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Sporting Kansas City-Galaxy Preview

The last time the Los Angeles Galaxy lost at the StubHub Center, the 2014 season had gotten off to a negative start.

Now 25 matches later, it's probably safe to say the defending MLS Cup champions have ironed out any deficiencies in their home building. That streak could face a stern test with Sporting Kansas City visiting Saturday night for a matchup of the last two league champs.

Since that 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake on March 8, 2014, the Galaxy (2-2-2) are 17-0-5 at home. Add in two 3-0 away wins last season against Chivas USA and a 1-0 CONCACAF Champions League victory over Tijuana on March 12, 2014, as part of the 2013 season, and they're 20-0-5 at StubHub with a 63-15 scoring advantage without suffering another shutout.

Sporting (2-1-3) leads the league with 30 away victories since the start of 2011, though it's won just five of 30 games at Los Angeles all-time. Kansas City won last year's meeting 2-1 at home behind goals from Benny Feilhaber and Lawrence Olum.

"They have a good team," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena told the club's official website. "They've had a fairly good start to the season and we know any time you play them they're a tough team to play against. They'll press and come after us and it will be very competitive."

Robbie Keane scored in the last meeting for Los Angeles, and the star forward is uncertain of whether he'll get the chance to contribute this time. Keane missed Sunday's 1-0 home win over Seattle because of a strained groin.

"I feel good. I trained for the first time (Thursday)," Keane said. "I just have to assess (before) the game on Saturday over the next two days to see if there's no reaction. If there's no reaction, I'll be ready to go but we have to see how these next two days are."

The Galaxy could certainly use him. The league's top-scoring team from a season ago has one goal in the last three matches.

Even if Keane can't go, the timing of facing the typically high-scoring Galaxy isn't great for Kansas City. The club lost center back Ike Opara to a ruptured Achilles tendon in Saturday's scoreless draw against Salt Lake. In addition to being one of the league's elite defenders, Opara was the only Sporting player with two goals this season.

"It's a big loss," Feilhaber told the club's official website. "Ike had been our best player and probably the best center back in the league up until now. He's a guy that's very good on the defensive and offensive sides of the ball. ... So it's a big loss for us, but having said that, we have to have that 'next man up' mentality, and we'll see what (coach Peter Vermes) decides to do with the situation."

The draw against Salt Lake gave Kansas City three shutouts over a 2-0-2 span, and it will at least have Matt Besler after the defender went unused in the United States' 2-0 win over Mexico on Wednesday.

For the Galaxy, forward Gyasi Zardes and defender Omar Gonzalez each played 90 minutes in the friendly.

Sporting midfielder Graham Zusi was not a part of the U.S. squad and has missed Kansas City's last two matches because of a hamstring strain, though he returned to practice this week.

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