Colorado Rapids v LA Galaxy: Armas confident hosts will respond to setback

Colorado Rapids head coach Chris Armas is adamant his team will bounce back from defeat when they face LA Galaxy in MLS on Wednesday.

The Rapids suffered a 3-0 defeat to Minnesota United on Saturday, only managing one shot on target in an underwhelming performance.

They have already clinched a playoff spot, sitting fourth in the Western Conference, but have now lost two of their last three outings (winning the other one).

And Armas is confident his team will once again bounce back from defeat, based on their mentality throughout the season.

“I can tell you that our group responds, they respond when we have losses,” Armas said. “We’ve done it all year in a big way.

“So, we’ll look to do that again. We around here at the Rapids this year, from the very first game, we’ve not gotten too low, we’ve not gotten too high – this is another case of that.

“We rebound, take a hard look, we recover, and we get things ready for Wednesday.”

Two massive home games. Two of the best teams in the West.

We need every #Rapids96 fan this week. pic.twitter.com/Z7c5UyGej2

— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) September 29, 2024

Meanwhile, LA Galaxy bounced back from a 4-2 defeat to Portland Timbers with a 4-2 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps last time out.

They may have a six-point lead in the table, but head coach Greg Vanney is still looking to make improvements so they can finish the season strong.

“We have two on the road and one at home, and we’ll take any advantage we can get to finish on top,” Vanney said.

“Sometimes our unselfishness is that we’re trying to make a more perfect moment to finish, but you want to try and just keep it as smooth as possible down the stretch.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Colorado Rapids – Djordje Mihailovic

Colorado’s 3-0 loss at Minnesota United on Saturday was just the third time the club was shut out this season with only Inter Miami (twice) failing to score less often.

They were kept quiet in front of goal in that defeat, with only Djordje Mihailovic registering more than one shot (two), and he was the only one to hit the target.

LA Galaxy – Joseph Paintsil

Joseph Paintsil’s goal against Vancouver Whitecaps on September 21 was his 10th of the regular season, joining teammates Dejan Joveljic (14), Gabriel Pec (13) and Riqui Puig (11) in double figures.

The Galaxy are the first team in MLS history with four double-digit goalscorers in a single season.

It’s a tight race in the West for the last remaining spots in the Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs. pic.twitter.com/0EYJVN4XJu

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 29, 2024

MATCH PREDICTION: COLORADO RAPIDS WIN

The Rapids are unbeaten in five straight home matches against the Galaxy (W3 D2). This is Colorado’s longest home unbeaten run against LA in all competitions since a seven-match run (W6 D1) in 2006-09.

Indeed, Colorado are unbeaten in 10 straight regular-season home matches (W8 D2), including winning the last three in a row. The Rapids have had only three longer home unbeaten runs in a single season in club history, most recently a 16-match run in 2021.

The Galaxy have totaled 58 points this season, already their most in a single season since 2014 (61). The Galaxy are two points away from becoming the first team in MLS history to record four seasons with at least 60 points (1998, 2011, 2014).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Colorado Rapids – 42.1%

Draw – 26.7%

LA Galaxy – 31.2%