MLS: Los Angeles Galaxy ready to make title push while Montreal harbour play-off ambitions

It has been another fascinating week in the MLS. While New England Revolution appear to be running away with things in the Eastern Conference, Seattle Sounders have gone cold in the Western Conference. We will preview two games this weekend — Minnesota United v Los Angeles Galaxy and Montreal v New York Red Bulls. We will also check in on the latest match odds.

Los Angeles Galaxy still on right track despite Vancouver Whitecaps draw

LA Galaxy are still going in the right direction, despite being forced to share the spoils against the Vancouver Whitecaps last weekend. Although they were bereft of the services of Javier Hernandez, who was injured, they went ahead through Kevin Cabral. However, a 50th-minute equaliser from Ranko Veselinovic rescued a point for the Whitecaps.

Despite the draw, Galaxy are just two points adrift of Western Conference table-toppers Sporting Kansas City. But they will be coming up against an in-form Minnesota United on Saturday, who are unbeaten in their past five matches. Their last defeat came at the hands of the Colorado Rapids in July, when they slumped to a 2-0 loss.

• Los Angeles Galaxy to beat Minnesota United @7/10 with Casumo
• Kevin Cabral to score anytime for Los Angeles Galaxy @19/5 with Casumo

Los Angeles Galaxy swoop in for Dejan Joveljic

Galaxy made a late swoop last week for Serbian international forward Dejan Joveljic. After spending last season on loan with Austrian Bundesliga outfit Wolfsberger AC, Joveljic made a good impression, scoring 20 times in 46 appearances. And Galaxy general manager Dennis te Kloese said: “We are thrilled to welcome Dejan to Los Angeles and look forward to his contributions.”

Minnesota United in good shape after dismantling Houston Dynamo

Minnesota produced an excellent attacking display as they saw off Houston Dynamo last weekend. While Dynamo are still seeking their first road win of the season, Robin Lod and Brent Kallman were on target for Minnesota. As things stand, Minnesota are fifth in the Western Conference, and they looked nailed on for a playoff spot.

Brent Kallman has developed a good habit for Minnesota

Against Dynamo, Kallman struck his second goal of the season, already equalling his return for the 2017 campaign. While Kallman may not be a natural goalscorer, if he can continue the knack of popping up with late strikes, it could be telling come the end of the campaign.

New York Red Bulls hoping to bounce back after Chicago Fire defeat

New York Red Bulls will need to regroup quickly. There’s little time to dwell on things, and they were uncharacteristically flat against Chicago Fire last Sunday. Luka Stojanovic bagged a brace inside the opening 10 minutes, and although Tom Barlow pulled one back deep in stoppage time, it was too little too late.

The Red Bulls’ winless streak has extended to six games, and they are in danger of missing out on the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Currently, they are four points adrift of Saturday evening’s opponents Montreal, and they seemed to be struggling for consistency.

• New York Red Bulls to beat CF Montreal @37/20 with Casumo
• Bjorn Johnsen to score anytime for CF Montreal @2/1 with Casumo

Montreal, meanwhile, have also been on a downward spiral in recent weeks. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to buck that trend as they were on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline against D.C. United last weekend. Ola Kamara staked his claim for the MLS Golden Boot award when he provided a terrific finish eight minutes after the restart for D.C. United’s match winner.

Montreal v New York Red Bulls: How past matches have unfolded

While this fixture pits two out-of-sorts teams together, Montreal shade the head-to-head record 7-5. However, with the Red Bulls still harbouring playoff ambitions, this is a must-win game. The Red Bulls romped to a 4-1 victory when these two sides met 11 months ago, and on that day, Barlow grabbed a double. However, Luis Binks was sent off in stoppage time for Montreal.

However, before that, Montreal reeled off three wins in a row against the Red Bulls. They enjoyed a 3-0 victory at home to the Red Bulls in October 2019, with Bojan Krkic providing the platform for the win. In this sort of game, the form book tends to go out of the window, but it should be a compelling game nonetheless.

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