Houston Dynamo FC vs LA Galaxy: La Galaxy Will Be Desperate for Their First Win of the 2023 MLS Season

●      Houston Dynamo FC have taken six points from five games and are eighth in the Western Conference

●      LA Galaxy have taken only three points from five games are 12th in the Western Conference

●      The previous MLS encounter between these two teams ended in a 3-1 win for LA Galaxy

Houston Dynamo FC vs LA Galaxy Odds

Odds taken from BetMGM, sign up to get $1000 bet credits.

Houston Dynamo FC vs LA Galaxy Pick

Pick: Houston Dynamo FC to win (+140)

Houston Dynamo FC vs LA Galaxy Predictions

Houston Dynamo FC started their season with two back-to-back defeats against FC Cincinnati and New England Revolution. That was followed by two back-to-back wins against Austin FC and New York City FC. However, the side failed to capitalize on their momentum and lost last week against the San Jose Earthquakes.

LA Galaxy’s start to the new season has been dismal. They kicked the campaign off with a loss against FC Dallas. After that, the club was involved in three successive draws against Sporting Kansas City, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Portland Timbers. Last week, LA Galaxy suffered their second defeat of the season against Seattle Sounders FC.

Both sides will be eager to bounce back with a win after dropping points last week. However, the visitors will still be without their talisman Javier Hernandez. Furthermore, Houston Dynamo FC will play at home. Hence, the advantage lies with the hosts in this fixture.

Previous Meetings

This will be the 26th MLS meeting between the two clubs. Out of the previous 25 fixtures, ten have gone in favor of LA Galaxy, while Houston Dynamo FC emerged on top in nine. Six games between the two sides have ended in a stalemate.

Last season, Houston Dynamo FC defeated LA Galaxy in their own backyard. In the reverse fixture, the five-time MLS champions avenged the defeat after beating Houston Dynamo FC at the Shell Energy Stadium.

That was LA Galaxy’s fourth win in 12 games at the venue. Houston Dynamo FC have won six of the encounters with LA Galaxy on home soil, and only a couple of games have ended in draws. However, the hosts are winless against LA Galaxy at home in the last three games. 

Perfect Occasion for Houston Dynamo FC to Pick up Points 

Last season, Houston Dynamo FC ended a four-game winless streak against LA Galaxy when they beat the five-time MLS Champions 3-0 in their own backyard. However, the hosts lost in the reverse fixture for a second successive time after suffering the same fate in the 2021 MLS season.

Houston Dynamo FC have a glorious opportunity to pick up crucial three points and move provisionally into sixth place. Even though LA Galaxy will throw everything at the hosts, the five-time MLS champions have not been a force to reckon with this season.

If the hosts manage to keep their composure and replicate the performances of their last two home games, this fixture could give them their third win of the campaign and can also keep their perfect record at home this season.

Houston Dynamo FC Have Been Solid at Home 

Houston Dynamo FC have won two and lost three games so far. All three losses have come away from home, and both their wins have come on home soil. Overall, in the last six home games, Houston Dynamo FC have only lost once.

That one loss came in their last home game of the 2022 MLS season against their next opponent LA Galaxy. This season, the club has secured two big wins at home. Houston Dynamo FC beat Austin FC 2-0 before beating New York City FC 1-0.

New signing Amine Bassi scored from the spot in both games, and Hector Herrera scored the second against Austin FC. Bassi has now scored three goals in four games, all of which have come from the penalty spot.

Last Season’s Top Scorer Benched 

In a disappointing season last year, Carlos Ferreira did everything he could for Houston Dynamo FC. The striker scored 13 goals and finished the campaign as the club’s leading goalscorer. This season, the Paraguayan only started the first game of the season.

After the opener, Ferreira has made four appearances as a substitute and is yet to get off the mark this season. The arrival of Bassi has seen Ferreira drop down the pecking order, and the former cannot be dropped because he has already scored three goals in four games.

LA Galaxy Expected to Sneak Into Playoffs  

Despite making one of the worst starts in their history, LA Galaxy are still favorites to make the playoffs this season. The club is currently 12th on the table, level on points with bottom-dwellers Colorado Rapids.

The five-time MLS champions are only three points shy of the final playoff qualification spot with a game in hand. The season’s first win can take LA Galaxy into the playoff spots. But that task will be anything but a cakewalk for the visitors.

The last time LA Galaxy missed out on playoff qualification was in the 2021 season. They finished level on points with Real Salt Lake, who clinched the final playoff spot because of a superior goal difference.

Talisman’s Absence Hurting LA Galaxy

Javier Hernandez’s positive influence on the LA Galaxy in the last two seasons has been quite evident. The Mexican has been the driving force behind the club’s title pursuit in the last two seasons.

However, the 34-year-old has not made a single appearance this season because has been on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury since the start of the season. The striker is expected to return in the next couple of weeks.

But his absence has already hurt the club, as they remain winless after five games. Hernandez scored 17 goals in 21 appearances in the 2021 MLS season and scored 18 goals in 32 games last year. He has scored 38 goals in 70 appearances for the club.

Joveljic Yet to Find His Rhythm

The goalscoring onus was not entirely on Hernandez last season, as Dejan Joveljic also contributed to the team’s title pursuit with 11 goals in 32 appearances. However, Joveljic started only seven games in the previous campaign.

This season, in the absence of Hernandez, Joveljic has already started four games. However, the striker has only scored one goal so far. The 23-year-old will be eager to double his season’s tally against Houston Dynamo FC.

It will be interesting to see if Joveljic can breach the same defense that has already kept Austin FC and New York City FC attackers at bay earlier this season.

How to Watch Houston Dynamo FC vs LA Galaxy

●      Teams: Houston Dynamo FC vs LA Galaxy

●      Location: Shell Energy Stadium

●      Time: Saturday, April 8 at 8:30 pm ET

●      How to watch: Univision networks TUDN and UniMas, ESPN Deportes, Telemundo and Fox Deportes