LAFC’s matchup with Kansas City might not be as easy as it sounds
For just the second time this season, LAFC will take the field Wednesday night coming off a loss. And the fact that field is in Kansas City, where Sporting has dropped to the bottom of the Western Conference standings, may not be the consolation it would seem.
Colorado, which shares the conference basement with Kansas City, beat LAFC last weekend and Vancouver, the only other team to do that, is just a point better.
LAFC (a league-best 11-2-4) was shut out in both losses, with the most recent result in Colorado snapping captain Carlos Vela’s goal-scoring streak at seven games in all competition. LAFC has already beaten Sporting (4-6-7) once this year, winning 2-1 in the season opener. But LAFC will be missing two starters from that game: defender Walker Zimmerman and goalkeeper Tyler Miller, who are with the U.S. national team.
Wednesday’s game will mark LAFC’s first meeting with Benny Feilhaber, who anchored LAFC’s midfield last year then left for Colorado as a free agent. The Rapids traded him to Kansas City in May.
The Galaxy (10-7-1), also coming off a loss, will be at home Thursday, meeting Toronto FC in an annual Fourth of July game. This will be the 24th MLS season in which the Galaxy have played at home and hosted a postgame fireworks show on Independence Day.
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The Galaxy are expecting to have defenders Giancarlo Gonzalez and Rolf Feltscher back from international but will be missing midfielder Jonathan dos Santos and Uriel Antuna to Mexico’s Gold Cup team. Toronto (6-7-5), which has won just one of its last 10, will be without former Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez, midfielder Michael Bradley and forward Jozy Altidore to the U.S. national team.
Galaxy captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic has just two goals since May 4.
kevin.baxter@latimes.com | Twitter: @kbaxter11
