Minnesota United vs. Los Angeles FC
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Allianz Field
Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: KSTP-AM 1500
Weather: 65 degrees, cloudy, 12 mph south wind
Betting line: MNUFC plus-170; draw plus-250; LAFC plus-150.
Form: MNUFC (11-4-7, 40 points) is unbeaten in four MLS matches and sits in second place in the Western Conference after a 4-1 blowout of San Jose on Saturday. LAFC (9-5-5, 32 points) has two straight shutouts to get back on track after being bounced out of the group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Recent matchup: In the season opener, Jeremy Ebobisse scored an incredible goal from outside the box to give LAFC a 1-0 win. Minnesota managed only one shot on target in the loss at BMO Stadium.
Theme: Wednesday will be the first time MNUFC wears its new alternative jersey harkening primarily to the Minnesota Kicks era in the 1970s.
Look-ahead: U.S. soccer said Tuesday that MNUFC vs. Austin FC in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal will be 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Allianz Field.
Quote: Head coach Eric Ramsay was not completely satisfied with the San Jose win, primarily giving up the clean sheet in the 70th minute.
“To become a very undisputed contender at the top of the table and across the two conferences, we’ve got to make sure that we are perfect for longer in games,” Ramsay said Saturday.
Absences: Hoyeon Jung (knee) and Wessel Speel (shoulder) are out.
Stats: With a goal and two assists Saturday, Tani Oluwaseyi sits seventh in MLS with 16 combined goals and assists this season. Ramsay praised his No. 9’s work on both sides of the ball last weekend. His long dribble and crossing assist to set up fellow forward Kelvin Yeboah’s goal.
“Tani is a phenomenal defensive forward, as good as I’ve arguably seen,” Ramsay said. “The work that he does for us off the ball is really, really important but (Saturday) you’ve also seen very high levels of quality, a real relentlessness in terms of how he attacks the back line.”
Question: Action is heating up for summer transfer window with the Loons’ outgoing moves of Sang Bin Jeong and Devin Padelford to St. Louis, so it’s worth pondering when other clubs will make a bid for Oluwaseyi that United can’t turn down. The 25-year-old Canadian is riding high right now.
Scouting report: Everything for LAFC filters through Denis Bouanga. The 30-year-old Gabin forward leads MLS with 92 total shots and has turned that into 10 goals, including a penalty kick in the 2-0 win over Dallas on Saturday.
Prediction: LAFC has played to four draws in five matches at Allianz Field, and it feels like another match where MNUFC can’t quite create distance from one of the marquee clubs in the league. History repeats itself with a 1-1 draw.
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