Los Angeles FC Vs DC United
Los Angeles FC Vs DC United Wednesday, 17 August 2022 – 03:30 (BST)
US Major League Soccer
Pick: Los Angeles FC Win & Under 3.5 Goals
Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker: Betfair
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 15 August 2022)
Preview: Wayne Rooney renews acquaintances with some familiar faces when he sends his floundering DC United side to Banc of California Stadium for this daunting assignment against runaway league leaders Los Angeles FC. Will it be a case of the Englishman seeking to minimise the damage in LA?
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Table of Contents
Los Angeles FC – Rest of MLS already competing for second?
Does anybody remember a time when LAFC weren’t always winning? Sunday’s 5-0 rout of Charlotte FC certainly made it feel like it was a long time ago. A sixth MLS win on the bounce, which is now officially the club’s best run, for this star-studded team that is showing absolutely no signs of relenting anytime soon. The scary part? They didn’t even need their summer reinforcements to inflict this latest onslaught.
Both Giorgio Chielini and Gareth Bale were omitted from the action Sunday, presumably with this midweek outing in mind. So, the team that just thrashed Charlotte FC – the side second-bottom of the Eastern Conference – welcomes fresh legs in the form of their trophy-laden European superstars. For the visit of a DC United ranked stone last, both in the East and across the entire MLS. Yeah, good luck with that, Rooney!
Key Stat: LAFC are on a six-game winning streak, home and away, with all but one of these games going Over 2.5 Goals. Moreover, they’ve won their last six as hosts, with all but one of these games also seeing Over 2.5 Goals.
DC United – Goals dried up since Rooney cropped up?
Did Wayne Rooney’s managerial tenure in Washington peak too soon? Having opened his account with DC United on a 2-1 home win over Orlando City, Rooney is winless across three subsequent outings, taking one point from these games, as his team slumped to its third scoreless encounter in succession last time out against New England Revolution. Somewhere, the Englishman needs to unearth some attacking impetus.
Step up to the mark, Christian Benteke? Signed from Crystal Palace during the MLS secondary transfer window, the Belgian international – with 18 goals in 45 senior caps – revive not only his own flagging career but inspire a DC forward department which has found goals to be a priceless commodity for much of this season, but especially under Rooney’s watch. He joins up with a team in last place in the East (W6 D4 L14).
Key Stat: No team in MLS this season has picked up fewer points (22 from 24 games) than DC United, while only Sporting Kansas City have put up less goals than their 28.
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LAFC Vs DC United Betting Advice
The quick and lazy assumption is that LAFC make extremely light work of this assignment, recording their seventh win in a row and the six in that spell to also see them contribute to an Over 2.5 Goals contest. However, it seems clear that Wayne Rooney’s early intentions as DC United manager is making them more difficult to play against – similar to how he approached the Derby County job.
Los Angeles FC Vs DC United – Key Facts:
- Top meets bottom in MLS as LAFC aim to extend their already club-best run of six consecutive victories against DC United, whose record since Wayne Rooney took over as head coach reads W1-D1-L2, GF2 GA5.
- As hosts this season, LAFC would earn at least two more wins and collect at least three more points than any other MLS team. Steve Cherundolo’s side have won all of their last six MLS matches at the Banc of California Stadium, scoring 18 and conceding 6.
- Only the Colorado Rapids and Charlotte FC are accruing fewer points on their travels this year in MLS than DC United (7 points; W2-D1-L8), while only Inter Miami have put up fewer away goals (10).
DC’s last two encounters returned a single goal, that in a 1-0 road loss to the New England Revs. Therefore Rooney is on the right path with his methods. Conversely, that lack of a goal threat could make them cannon fodder against this well-drilled LAFC, one that has allowed more than one goal to be conceded in just one of their last ten games. So, the hosts ought to win easily enough, but the margin might be modest.
Best Betting Odds – Los Angeles FC Vs DC United
Los Angeles FC – 1/3 (Bet365)
Draw – 5/1 (10Bet)
DC United – 17/2 (BetVictor)
