LA Galaxy vs. New York City FC | MLS Match Preview

LA GALAXY vs NEW YORK CITY FC
STUBHUB CENTER, Carson, Calif.
August 23, 2015 (WEEK 25, MLS Game #255)
12 pm PT (ESPN/ESPN Deportes)

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One of the marquee matches of the entire Major League Soccer season is set for Sunday afternoon as the LA Galaxy play host to New York City FC at StubHub Center. The Galaxy now sit atop the Western Conference after winning a second consecutive game on the road in league play, defeating FC Dallas 2-1 last weekend, having also continued their remarkable form at StubHub Center with another five-goal outing at midweek in the CONCACAF Champions League. NYCFC are continuing their two-game road swing, having moved into a tie for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference after their 2-2 draw at Columbus Crew SC, also at midweek.

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This week Soccer Sunday on ESPN is a superstar-palooza, with the likes of the LA Galaxy's Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Giovani Dos Santos, Gyasi Zardes, and Omar Gonzalez playing host to NYCFC's David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard, and Mix Diskerud.
Keane scored a pair of goals, his third multiple-goal game in the last six, since July 4, leading the Galaxy to a 2-1 win against FC Dallas on Saturday evening, their third win overall and their second in a row on the road after going more than a year without a victory on their travels.
Keane now has 13 goals this season, fourth in the MLS Golden Boot standings, with 10 goals over his last six league matches. New strike partner Giovani dos Santos collected an assist; he now has a goal and two assists in his first two MLS matches.
NYCFC enter the match on a good run of form, having posting a win and a draw in their last two matches, both against Eastern Conference opponents. He is now 3rd in the race for the Golden Boot as the league's top goalscorer.
Villa, as usual this season, has been the catalyst for much of the success, snagging a game-winning second-half goal in last weekend's 3-1 win over D.C. United.
As important in recent weeks is first-year player Kwadwo Poku, has become a cult figure to NYCFC fans. He scored his second goal and added his seventh assist against United, then scored twice in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at Columbus Crew SC. The 23-year-old Ghanaian now has three goals and four assists over his last four league games, and the club is unbeaten (4-0-1) when he starts.

REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Fabio Tovar; 4th: Daniel Radford
MLS Career: 200 games; FC/gm: 25.1; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 72; pens: 72

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: LA: Baggio Husidic … NYC: Kwame Watson-Siriboe, David Villa
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: LA: Juninho, Mika Vayrynen, Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza, Gyasi Zardes … NYC: Andrew Jacobson, Kwadko Poku, R.J. Allen, Chris Wingert, Jason Hernandez, Josh Saunders
DISABLED LIST: LA: Brian Perk (season-ending injury) … NYC: Tony Taylor
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME: First meeting.