It’s another midweek madness match day for LAFC tonight. The team area back at home and hoping the atmosphere of BMO will help lift them to three points and the win as they welcome Austin FC. Both teams come into this one looking for the win and nothing less. Austin FC still have a chance at a playoff spot, while LAFC are looking to avoid sliding further and putting their nice playoff position at risk.
Matchday: #LAFCvATX
🏟️ @BMOStadium
⏰ 7:30 PM PT
🖥️ Free on @AppleTV with #MLSSeasonPass
🎧 @ESPNLosAngeles pic.twitter.com/QMLHWk5Hhh— LAFC (@LAFC) September 18, 2024
Fighting for playoffs
Austin FC come into this match as one of the clubs fighting for one of the final playoff spots. They are just five points off the line, with a pretty brutal schedule ahead of them to close out the season, with all of their remaining opponents being teams already sitting in playoff positions. That includes their match against second placed LAFC. Even tougher for the visitors, they will be down three players due to suspension, one of them being their best scoring option and heartbeat of the attack, Sebastian Driussi. The one silver lining for them is that they are going up against an LAFC side that is currently struggling to find their way. If ever there was a time to catch them at home, its now, and with the playoff spot only a finger’s reach away, don’t be surprised to see a bit of desperation from Austin.
Avoiding the slide
Yes, LAFC are in second place so you would think they don’t have too much to worry about with a lesser opponent coming into Los Angeles, right? WRONG. Not to overreact, but this is a pretty big match for the black & gold as well. There is just a four point difference between where they sit in second, and the seventh spot in the West. That means the team can’t afford to continue on this path of struggle. The squad has won just one in their last five matches, with not just goals drying up, but the opportunities to score said goals also coming few and far between at times. Lewis O’Brien will be out on suspension after seeing a red card in the team’s loss to the Galaxy, and Jesus Murillo is still out with injury, but outside of that, it should be a full squad for Los Angeles. These two did meet in August, during Leagues Cup, and LAFC came away with the 2-0 win at home then, now they look for the same result with three points on the line. While they shouldn’t have to worry about missing playoffs altogether, they do need to worry about avoiding a slide out of home field advantage. That starts with a win over Austin, tonight.
How To Watch
Kickoff for this match is set for 7:30pm PT from BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Ca. The match will be broadcast live and can be streamed on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Those looking for radio can find the broadcast on ESPN LA on 710AM.
Thoughts ahead of tonight’s midweek madness? Leave a comment below!