LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 8/4/21
If the last match between these teams was any indication, fans are in for a treat on Wednesday night. Real Salt Lake played to a 2-2 draw at home against Los Angeles on July 21—they will run it back in this match. The Galaxy are currently in third place in the Western Conference table, while Real Salt Lake occupies the seventh and final playoff position.
Real Salt Lake on a nice roll
Real Salt Lake comes into this match in some decent form, having been unbeaten in its last three matches. It played to a 2-2 draw against the Galaxy on July 21 before notching an impressive 3-0 win over Colorado three days later. The Rapids did gift Real Salt Lake a 1-0 lead on an own goal 14 minutes into the match, but the next two goals both came from the home side. Bobby Wood scored at the 30-minute mark and Rubio Rubin added the final goal of the match at the 76-minute mark.
Real Salt Lake went on the road in its most recent match, playing to a scoreless draw at Houston. The Dynamo played to a draw for the seventh time in their last nine matches. Real Salt Lake controlled 56% of the possession and both teams had four shots on target. Houston was without its leading scorer and two other players due to COVID-19 protocols, so it was a disappointing draw for the visitors in that sense. Real Salt Lake is sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference, trailing Minnesota by two points. It is two points ahead of Portland for the final playoff spot in the conference.
LA Galaxy in good position
Los Angeles has been a bit erratic over the past two months, but it is still well-positioned in the MLS standings. The Galaxy have alternated between wins and losses in nearly every match since the beginning of June. Their most shocking result came on July 24 when they were blown out in a 4-0 final at Dallas, which is currently in tenth place in the standings. Los Angeles was able to bounce back in a big way, picking up a 4-1 win over Portland last Friday. Rayan Raveloson opened the scoring with a bicycle-kick goal 27 minutes into the match. The Timbers scored their lone goal two minutes later.
The Galaxy re-took the lead five minutes after the equalizer and never looked back. They converted on a penalty kick eight minutes after halftime and then added their fourth goal three minutes later. Los Angeles was without regular starter Javier Hernandez, who leads the team with 10 goals. He is currently sidelined due to an injury. Sebastian Lletget was also absent, as he was with the United States team at the Gold Cup. Lletget and the U.S. picked up a 1-0 win over Mexico in the Gold Cup Final on Sunday night.
Pick: {Real Salt Lake +0.5 (-125}
Los Angeles has simply been too inconsistent for me to back them in this spot at this price. Bettors are able to grab Real Salt Lake at +0.5 on the spread, which seems to be a good bet. The team has been playing well over its last three matches and has not lost during that stretch. Los Angeles has not been able to follow up a good result with another one, so I see nothing that makes me think that will change on Wednesday. Real Salt Lake needs a result in order to remain in the playoff picture.
Total (Under 3)
I think there are several factors creating some value on the under in this match. The first is that Los Angeles is coming off a four-goal outburst and bettors always seem to have some recency bias. Another factor is Chicharito being sidelined. It did not show up last week, but his 10 goals have been a huge part of the offense this season. Real Salt Lake likes to control the possession and slow the match down. It is coming off a 0-0 draw and would be happy to play to a similar result in this one.