After an almost four-week hiatus from Major League Soccer action due to an international break, Los Angeles FC returns on Friday at 10 pm E.T. to face the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Col. In those four weeks, LAFC competed in two matches for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: a 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake on June 11 and a 3-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on June 20.
The international break may be over, but several LAFC players will be unavailable for this contest due to international duty. Goalkeeper Tyler Miller and defender Walker Zimmerman (United States) and midfielders Mark-Anthony Kaye (Canada) and Peter-Lee Vassell (Jamaica) are still away representing their countries in the Gold Cup.
Heading into the match, LAFC remains in first place in the Western Conference with an 11-1-4 record overall and 4-1-3 mark on the road. The team is undefeated in its last eight matches, with its lone loss of the season coming on April 17 away to the Vancouver Whitecaps. LAFC faced Colorado twice last season and came away with two shutout wins.
The Rapids have turned their season around after a rough start. They are on a six-match undefeated streak, with their last loss coming on May 11 at home against Real Salt Lake. Colorado’s first win of this current undefeated streak, May 19 against the Los Angeles Galaxy, was its first win of the season. The Rapids’ last match was a 2-2 draw against Vancouver, with goals coming from Diego Rubio and Andre Shinyashiki.
Officials for Friday night’s match in Colorado are Dave Gantar (center), Philippe Briere (AR1), Chris Wattam (AR2), Alejandro Mariscal (4th), and Jose Carlos Rivero (VAR).
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