Galaxy-Sporting Kansas City Preview
An ever-changing lineup hasn't stopped the Los Angeles Galaxy from producing goals at a prodigious rate.
Riding a five-game unbeaten streak, they head into Sunday night's match attempting to end a nearly nine-year road winless drought against a Sporting Kansas City club that's cooled off considerably from a hot start.
Despite not having its dangerous duo of Robbie Keane and Giovani dos Santos together since the season opener, Los Angeles (4-1-2) still leads MLS with 17 goals and its 2.43 per game is easily tops in the league. The Galaxy have scored nine in consecutive victories over Houston and Real Salt Lake as part of a 3-0-2 run.
Dos Santos proved he's over a leg injury that sidelined the designated player three games, scoring twice in the 4-1 win at Houston on April 15 and contributing a goal and an assist to last weekend's 5-2 victory over previously unbeaten Salt Lake.
"He's playing himself back into good form, and we're hopeful that he continues to get better," coach Bruce Arena said.
The Galaxy's enviable depth was evident on a night they were without Keane for a fourth straight match as well as the suspended Nigel de Jong. Gyasi Zardes added a goal and an assist and Emmanuel Boateng had a goal and two assists starting in place of an injured Sebastian Lletget.
Los Angeles again won't be a full strength as it tries to halt an 0-4-3 stretch in Kansas City. Though Lletget is expected back and Keane is nearing a return from knee surgery, Steven Gerrard will likely miss the match with an undisclosed injury and de Jong will serve the last of a three-game ban for a rough tackle against Portland on April 10.
"I think in a couple of months, we're going to be a real good team," Arena said. "Some other players are still waiting to get back in, and they're going to be playing together, obviously, over the next few months and hopefully getting better each game."
The Galaxy haven't won in Kansas City since Sept. 27, 2007. They were dealt a third straight loss there with a 2-1 defeat on Oct. 25 as Sporting avenged a 2-1 loss in Los Angeles last April.
Kansas City (4-4-1) returns home seeking its first win since April 9. It ended a three-game skid with Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Vancouver, a somewhat bittersweet result considering the Whitecaps played much of the second half down a man.
"Getting a point, yeah it's OK, but whenever you go up a man you always want more," coach Peter Vermes said. "I thought we actually had a couple of opportunities here and there, but they did a good job of really compacting the middle."
Kansas City has been held to three goals during its winless run and top attacker Dom Dwyer is scoreless in three straight.