting & Match Odds
The Galaxy are slight favourites to win with dabblebet offering odds of 5/4 on the hosts. The Red Bulls are priced at 15/8 to win and a draw is available at 12/5.
Match Preview
It has been a rough couple of weeks for the New York Red Bulls.
Held at home by Chivas in the CONCACAF Champions League despite controlling play, the MLS side was bounced out by the eventual champions in the semifinal stage. Though they recovered with a 3-1 win against the Montreal Impact at home, that was followed by a 2-1 loss to the struggling Chicago Fire, leaving the Red Bulls sixth in the Eastern Conference in the early going.
Meanwhile, the Zlatan Ibrahimovic experience for the Galaxy has been simple – when the big Swede scores, the Galaxy win. When he does not, they lose.
Ibrahimovic scored a double in his debut, and then the lone goal in a victory against the Chicago Fire, nabbing the winner in both contests. Not only he did not score in the other two contests, both 2-0 losses to Sporting KC and Atlanta United respectively, the Galaxy were unable to find the net as well.
Having gone the full 90 in his second Galaxy start last week against Atlanta, it would not be surprising to see Ibrahimovic go the distance again.
One thing that might help lighten the load for Ibrahimovic would be the return of Giovani dos Santos to the starting XI. The Mexico international did get 24 minutes in the Atlanta loss – his first action since March 11 – and a return to form would give the Galaxy another dynamic option to add to their attack.
The Galaxy backline may prove a concern however, Rolf Feltscher, who has started every game this season, will miss out. Whether the Galaxy use someone else at right back or switch formation, it may provide opportunity for the Red Bulls' Daniel Royer to create problems on that side.