Game Info
Kickoff: 4:10pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Dignity Health Sports Park - Carson, CA
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has a 4W-1D-6L all-time record against LA Galaxy.
The first time these two teams met in 2026 was back on April 11th at Q2 Stadium, when a late Myrto Uzuni goal was not enough for the Verde and Black to come back from an early deficit, losing 2-1.
Last year, ATX earned their first ever result at Dignity Health Sports Park behind goals from Owen Wolff and Myrto Uzuni, taking all three points back to Texas in a 2-1 win.
LA Galaxy Recent Form
Currently sitting a point behind Real Salt Lake in tenth place in the Western Conference, the LA Galaxy cannot afford to drop a home game to an eliminated Austin FC. The only result that guarantees the Galaxy will have something to play for on Decision Day, when they’re scheduled to take on the aforementioned RSL on the road next weekend, is a win against Austin. It’s clear that Los Angeles will be throwing everything they have at this one. For the Galaxy, the playoffs have already begun.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Austin’s opponents. After winning MLS Cup in 2024, they faced the harsh consequences of going “all in” with their roster and salary cap to win the title. On top of that they lost their talisman midfielder Riqui Puig to an ACL tear in their championship run, which caused him to miss the entirety of the 2025 season. The departures from the championship roster came fast and furious, as the Galaxy had to shed bloated contracts and talented players.
It appeared that their front office was aware that 2025 was going to be a lost season with the moves made in 2024, but it was well worth the risk as the club added a league record sixth MLS Cup to their trophy case. I’m not sure there is a single Austin FC fan who wouldn’t trade winning an MLS Cup for a subsequent season of under performance and disappointment. Hell, we’ve already been through more of those than we’d like here in Austin!
As the calendar turned to 2026, the Galaxy had their sights set on returning to the upper tier of MLS. Unfortunately, Puig tore his ACL for a second time in the preseason and that all but sealed the team’s fate before the season had even begun.
Without a player like Puig, the Galaxy are exactly what you’d expect them to be – average at best. Almost nothing from their underlying numbers suggests that they’re anything more than a middling MLS club right now.
As we spoke about on Episode 346, there has been some turnover for Galaxy since Austin saw them at Q2 Stadium back on April 11th. DP winger Gabriel Pec was sent to Cruzeiro in Brazil for a club record $12 million. Midfielder Edwin Cerrillo was sold to Club America for north of $3 million. Fullback Miki Yamane went back to Japan and USYNT prospect Reuben Ramos was loaned to Sporting KC.
Despite all of that, there are some huge names still populating the roster. DP winger Joseph Paintsil is still in the fold, and the team acquired Hirving “Chucky” Lozano on loan from San Diego FC in the summer transfer window. They also got striker Joao Klauss back from injury after the World Cup break and still have Marco Reus wearing the armband. LA also added free agent midfielder and former Barcelona mainstay Sergi Roberto in the summer. In turn, the Galaxy have kept their heads above water, at least relative to our favorite team, and are within striking distance of securing not just a wild card spot but the chance to climb as high as the seventh seed in the Western Conference come the final whistle next weekend.
Austin FC Recent Form
Well, the “P Chase” is officially over. Another season, another missed playoff line, another failure for the Verde and Black. What started as a hopeful and exciting season for Austin FC quickly turned into an unmitigated disaster.
Just a few months removed from a U.S. Open Cup Final appearance and a Western Conference playoff berth in 2025, Austin stumbled early and often this season. Whether you believed that the 2025 season was a success, failure, fluke, or somewhere in between, it wasn’t crazy to suggest that the team should have improved in 2026. Talented players were added in the offseason and the core of the club had more time to gel.
We can talk about injuries, departures and firings all we want, but the bottom line is that the team did not put out consistent high-quality soccer. Worse than that, any moments of greatness paled in comparison to moments of disappointment and despair. The 2026 version of Austin FC was a team that constantly spoke about cohesion and togetherness, but exhibited uninspiring and disjointed play for the majority of the season. Pair that with what may have been the most amount of internal drama this team has had since 2023 and it’s easy to see why Austin will be once again watching the MLS Playoffs from their couches along with us fans.
While the future looks bright (well, at least brighter than this tragic season), it’s still another year of unacceptable results to a fan base that’s clearly one of the most dedicated in the league. For me, someone who had encouraged as much patience as possible for a blossoming franchise over the last few years, the honeymoon period is entirely over. This was year six and the club’s high points are still an appearance in the Western Conference Final in 2022 and a loss in the U.S. Open Cup Final in 2025. They’ve also missed the playoffs in four of the six seasons and been bounced from the U.S. Open Cup twice by USL Championship sides in four attempts.
Putting this team and its fans out of our collective misery was an act of kindness by Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, but that doesn’t mean that the club gets to cancel the final two games on the schedule (as nice as that would be).
Right now, the largest storyline amongst the fanbase is drama with…Bradley Scott Stuver. Yes, you read that right. The Austin FC legend has apparently been benched by an interim head coach for reasons that remain unclear. As we have reiterated many times already on the show, our dissatisfaction with Davy Arnaud’s decision to start Damian Las is not a knock to him. We love “the best keeper in the whurld.” He’s just not Brad Stuver. While the chances were about as slim as they could be, Austin mathematically had a chance to stay alive in the Western Conference playoff race if they could have secured three points at home against Real Salt Lake.
Choosing to leave one of the best keepers in MLS on the bench in a do-or-die situation is beyond me. Of course, we also cannot be sure if Austin FC would have won the game against Salt Lake with Stuver in net, but that’s not the point. There are at least two sides to every story, but with the amount of palpable frustration amongst the players, it’s not out of the question that Austin’s mainstay between the sticks didn’t agree with that decision.
As for this upcoming game, now that the team is officially eliminated, I’m more than fine suiting Las up again and playing this out. In fact, I would be really upset if Stuver gets the start. You just don’t treat club legends like that.
Injury Report
This is an estimate until the league releases official injury reports on Friday afternoon.
ATX:
Jon Bell (Out - Lower Abdomen)
Chris Applewhite (Out - Quad)
LAG:
Maya Yoshida (Questionable - Leg)
LA Galaxy Players to Watch
Marco Reus - Reus is a legend in Germany for both his accomplishments at the international and club level. While he is far past his prime, Reus is still a more than solid contributor at the MLS level. He leads the Galaxy in goal contributions this season with 20, eight goals and 12 assists. Reus is clearly still very capable of making winning plays. He has developed solid chemistry with Joao Klauss and grown a strong connection with his countryman Erik Thommy this season. Austin will need to account for his playmaking in the middle of the field, particularly in the final third, and close down on him once he reaches zone 14.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Don’t Get Hurt - As much as this team has hurt the fanbase this season, the only mission at this point it to ensure that our top players don’t suffer any significant injuries that could extend into the upcoming “sprint season”, which is a mere 16 weeks away. Call up Erick Feliciano. Call up Jules Bery. Let Micah Burton get a start. Do whatever. Just stay healthy and play the damn kids.
Predictions
ZG - 3-0 LA Galaxy
E - 3-0 LA Galaxy
