LA Galaxy vs. Colorado Rapids Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 8/17/21
Two teams battling at the top of the Western Conference will meet on Tuesday night when Los Angeles hosts Colorado. The Rapids are currently sitting in fourth place after picking up a 3-1 win over Houston on Saturday. Los Angeles is unbeaten in its last four matches and is two points back of first place in the standings.
Rapids' defense has been tough
Colorado has not lost in its last three matches. It picked up a 1-0 win at Austin and then played to a 0-0 draw against Sporting KC. The Rapids are coming off an excellent match at Houston, picking up a 3-1 victory. Lalas Abubakar got the scoring started when he netted a header five minutes into the match. The Dynamo leveled things with a penalty kick in the final minute of stoppage time in the first half. Colorado re-took the lead 15 minutes after halftime, as Michael Barrios netted a goal. Brian Galvan added the insurance with 10 minutes left in the contest.
It was the first time Houston has been beaten at home this season. The Rapids are going to come into this match with some confidence, having held Los Angeles off the scoresheet in the last two head-to-head meetings at home. They have also won the last three matches overall. Goalie William Yarbrough is coming off an outstanding match in Houston. Younes Namli remains out for Colorado. Dominique Badji made his first appearance for Colorado since being traded to the club in July. Jack Price picked up his team-high sixth assists of the year on Saturday, putting him in a tie for fifth all-time in club history.
Galaxy on a nice roll
Los Angeles comes into this match in a nice vein of form. The Galaxy picked up a 4-1 win over Portland at the end of July and then notched a 1-0 win against Real Salt Lake. They played to a draw against Vancouver two matches ago and then picked up a 1-0 victory at Minnesota on Saturday. Kevin Cabral scored his third career goal and his second in the last two matches to give his team the win. Jonathan Klinsmann made seven saves to keep Minnesota off the board. Dejan Joveljic had the first assist of his career in the win.
It has been an impressive run for Los Angeles, which has been without striker Javier Hernandez for its last nine matches. Chicharito remains the team’s leading scorer and is listed as questionable for this contest. Los Angeles is the second-highest scoring team in the Western Conference and is also sitting in second place in the conference standings. Los Angeles is unbeaten in its last four matches at home and has outscored its opponents 8-3 during that stretch. The Galaxy are just two points behind Sporting Kansas City, so a full three points on Tuesday would propel them into first place.
Spread (Colorado +230)
As good as Los Angeles has been, I think the value is on the road underdog on Tuesday night. Colorado comes into this match in great form as well, having gone unbeaten in its last three matches. The Rapids are catching a pretty long price in this match. Sometimes matchups can be overlooked, but Colorado has been dominant in its last three tries against Los Angeles. I am not too concerned about the potential return of Chicharito, as I would only expect him to come on as a substitute if he does play.
Total (Under 2.5)
The total is pretty heavily correlated with my pick on the spread. Colorado has had success against Los Angeles by keeping one of the league’s highest-scoring teams off the board. The Rapids have held them to just one goal in the last three head-to-head meetings and have been playing well defensively this season. Los Angeles is known for its scoring, but its defense has been outstanding of late. The Galaxy have posted two clean sheets in their last three matches. Both goalkeepers are coming into this match in good form, so I will play the under at plus-money on Tuesday night.
