Columbus Crew SC travels to Banc of California Stadium on Saturday to face expansion side Los Angeles Football Club. The match, which kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET, will be the inaugural contest between the two clubs.
Last week, Crew SC hosted Atlanta United FC at MAPFRE Stadium in a Wednesday evening match. Crew SC’s defense continued its strong performance, limiting Atlanta’s chances and creating many counters that led to its own. However, the Black & Gold could not find a breakthrough, falling 2-0 to the Eastern Conference leaders.
Meanwhile, LAFC topped the San Jose Earthquakes 4-3, securing three points on the road. After finding the equalizer in the 90th minute, LAFC took advantage of eight minutes of stoppage time to bounce a shot into the net for a last-minute goal.
LAFC holds an overall 7-4-3 record this season. The victory against San Jose snapped a four-match winless streak for Los Angeles.
“I think they’re a good team,” said Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter, “I’ve watched them play a number of times. I think they’ve had some exciting games, [and] I think it’s going to be a difficult game.”
Crew SC is coming off of a well-deserved break after playing its last four games over a short span of 12 days. Columbus currently sits at third in the Eastern Conference with a 2-2-3 away record this season. The Black & Gold look to take home three points and move up in conference standings.
Crew SC returns home on Saturday June 30 to face Real Salt Lake at MAPFRE Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET followed by post-match fireworks presented by MAPFRE Insurance.
