Los Angeles FC to win first ever LA Derby
Jamie Lamor Thompson / Shutterstock.com
Los Angeles FC are in their debut Major League Soccer season; however, the expansion team hasn't played like a debutant. After two matches this season LAFC have won twice, and with the team's experience on the pitch and in the dugout, there is no reason the Angels can't finish atop the Western Conference.
LAFC didn't just win their first two matches of the MLS season, but the team tallied six goals while giving up just one. The team's first win came against last season's MLS Cup runners-up the Seattle Sounders. The team's second victory was against Real Salt Lake, who were destroyed 5-1.
LAFC have quality in their squad. Diego Rossi has already scored three goals, while Mexican international Carlos Vela has scored once. Under the management of veteran coach and former United States national team manager Bob Bradley, LAFC aren't playing like an expansion team. Not only is Bradley a former US men's national team coach, but he has coached abroad with Egypt's national team, Stabaek, Le Havre and Swansea. Bradley's vast experience has paid off for the club and it has shown in the team's first two matches.
While LAFC have played twice this season, their city rivals the Los Angeles Galax have played three matches. The team has collected four points from a possible nine. Manager Sigi Schmid is attempting to turn the club around after it finished dead last in MLS last term. The Galaxy have scored three goals and conceded three in their last three games. Schmid may have corrected some of the team's defensive shortcomings in the offseason, but time will tell if it is completely fixed.
The Galaxy have more high-quality players than their rivals, and the best of them all is the recently signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The former Manchester United star is set to make his Galaxy debut in the LA Derby and his addition makes LA an immediate contender for the MLS Cup. Ibrahimovic's fitness could be a factor in the teams' first meeting as he played sparingly for Manchester United before being released last week. Based on the other strikers in MLS, Ibrahimovic is the best forward in the league.
While the Galaxy have the best striker in the league, he isn't necessarily 100 percent. The team is also missing other key players due to injury including Romain Alessandrini, Jonathan Dos Santos and Giovani Dos Santos. Without those key playmakers, the Galaxy will struggle against their new rivals in the derby.
LAFC, with their healthier team and hot start, will take the first LA Derby of the season. By the end of the weekend, LAFC could top the MLS's Western Conference and look promising for a run at the MLS Cup in their first season.
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